Having seen Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill at Rock the Bells in New York in 2007 we were not going to miss the chance to see this ‘supergroup’ perform on their ‘Make America Rage Again’ tour. Taking their name from a Public Enemy song the band are made up of ¾ of Rage, DJ Lord and Chuck D from Public Enemy and B-Real from Cypress Hill.
Walking through the casino to the bar we pass Tom Morello on his way into the venue much to my sons delight.
It’s a big venue with a mix of locals and tourists from all over America and further afield. After a short 15 minute DJ Set by Public Enemy’s DJ Lord to get the crowd warmed up, the band take to the stage and storm straight into ‘Prophets of Rage’.
It’s then a blistering two hours of top quality hip hop with a rock edge with Morello on stunning form as usual making noises from a guitar that no one else can. He is ably supported by the driving rhythmic force of Commerford and Wilk on bass and drums respectively.
The set is taken mostly from the Rage catalogue but any fears that Chuck D and B-Real couldn’t match the force that is Zach de la Motta were soon dispelled and they really came into their own on the pure hip hop segment where they performed in the crowd.
Highlights too many to mention but ‘Testify’ and ‘Bulls on Parade’ really stood out for me. Politicising was kept to a minimum but the message was delivered succinctly and passionately.
A great night and looking forward to hopefully some UK dates next year but be careful in the mosh pit guys, it’s brutal.
Keep on rockin y’all.