Rage Against the Machine return to the stage after 11 years: "Abort the Supreme Court"
East Troy, Wisconsin - Rage Against the Machine (RATM) made their highly anticipated return to the music stage over the weekend, and they have more targets to aim their anger at that ever before.
Their set on Saturday at the Alpine Valley Music Theater was the first stop on their Public Service Announcement tour with Run the Jewels, and marked the first time the band has performed publicly in 11 years.
The band has always been known for their highly energetic live shows and powerful political and social messages, and this show was no different.
So much has happened in the past decade that they have been inactive, but they made it clear on the first show that there is so much to rage against right now.
While singer Zach de La Rocha didn't say much or give any powerful speeches, the band let the music speak for itself, along with a backdrop that played images and text.
The band played all of their biggest hits, including the song Testify, which opened with a video of a burning cop car playing on a screen behind them.
Guitarist Tom Morello was also seen wearing a shirt that said "I [heart] CRT" (that's critical race theory) throughout the set.
And nothing caused the band to let out that rage quite like the US Supreme Court.
Raging against the Supreme Court machine
RATM also had some choice words with regard to the recent US Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, as a video caught during the performance shows.
"Forced birth in a country that is the only wealthy country in the world without any guaranteed paid parental leave at the national level," read text on the screen behind them as the band furiously jams out to de La Rocha's chants of "freedom."
"Forced birth in a country where Black birth-givers experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than that of white birth-givers. Forced birth in a country where gun violence is the number one cause of death among children and teenagers."
"Abort the Supreme Court" the message concluded.
Rage Against the Machine has just kicked off their Public Service Announcement tour, which will run until April 2.
Cover photo: Collage: KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP