Following closely on the heels of their free show in Denver during the Democrats’ Convention, Los Angeles rock activists Rage Against The Machine made sure they were in the Twin Cities during the Republicans’ time in the national spotlight.
On Monday, guitarist Tom Morello performed solo (as The Nightwatchman) at the “Take Back Labor Day” benefit in St. Paul, alongside Mos Def, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle and Atmosphere, among others.
On Tuesday evening, Rage Against The Machine made an unscheduled appearance at the Ripple Effect festival on the front lawn of the Minnesota State Capitol building. The police, however, citing a lack of permit, refused to let the thousands of fans assembled hear the band play. Instead, Morello and frontman Zack de la Rocha grabbed megaphones and led the crowd in a cappella renditions of two songs.
Wednesday night saw the band across the river in Minneapolis, playing at a Target Center surrounded by riot police. Rage took the stage, to the delight of the progressive-leaning crowd, wearing Guantanamo Bay prisoner uniforms, playing their first song with heads covered. They played a roaring set, the crowd exploding during every song.
After their encore, the band stayed onstage and explained to the crowd that it was possible to face the police outside “peacefully” without being “passive.” The crowd must have listened, because although there were some arrests on the streets of Minneapolis, there was no violence.
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