With the November 05th U.S. presidential election just weeks away, Rage Against The Machine have taken to streaming their “Democratic National Convention 2000” performance digitally. The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted political firebrands staged that concert back in the year 2000 in protest of the then Democratic National Convention.
That event was held ahead of the presidential race between George H.W. Bush and Al Gore at the time. The convention took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, with the band setting up shop outside the venue. Despite the setting of the guerilla concert, the event was not a partisan affair for Rage Against The Machine, as vocalist Zack de la Rocha proclaimed during the set:
“Our democracy has been hijacked! Our electoral freedoms in this country are over so long as it’s controlled by corporations! We are not going to allow these streets to be taken over by the Democrats or the Republicans!”
Unfortunately for the band, their message with that performance has been muddied over time, as seen in the below post made by the band’s guitarist Tom Morello several months ago:
We played a protest AGAINST the convention. You guys are so stupid. https://t.co/xmp8nVa8wj
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) July 15, 2024
The group’s set was ultimately followed by a mini-riot of attendees, in which police used rubber bullets and pepper spray to subdue some rowdy individuals.
The audio of that performance is also due for another vinyl release following its original 2018 ‘Record Store Day‘ run. This new pressing of it will arrive on 180g window pane clear vinyl on November 29th as part of this year’s Black Friday ‘Record Store Day‘ event. 4,000 copies will be pressed.
