The band’s hard-hitting and heavy tonality, coupled with the anger portrayed in De La Rocha’s voice, make you want to 'Take the power Back'. Their politically charged lyrics and unparalleled stage presence have left their mark on music by carrying powerful messages about government oppression and institutional racism. The band has an infectious energy that will blow your mind and your ears. Despite forming in the early nineties, their protest songs are just as pertinent today. I can ‘Testify’ that Rage Against the Machine are a group you do not want to miss at this year’s festivals. In the words of frontman Zack De La Rocha in 'Guerrilla Radio': "what better place than here, what better time than now?" That time is Friday 26th August on the Leeds main stage. I have been in a stalemate with my university’s printer more times than I care to admit.Įither way, you can release your pent-up aggression at Leeds and Reading this month whilst consuming an addictive cocktail of funk, metal, and rap. It just seemed like it distilled the worst elements of metal - the misogynist jock buggery - and the message wasn’t announced as ‘This is a horrible thing.’ It was more like, ‘This is our new Woodstock generation - bunch of idiots.Everyone has a machine they want to rage against, whether you stick it to the man like Jack Black in School of Rock or the vending machine has swallowed your money and KitKat. “The rapes in the pit, the trashing of the sites. “For me, Woodstock ’99 was the low point of nu metal,” he says in the heavy metal oral history Louder Than Hell. Morello has a very different take on the matter these days. “But in general, I thought the media coverage was grossly unfair and youth-bashing and tried to vilify an entire generation because of a couple of idiots there.” “I think that the sexual assaults that occurred were horrific and inexcusable,” he said. Rage guitarist Tom Morello defended the festival in 2000 interview with Addicted to Noise. They wrapped it up by burning an American flag while performing “Killing in the Name.” It wasn’t the last fire of the weekend. There weren’t a ton of musical highlights at Woodstock ’99, but Rage delivered an amazing set on July 24th, 1999. Now we wanna let out the positive energy.” That’s what Alanis Morissette had you motherfuckers do. Fred Durst was widely blamed with whipping the crowd into a violent frenzy. Rage Against the Machine performed near the end of the second night, sandwiched between Limp Bizkit and Metallica. Both of them were relegated to side stages. The only returning acts from the original 1969 festival were Who bassist John Entwistle and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart. This was the height of the “nu metal” movement, and Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Korn and Rage Against the Machine were all on the bill along with Insane Clown Posse, Creed, DMX and many others stars of the day. With a new HBO documentary revisiting the infamous event, a new generation is learning about one of the most calamitous festivals of all time.įyre Festival and the Long, Wild History of Disastrous Music Fests Some sort of violent eruption was practically inevitable. It was held on a scorching hot weekend in late July with temperatures above 100 degrees, and there was little shade. Promoters brought 200,000 young rock fans to a former Air Force base in Rome, New York, but failed to provide them with nearly enough toilets or free water.
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