The Collegian

Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Detour

Media Credit: Courtesy of http://historiadainternet.blogspot.com

Okay, maybe they're not playing Gaelstock after all, but Rage Against the Machine is, in fact, reuniting. What initially was just going to be a cameo appearance at the Coachella Music Festival became a three-show summer mini-tour with the Wu-Tang Clan at the fifth-annual Rock the Bells Festival. With only three shows, tickets are sure to be coveted. The Bay Area date falls on August 18 in the parking lot by AT&T Park in San Francisco.

This is fantastic news for the music industry. Hopefully, Zach, Tom, Brad, and Tim will realize that the incredible reaction their sudden reemergence to the music scene has gotten, and will decide to stick around for a few more years. This is mostly aimed at Zack de la Rocha, the ever-upset and fiery frontman of the group, who owned most of the '90s with their politically-charged hard rock.

Morello has stated that part of the reason for the reformation of the group is to rally young people to act out against the Republican Party, President Bush and the country's dealings with Iraq. While chances are slim that the band's presence will result in impeachments, peace and a radical overthrow of the current Administration, on a musical level they provide more of an immediate effect.

The music of Rage Against the Machine means something. While you may or may not agree with his anarchic point of view, de la Rocha infuses the band's music with the encouragement to be a mindful individual amid the ever-stifling and unjust society we live in, as he (and millions of others) see it. He isn't a prophet, per se, but the band stands apart from their peers in that their music has substance and a statement, unlike whiny emo groups complaining about getting dumped and other inconsequential matters like that.

Hopefully other bands will realize with Rage's reappearance on the musical landscape that they, too, can mean something other than record sales and hot bassists and flashy, catchy albums that are devoid of any real substance or lasting power. Rage only released three real albums since 1992, and yet they still are a powerhouse, as those desperate for Coachella tickets can attest to.

People are still listening. Hopefully, the band does as well, and decides to stick around for a few more years too.

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