Photos by Joe Papeo
Storming Barclays Center on August 27th, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine, along with B Real of Cypress Hill and Chuck D of Public Enemy, took the stage with fire in their hearts. Because this is no typical super-group – the Prophets are hellbent on their agenda to ‘Make America Rage Again’. Yes, they came to Brooklyn to lend an impassioned voice; to reach all the disenchanted and disillusioned Americans who have recently considered jumping the border come November.
Unrepentant wordsmiths in their own right, opening act AWOLNATION revved up the New York congregation with ferocious tunes like “Burn It Down” and “Soul Wars”, setting the vibe for a night of American atonement.
Up next, the Prophets’ politically-charged performance relied heavily on RATM’s back catalog, including “Guerilla Radio”, “Bombtrack”, “Testify”, and “Take The Power Back”. B Real and Chuck D definitely made their marks too, repping their respective acts with nods to tracks like “How Could I Just Kill a Man” and “Shut ‘Em Down”.
But when their worlds collided, that’s when things got really interesting. First, a cover of the Beastie Boys’ hit “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” was mashed up with Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power”. Later in the set, another mash-up emerged – this time Audioslave’s rocker “Cochise” laid the foundation for “She Watch Channel Zero?!”, another Public Enemy tune.
The Prophets of Rage simply could not end their explosive show without igniting the mosh-pit with the ultimate ‘go ape-shit’ anthem, “Killing In the Name”, and fans definitely reciprocated the energy full force. As the crowd collectively paused to catch their breath, outspoken guitarist Tom Morello flipped over his axe to expose a statement that both hip-hop and hard-rock fans can wholeheartedly agree on: “Nobody for President”.
www.prophetsofrage.com
TheWaster.com | BK
8.29.16
