Rage Against the Machine Urge Bush to 'Wake Up' at Coachella
"Good evening, we're Rage Against the Machine from Los Angeles, California," announced frontman Zach de la Rocha to a sea of humanity, that stretched to the end Coachcella's massive Empire Polo Fields. And with the garbled opening notes of 'Testify,' both the crowd and the band set loose the pent-up energy that had been brewing all of Day Three by those waiting for the reunion.
De la Rocha, who's remained quiet since Rage disbanded, mostly allowed the music to speak for itself, playing hits like 'Bulls on Parade,' 'Renegades of Funk' and 'Bullet in the Head' with ferocity that fans waited seven years for. But he broke his silence during 'Wake Up,' spouting an anti-Bush tirade in which he called for the current administration to be "tried, hung and shot."
However, if there's any warning the administration should heed from the night, it's far more likely to be in the lasting image of 60,000 fists pounding the night sky as fans scream, "F**k you, I won't do what you told me," during the closing 'Killing in the Name Of.'
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Posted by Steve Baltin on Apr 30th 2007 3:00PM
Filed under: Coachella
Reader Comments(1 of 3)
jojoat 4-30-2007
it's good to see they still have the politics raging.
me in los angelesat 4-30-2007
Welcome back Rage.....if the world ever needed you..The Time is NOW!!! Time to wake up the minds of the youth and the old alike and see change in OUR hands. Shake the establishment and see what come s out. It can't be any worse than it already is...
AngryPeaceIsALieat 4-30-2007
Oh, I thought that was Phil Spector with his new hair-doo. Bush loves rage against the machine! Thier angry threats full of screeming and blame helps us all look like the gun wielding misanthropes that he wants to be! Don't you think there's a way to get your message across with out mosh pits and assasination threats?
Thanks Angry... You're part of the reason both Rock and Rap are fading into history!
awakenedat 4-30-2007
hey angry,
wake up.
Twisterat 5-01-2007
Ok Angry. Welcome to america..... land of free speech, you duche. Rage agains the machine is a great band. And as for the mosh pitting and such, it is called freedom of expression, another great benefit to living in this country. So before you go dissing on people for living their lives, go evaluate yours. OR.... Better yet, just go play in traffic.
And that is freedom of speech, bitch.
Ragin' Mamaat 5-01-2007
Hey Twister, you totally negated your statement by shoving your own thoughts down Angry's "throat". I love Rage and I feel they are exactly what we need, especially in times like these.
However, you being an asshole doesn't exactly seem too supportive of the cause-- or even your own statement.
Mancowat 5-01-2007
Welcome Back. We at the mancow show missed you !!
God Bless America!Land that I love!
Land of the free? Who ever told you that is your enemy.
Freedom, Freedom ,Freedom!!! yea Freedom !!
AJat 5-01-2007
I just love that these posers pay federal income taxes to support the war machine. Rage FOR The Machine, more like. Remember, kids: lower taxes and a government that incents commerce increases quality of life across the board. Who cares if the fat-cat atop the hill still makes all that money. He's a loser. The trickle-down / recirculatory effect helps the masses. And we want what's best for the masses.
chente142at 5-01-2007
People who think RATM, or Zack De La Rocha, are sellouts or part of the corporate machine are right. But they're also missing the forest for the trees... the idea that Capitalism is our Saviour is SO DEEPLY ENTRENCHED in the american mindset, that's it's near impossible to get people to think the other way. Lower taxes and increase commerce, ignore the fat cat on the hill? Like having more money and objects will make me HAPPIER??
We need to look out for our fellow humans.
We are the fat cats on the hill. All of us in America. All of us.
And yeah, standing in a field of 100,000 shouting and being angry doesn't accomplish anything overnight. But it's part of the start. Like Zack said, "It's gonna take generations." We change the me-me-me outlook on life, and we can start changing things for everyone.
And anyone who even agrees with this a little bit, how dare you criticize RATM for existing. They have violent themes in the lyrics, definitely, but they're a major label band trying to change things from the inside. At the same time, for every 12 shirtless drunk meatheads who just wanna jump up and down and shout "fuck you", there's maybe the one kid who looks up the references in the lyrics, or the minority kid who starts getting angry and realizes, hey, it's OK TO BE ANGRY. I know. I saw them.
I woke up.
Everyone else, please wake up too.
Mosesat 5-01-2007
Zach should crawl back into the hole he climbed out of and shut the hell up. He like most of the entertainment don't know what the hell he is talking about Just a fuckin idiot
Daveat 5-02-2007
Hey rage, SHUT THE HELL UP AND PLAY
frankat 5-02-2007
Rage against the machine is [art of the sysytem. They get rich off of capitalism and are the true fat cats. Don't tell the little people what to do, do it. Take all proceeds from the concerts and albums and t shirts and donate it to the poor countries of the world. Have benefit concerts every week for the victims of suicide bombers. Help out the monks in tibet and the aids crisis in africa. Thanks for nothing rage aginst the machine, you should be renamed rage for the money.
frankat 5-02-2007
and hey chente, you are a liberal cog in the liberal wheel of lies. think for yourself man your probably some west coast white bred liberal.If im wrong then your just some douche anyway. if you want to change the me me me generaton why not go into some sort of service to people, like the fire department or social work. That makes a difference. As for some minority kid getting angry, well mother f'er do you know who they take out their anger on? the poor white people that live in their neighborhood and could not afford to keep up with the white flight. Maybe they should be angry, but take it to the fat cat's neighborhood not the white kid by himself that is probably poorer than you are. Go to bush's ranch or the kennedy compound not to my apartment or to a kid going to school at a bus stop in brooklyn.
drewat 5-02-2007
i love rage just as much as anyone, but i feel they are just using the bush bashing to get back in the scene and fatten their pockets. they say that they wanna get him out of office and whatnot, but a lil too late dont you think considering that he'll be out in less then 2 years anyway. the damage that bush did is done, nothing we can do about it now. so stop crying and saying oohhh they're political mercenaries
Jamesat 5-02-2007
Over your head Frank. Right over your head. Telling him to think for himself, hmmm. Quit it with your ad hominem attacks or you will receive them right back. You are labeling him as a Liberal as if it is a bad thing. Read up on rage and the band and see what they support. Hey, it also may help you out if you check out their lyrics as well. Just a thought. I would like you to show me when and where RATM has taken there anger out on the poor white people. You are oh so very presumptuous.
Tonyat 5-02-2007
Would someone anwser this one question for me. Do people lack such self guidence that they need a damn band to tell them how they should think? And what makes that band think that it is so great that it should tell us how to think? See maybe Im not as week minded as some (if this does not apply to you dont get angry but if it does...) but im not going to let anyone tell me how to think no matter how many tickets they sell. Just something to think about.
By the way I know some of you are thinking that RATM is just trying to get the message out. But has anyone ever heard someone say "man we should start a band so we can get the message out" no you hear them say "man we should start a band so we can get money". Dont get me wrong I love RATM but Im smart enough to know they are in this for the money. The more shock value what they say has, the more tickets they sell. So dont kid yourself its all about the money. If they were in it just to get the message out the concerts would be free.
mykoat 5-02-2007
Rage isnt just bashing bush, they have always been bashing against this rapacious system of capitalism, that means both republicans, democrats, and even green party. The problem is capitalism that inevitably produces and needs people like bush to survive.. bush is the symptom, capitalism is the disease.
JPAlexanderat 5-02-2007
Why does it always have to be anti-America that bands like this play about. Zack is a Mexican so I am sure he can write hundreds of songs about how bad his own contry is without having to abuse probably the greatest country in the world. no I am not saying that American is perfect far from it but compared to shitholes like Mexico its a far cry better. I love rock and Rage is a great sounding band but you calling for the president to be hung is just plain stupidity on your part. How can you be taken seriously when you spew crap like that? Take a tip from Bono, the guy wants to fight AIDS in Africa and is doing it not just yelling about it.
Tonyat 5-02-2007
myko, Thats good to hear. Ill be looking foward to seeing you having free concerts when you make it big. Because god knows you dont want to get caught up in capitalisms evil plot. The real disease is people that are too lazy to get off their ass and work for a living. Instead they want the government to give them handouts.
chente142at 5-02-2007
Eh, I was gonna write a longish post but what's the point. Nothing changes overnight, and it certainly won't change over one post. Suffice to say, the progressive movement continues to grow; and to those out there who just wanna be angry at those who want to make the entire world a better place, go right ahead. Hopefully your children won't see it that way.
Like Zack said, "It's gonna take generations."
It's gonna take more than posting on a message board and 100,000 jumping people in a field rocking out to a band that hasn't put out a record in 7 years. But hey, the damage to the system, however small, has been done and it continues to grow. So thanks, Rage.