After a series of pandemic postponements, Rage Against the Machine were finally able to kick off their long-awaited Public Service Announcement reunion tour with Run the Jewels on Saturday (July 9). Unsurprisingly, their first show in 11 years included a powerful message to the Supreme Court.
As previously reported, the band are donating ticket proceeds from the show at East Troy, WI's Alpine Valley Music Theater to abortion funds in light of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade — but knowing RATM, that wouldn't be the last of their anti-establishment messaging. Instead of giving impassioned speeches, they performed in front of a giant screen, which at one point in the set flashed through damning indictments of this change in legislation.
Bandleader Zack de la Rocha repeatedly screamed "freedom" as he and his bandmates rocked out in front of the screen, which read:
Forced birth in a country that is the only wealthy country in the world without any guaranteed paid parental leave at the national level.
Forced birth in a country where Black birth-givers experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than that of white birth-givers.
Forced birth in a country where gun violence is the number one cause of death among children and teenagers.
The screen was alight with each sentence for several seconds (unlike a Vancouver radio station's recent tactic of putting "Killing in the Name" on loop), ahead of the final brief message: "ABORT THE SUPREME COURT."
And need they really say more?
Watch a clip of this segment of the show below via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter Piet Levy.
As previously reported, the band are donating ticket proceeds from the show at East Troy, WI's Alpine Valley Music Theater to abortion funds in light of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade — but knowing RATM, that wouldn't be the last of their anti-establishment messaging. Instead of giving impassioned speeches, they performed in front of a giant screen, which at one point in the set flashed through damning indictments of this change in legislation.
Bandleader Zack de la Rocha repeatedly screamed "freedom" as he and his bandmates rocked out in front of the screen, which read:
Forced birth in a country that is the only wealthy country in the world without any guaranteed paid parental leave at the national level.
Forced birth in a country where Black birth-givers experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than that of white birth-givers.
Forced birth in a country where gun violence is the number one cause of death among children and teenagers.
The screen was alight with each sentence for several seconds (unlike a Vancouver radio station's recent tactic of putting "Killing in the Name" on loop), ahead of the final brief message: "ABORT THE SUPREME COURT."
And need they really say more?
Watch a clip of this segment of the show below via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter Piet Levy.
As per Rolling Stone's reporting, guitarist Tom Morello also sported a T-shirt emblazoned with "I Love CRT" for some of the show in reference to the Republican crusade against Critical Race Theory — the academic framework built on the idea that race is a social construct and that racism is embedded in the legal systems of our society.