Some bands have such a monstrous presence in the live performance lure of rock that it almost sounds like a fairytale. Long stories spun with fiery guitar riffs and explosive vocals sound like something out of a rock history book rather than an event happening in your city. In the 90’s, there was one band that dominated this space. A band whose live performances were so chaotically blissful it turned a concert into a cathartic ritual. Rage Against The Machine built a reputation for booming sonics and raging mosh pits and they rarely failed to live up to these lofty expectations.
2022 was a busy year for Rock’s black sheep. The band set out on their first extended tour since 2011 only for Zack de la Rocha to break his leg on the second stop of the tour. Regardless, The Machine raged on for several more dates until the tour halted in August after a stop at Madison Square Garden. More recently, it appears that might have been the last show Rage Against The Machine ever played. Last week, drummer Brad Wilk took to Instagram to announce the band’s third split in their career, putting an end to any hope their canceled tour dates will be rescheduled.
While it is never easy to say goodbye to such an iconic band, Rage Against The Machine left no regrets in their wake. The band leaves a trail of timeless music and a reputation for some of the rowdiest live shows known to man. Let’s take a look back at some of RATM’s most iconic live performances, in honor of the future shows that may never be.
Check out Glide’s list of the most iconic Rage Against The Machine live moments below.
Democratic National Convention
2000
One of the most iconic performances the band ever played and the most exciting thing to happen at the Democratic National Convention in its history, Rage stole the show. In a protest to the convention, RATM set up a free show across the street from the Staples Center in Los Angeles where the politicians were congregating. The show ended up amassing around 8,000 viewers as the DNC could do nothing but watch from across the street. A political statement and a raging show, this is RATM at its finest.
MTV Video Music Awards
2000
While no one in the band picked up an instrument at this moment in the show, they made sure to make their presence felt. As if their reputation wasn’t enough, the band lived up to the hype as bassist Tim Commerford interrupted Limp Bizkit accepting an award to scale part of the stage. Famously, that is as far as Commerford planned. He was helped down and promptly arrested after the perfect display of RATM’s mission. The band did end up taking the stage to perform “Testify”, but the highlight was Commerford’s antics. RATM interrupting such a corrupt and backwards award show is the perfect example of what makes their energy and mission timeless.
Saturday Night Live
1996
The only thing more RATM than putting on a stellar performance is getting banned from the venue they just performed in. In 1996, the band was asked to perform on Saturday Night Live to promote their Evil Empire LP. The host that night? Republican Presidential candidate and billionaire Steve Forbes, a man who personified everything RATM stood against. In an act of rebellion, the band draped upside-down American flags over their speakers. SNL producers lost it and no footage of the protest or the “Bullet in the Head” performance was uploaded without a prompt copyright strike. Footage of the band’s electric “Bulls on Parade” can still be found and the energy is palpable. Rage Against The Machine was promptly banned from Saturday Night Live.
Woodstock ‘99
1999
What is now considered one of the most infamous music festivals ever put on, Woodstock 99 is brimming with iconic performances. RATM made their presence felt and didn’t alter their message under the massive spotlight. Instead, they doubled down. The band would go on to burn an American flag during their performance, putting their SNL antics with the flag to shame. The band burned the flag during the finale where they performed “Killing in The Name”.
Lollapalooza
1993
In an act of defiance against the censoring of music from the PMRC, a young RATM took the ultimate risk. The band, who only released their debut a few months prior, took the stage fully nude. They held this position for up to 15 minutes with the band placing tape on their mouths and painting the acronym for PMRC across their chest. The crowd’s reaction was positive at first before the cheers turned to jeers and the crowd began to throw loose change at RATM.
Republican National Convention
2008
RATM and a legion of fans face off with authorities after they shut down this performance. The band was inactive leading up to their 2007 reunion and they returned in the most RATM way possible. An impromptu performance outside of the Target Center in Minnesota was shut down almost immediately with authorities shutting off power to the stage. Tom Morello and Zach De La Rocha continued to perform despite a lack of power, performing an acoustic version of “Bulls on Parade”.
Coachella
2007
In 2000, Zach De La Rocha announced his departure from Rage Against The Machine. What was described as a “highly combustible” environment, the band performed their final shows of this era in September of that year. While the band’s name stayed busy with live albums being released, it wasn’t until 2007 that the band officially put their differences aside to reunite. The energy of this performance can be felt through the fan-shot video, performing like their seven-year hiatus never happened. Before they took this massive stage, De La Rocha and Morello performed a small acoustic set at a Coalition of Immokalee Workers rally in Chicago.
L.A. Rising
2011
Marking the only show the band played in 2011, their self-curated L.A. Rising festival was one for the books. Along with a mishmash of artists that ranged from Ms. Lauryn Hill to Rise Against, RATM headlined their festival at the L.A Coliseum. Famously featuring some very intense mosh pits, RATM made the most out of their only performance of the year.
Shutting Down the New York Stock Exchange
2000
When the band set out to shoot a music video for their “Sleep Now in The Fire” track, no one could predict they would etch themselves into America’s financial history. Director Michael Moore did not obtain the countless permits needed to shoot a video on Wall Street without police involvement, but that didn’t stop RATM. As Moore was being carried away by authorities, he pleaded for the band to not stop playing. They played alright, and then some. The band and their fans stormed the front doors of the building, forcing security to remove the band and effectively shut down the Stock Exchange.
