Rage Against the Machine Set to Headline L.A. Rising Music Festival

Marking their twentieth anniversary as one the world's most celebrated polemical bands, Rage Against the Machine takes the helm on a massive effort of inspiring involvement and providing re-education to droves of music fans on the topics of war, immigration, poverty and labor -- ending the event with a rare, live show at the Los Angeles Coliseum in this Saturday's L.A. Rising music festival.

The daylong, multi-genre event will also feature live performances from the English alt-rock band Muse, American punk band Rise against and the Hip-Hop melodic lyricism of Ms. Lauryn Hill. And while diverse lineups such as this have become standard for modern music festivals, the inclusion of the Muse has some Rage Against the Machine fans scratching their heads.

Rage Against the Machine bassist and back-up vocalist, Tim Commerford, pointed out in one of the bands buzz videos for L.A. Rising that Muse is "quite the opposite" of what Rage Against the Machine brings to the stage calling Rage Against the Machine the "Antithesis of Muse" when it comes to live shows.

Muse is well known for their pompous, technology driven stadium shows which will presumably bring a refreshing, high-energy, synthesized aura to the historic L.A. coliseum. In contrast, Rage Against the Machine is expected to stick to their bare bones, under-produced and raw sounds that have helped make them the pinnacle of post-punk political rock.

Though the bands are very different in sound and delivery, the result of this juxtaposition may simply be an energized Rage Against the Machine set that effectively unfolds the struggles that they have been addressing for nearly 20 years to a younger, impressionable congregation of music fans.


Another unique twist to the L.A. Rising Festival is the participation of activist organizations and international nonprofit groups presenting issues that mostly affect the Los Angeles population. These groups are scheduled to promote their cause in between music sets, adding an educational element to normally mundane portions of all-day concerts. Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello stated in another buzz video for L.A. Rising: "We are passionate about ending wars overseas, immigrant rights, protecting working families, and combating hunger and homelessness in L.A. We want to present our fans the opportunity to get informed and get involved while we rock the senseless."

L.A. Rising tickets available via TicketMaster.com. More information on the event can be found on larisingfestival.com .