Image courtesy of Rage Against the Machine

On Saturday, July 9, Rage Against the Machine brought their first show in 11 years to the Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wis. The tour was originally announced in 2019 and set to kick off near the border in El Paso, Texas, but was postponed several times due to the COVID-19 pandemic – despite the lapse and time and change in location, the American rock band rallied fans, and towards the end, the sold-out venue screamed in unison “fuck you I won’t do as you tell me.”

Rage Against the Machine have not released an album since 2000’s Renegades, but the energy in the room for their tour kick-off was by no means that of a reunion tour. Their now deeply familiar, rock-rap fusion defined a generation and their politically charged music has never been more relevant and, in many cases, more needed.

Following an opening performance by Run the Jewels–the rap super-duo comprised of Brooklyn-based rapper and producer El-P and Atlanta-based rapper Killer Mike–Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha immediately met the sea of multi-generational fans with the voice so many have completely let loose to throughout their lives. Untarnished by time and with the energy of their earliest days, the group, broke the seal with “Bombtrack” off their 1992 self-titled LP. The now 52-year-old de la Rocha led the band–comprised of guitarist Tom Morello, drummer Brad Wilk, and bassist Tim Commerford–through “People of the Sun” and “Bulls on Parade” until the crowd and band were completely united in both intensity and exhilaration.

They continued to rip through their discography, hitting 13 songs over 90 minutes. During the performance, stilling images of a Boarder Patrol agent with a German Shepherd, an El Paso police car set ablaze, a helicopter descending on a group of refugees stranded in a boat on open waters were backdropped behind them, and towards the end, messages flashed on the screen with recent rallying calls like “Abort the Supreme Court.” It’s also notable that throughout the show Morello wore a shirt that read “I Love CRT.” Some musical highlights included an incendiary “Testify,” a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” a ticking “Calm Like a Bomb” into “Sleep Now in the Fire,” a savage “War Within a Breath,” and an indomitable set closer of “Killing in the Name.”

Throughout their career, Rage Against the Machine have been fearless in facing the absurdity and odiousness nature of American society; their sound, fueled by righteous courage, never lost its light and remained aflame despite the absence of their live shows. However, two decades have passed, and what first inspired them to put on their boots and fight has changed. Despite that, following their tour kick-off, it seems Rage Against the Machine’s sound’s is more able and more willing to unite the people and shield them from the powers that be.

Watch some fan-shot video from Rage Against the Machine’s tour kick-off below.