Pitchfork

Photos by Jon Behm

Those concerned that Rage Against the Machine + Republican National Convention = nothing but trouble can rest a little easier, at least for now. While the band won't take the stage for its big proper gig at the Target Center in Minneapolis until tonight, a daytime performance yesterday (September 2) on the lawn of the Minnesota State Capitol went down relatively chaos-free-- mainly because it barely went down at all.

Rage were meant to give a "surprise performance" at the Ripple Effect Day Festival yesterday, according to the fest's website, but were reportedly barred from the stage by state troopers. An official quoted in a Minneapolis/Saint Paul Star Tribune report claims Rage were prohibited from performing because they were not included on the festival's permit, however the Ripple Effect website insists that permit "held no artist-specific provisions."

With no stage to perform upon, the members of Rage instead took to the crowd, leading folks in bare-bones sing- and clap-along versions of "Bulls on Parade" and "Killing in the Name". Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello passed a megaphone back and forth to pontificate and voice guitar riffs, respectively, while all four band members got their handclap on. The result is, dare I say, rather cute. Have a look [via Above the Fold]:



Hypocrisy is still a concern with these guys-- one minute Zack de la Rocha declares, "Rage Against the Machine is a band that has never advocated violence"; the next minute, says Tom Morello: "It's my hope that...one day very soon [the police] turn those batons and tear gas and rubber bullets against those jackasses over at the RNC"-- but it's hard not to get swept up in the appeal for brotherhood between the police and protestors or smile at Morello's suggestion that there are probably some Rage fans among the law enforcement present.

So: flagrant violation of first amendment rights? Or a perfectly reasonable move with an eye to crowd safety? While you ponder where the line should be drawn, have a look at some more photos from the spectacle below.