For any music lover, the first time hearing a Rage Against the Machine song is somewhat of a spiritual experience. The unique blend of rock, metal, funk and hip-hop influences are truly one of a kind, and the socialist agenda put forth by brilliant lyricist Zach de la Rocha is enough to make even the staunchest of Republicans rethink his beliefs.
Although the group officially disbanded in 2000, their music has found immense popularity among today’s music lovers. I personally heard Rage Against the Machine for the first time during my junior year of high school, and I have been in dismay of not being able to see the group live since.
However, this summer, I may just get the next best thing.
As a collaboration between members of Rage Against the Machine and old-school hip-hop groups Cypress Hill and Public Enemy, the supergroup dubbed Prophets of Rage has formed to protest what many have considered a highly corrupt and controversial election cycle.
Consisting of all but one member of Rage Against the Machine, this may be many fans’ only chance to see the legendary group live, and as Tom Morello, renowned Rage Against the Machine guitarist and Prophets of Rage founder, would like us to believe, the new group is more than just a reunion.
Given Rage Against the Machine’s historically political approach to just about everything, there seems no better time for such a band to speak up, and as Morello has repeatedly emphasized, Prophets of Rage is a group formed out of civic duty to the nation to set the record straight and hopefully have the people’s voice heard again.
But, is it really?
On the other hand there is probably no better time for the group to form and boost their pocketbook a bit, and with a closer look at the details of Prophets of Rage, it is not hard to see that this is the case.
The supergroup was first brought into discussion when mysterious posters began covering the walls of buildings in Los Angeles in which a militant logo was displayed as well as the web address prophetsofrage.com.
The website contained a countdown to June 1, and, upon that date’s arrival, the formation of the group was announced as well as a pop-up show at Whisky a Go Go. Tickets were $20 and all proceeds went to P.A.T.H. (People Assisting the Homeless).
The group held two additional shows of this nature with the low price point and all proceeds going to charity, and from any point of view, it truly seemed that Prophets of Rage was on a mission from the rock gods themselves.
This was only further confirmed when Morello told Bloomberg Politics that the group had plans to protest the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this July. The last time Rage Against the Machine pulled such a stunt, more than 100 people were arrested due to out of control protests, and this year’s show is sure to live up to that expectation.
This is when things suddenly began to go in a different direction. After weeks of pure adrenaline and hardcore, rock ‘n’ roll rage spewing from every action the group made, Prophets of Rage announced a North American stadium tour, dubbed “The Make America Rage Again Tour,” taking place late this summer.
The group plans to stop in 35 cities across the continent, and although the minimum ticket price remains at $20, depending on the experience and seat the consumer wants, that price can easily skyrocket to upwards of $300.
In the group’s defense, a portion of all proceeds from each stop will be donated to a local homeless charity, but that percentage remains undisclosed. And, 35 arenas filled with thousands of people paying anywhere from $20-$300 can be very lucrative for a band that had no intention of reuniting in the foreseeable future.
Perhaps this is best complemented by the group’s overall lack of message. While there is a clear opposition to the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, the group doesn’t necessarily offer an alternative to getting rid of the candidate altogether.
In many cases it feels as if Prophets of Rage is arguing for total anarchy, yet Morello seems to disagree with that notion as well.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Morello stated “This music doesn’t have an ideological litmus test to listen to it. It’s for everybody — Republican, Democrat, independent and anarchist — who feels deep down that the system is messed up.”
But if the system is so messed up how do they plan to fix it? Just “rage”? As fun as that may sound, it doesn’t necessarily offer any sort of solution.
However, the hard truth is that fans just really don’t care. As a die-hard Rage Against the Machine fan, the idea of even a partial reunion is freaking awesome.
Shut up and take our money, Prophets of Rage. We don’t care about the politics, just the music.
