Rage Against the Machine‘s reunion tour got off to a rocky start. During the band’s second show, frontman Zack de la Rocha appeared to get injured but refused to stop the performance. The band played at United Center in Chicago Monday night and has a second show scheduled there Tuesday. They started their Public Service Announcement tour on Saturday in East Troy, Wisconsin.
When Rage Against the Machine began performing “Bullet in the Head,” de la Rocha, 52, appeared to be hopping on one leg as he ran across the stage. In a video TMZ published, de la Rocha tried to ignore the pain until he grabbed nearby equipment to stay upright. It’s unclear what his injury was, but it was clear the band’s team thought he needed medical help. At one point, crew members brought a walking boot for him to the stage, but he refused to wear it.
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De la Rocha spent the rest of the show near sound equipment as he continued performing. At the end of the show, de la Rocha’s bandmates hugged him. Stage personnel carried him off the stage as he flashed a peace sign to the crowd. The band has not commented on de la Rocha’s injury. The New York Times also mentioned in its review that de la Rocha spent most of the show sitting down.
Rage Against the Machine performed their first show in 11 years at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy on Saturday, two years after they announced plans for a reunion tour. Their performance drew plenty of attention as they made sure to include a trademark political statement, with the Supreme Court as their target. Their performance came days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Forced birth in a country that is the only wealthy country in the world without any guaranteed paid parental leave at the national level,” read a message shown on the video screen behind the band, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “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.” In the end, they put in all capital letters, “Abort the Supreme Court.”
That was the most overt political message of the night, as De La Rocha, drummer Brad Wilk, bassist Tim Commerford, and guitarist Tom Morello focused their setlist on their best-known songs. “Bombtrack,” “People of the Sun,” “Bulls on Parade,” “Bullet in the Head,” “Testify,” “Wake Up,” and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “The Ghost of Tom Joad” were all performed. The Chicago setlist included many of the same songs. The band’s opening act is Run the Jewels, the hip-hop duo of El-P and Killer Mike. The first leg of the tour continues through August, wrapping up with a five-night stand at Madison Square Garden.
