Tom Morello gave a voice to the revolution as he is joined at The Vic Theatre in Chicago by friends Ike Reilly and Tim McIlrath.
If you are a fan of Rage Against the Machine, you need to check out The Neighborhood Kids. Their song “Kids in the Cages,” although self-released in 2023, has recently gone viral on TikTok due to ICE activity across the US recently. They caught many people’s attention, including that of Tom Morello. They were the perfect fit to open for him on this tour.
Their set proved there is so much more to them than just one song. They are a force to be reckoned with. Watching how the crowd responded to them, you’d think that they were the headliner. Their style gave off major Rage Against the Machine vibes. If you haven’t heard about them yet, you soon will.
Billed as Tom Morello and Friends, there was chatter amongst the crowd before the show as to who the “friends” would be. It didn’t take too long for them to find out. Morello called upon fellow Libertyville native Ike Reilly, as well as Tim McIlrath from Rise Against. They were also joined by Jakeim Hart and Billy Rude, who are both currently cast members of Morello’s musical, Revolution(s), which is playing at The Goodman Theatre.Morello stated that there has never been a successful social movement in the United States of America that didn’t have a good soundtrack. Throughout Chicago, Rage Against the Machine songs have been heard during the anti-Trump protests. Throughout the evening, the crowd got more and more animated as their feelings of what has been happening in the city and throughout the country was given a voice and a microphone. It’s fair to say, you will never encounter a more emphatic rendition of “This Land Is Your Land” than this one.
The evening’s setlist included a riff medley of a number of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave songs which ignited the Chicago crowd as he ripped through as many songs as he could in a condensed period. Morello took a moment to pay homage to his late friend and fellow bandmate, Chris Cornell, congratulating Soundgarden on their recent induction to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. This led nicely to them performing Audioslave’s “Like a Stone,” which had the audience singing along with all of their might.
If this show didn’t ignite a fire inside of you to stand up for your country, your city, your fellow citizens, then, quite frankly, nothing will. Tom Morello is never one to shy away from standing up for what is right and voicing his opinions, and he’s certainly not going to stop doing that now.
TOM MORELLOWebsite Facebook X
THE NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS
Website
