Tom Morello is no stranger to Chicago and the injustices going on in our fair town. Having been raised in Libertyville and having a keen revolutionary lean, Morello felt like a prime candidate to raise our spirits last week at the Vic. Performing a lengthy set of solo songs, Rage Against the Machine instrumentals, and a small taste of Audioslave tracks, Morello brought along a bevy of guests and his political fury for an evening of protest and undeniable good times.
The Neighborhood Kids opened up the show and immediately you could tell they came from the same lineage that Rage Against the Machine helped birth. A mix of heavy rock and hip-hop flows rife with political and social commentary, the group held their own opening for such an influential legend. Songs like "Tomboy" touched on personal hardships while track "Bidi Bomb" goes for a more outward call for change. While their set ran long and they couldn't perform their final song that had initially caught the attention of Morello, "Kids in the Cages," the Neighborhood Kids did get the crowd going on one final chant off that song: "Get them out of the cages." A few members of the crowd added in their "Fuck ICE" chants in, a sentiment that was wholeheartedly endorsed by the majority of the crowd.
Then it came time for Tom Morello and to say that the already packed crowd somehow got more lively would be an understatement. From the moment Morello and his band stepped on stage until 22 songs later when they finished up the show, The Vic was completely enthralled and feeding their energy into the show. "Soldier in the Army of Love" and "One Last Dance" lead the charge into a Rage Against the Machine medley, and early shot to that past that was greatly appreciated by the fans of Morello's early career.
While it would be easy to just play the Rage hits, Morello has had a very storied and vast career and to ignore it would have been a let down. Luckily Morello and his revolutionary leaning were in full effect during the show as he continually rallied the crowd against fascism. "Every act of art is an act of resistance," he declared as he deputized the crowd as anti-fascist crime fighters. Maybe it's a little corny, but in a town that's getting pummeled by ICE raids, it felt unfortunately needed.
First half of the set was dominated by Morello's modern work. Tracks like "It Begins Tonight" and "Keep Going" crystalized that folk punk resistance and revolutionary aim he's known for. Towards the middle of the set you could tell a slight transition was being made as he paid tribute to his Audioslave band mate Chris Cornell with “The Garden of Gethsemane", asking the entire venue to quiet down for the moment. The setlist shifted to medleys highlighting his work in Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and some choice rock and folk covers. It was a perfect ramp up for the night.
The night was billed as "Tom Morello & Friends" and that certainly was the case as special guests continually joined the show on stage. "The War Inside" saw Jakeim Hart and Billy Rude from Goodman Theatre’s production of Zayd Ayers Dohrn and Morello's Revolution(s) tear it up with all the theatrical fervor you'd expect from these mutli-talented actors. Tim McIlrath, the driving force of Rise Against, performed during the Springsteen cover "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (which saw Morello jamming out during a heated solo, eventually revealing "FREHLEY FOREVER" taped to the back of the guitar). Ike Reily probably spent the most time on stage of the guests as he helped out on the Woody Guthrie cover "This Land Is Your Land" (extra verse and all), MC5's "Kick Out the Jams", and the final slew of songs.
Those final songs of the night hit an apex only a man with the history of Tom Morello could accomplish. Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name Of" blew the doors off the venue and Morello and crew blasted the song as loudly and angrily as they could. The crowd took over vocals, hurling the songs damning lyrics with every ounce of vitriol they could manage. It was a cathartic expulsion of all the troubles Chicago has had to endure the past few months, making those repeated lines all the more venomous ("Some of those that work forces/Are the same that burn crosses"). "A cover of John Lennon's Power to the People" rang out after, continuing that urge to push forward for change. At this point every special guest was out and rocking with Morello and despite a curfew threatening to end the good times, there was honestly no chance of it happening. The whole night ended an a gloriously fun indulgence of Kiss' "Rock and Roll All Nite", fulfilling the foreshadowing of "FREHLEY FOVEVER" from earlier. And as the house lights went up, the crowd and performers sang as long as they could, wrapping up the amazing show on a communal high note.
All photos by Julian Ramirez.
