Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium [PA]

Performer: Rage Against the Machine
Engineer: Dave Bianco; Dave Schiffman
Producer: Rick Rubin
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Rage Against The Machine: Zach de la Rocha (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Tim Commerford (bass); Brad Wilk (drums). Recorded live at Grand Olympic Stadium, Los Angeles, Californnia, on November 12 & 13, 2000. Personnel: Zack de la Rocha (vocals); Tom Morello (guitar); Brad Wilk (drums). Audio Mixer: Rich Costey. Recording information: 09/12/2000-09/13/2000. Before vocalist Chris Cornell (ex-Soundgarden) joined forces with the displaced instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine to form Audioslave, RATM were among the most revered acts in heavy rock. The band has since faded into the annals of rock history, having left an indelible mark, and their unmistakable sound has often been copied but never duplicated. This live album (originally planned as a two-disc set with the cover album RENEGADES), harnesses the energy and raw emotion that was an RATM concert, centered around Zach de la Rocha's unabashed social commentary, via stylish and often poetic rhyming. On these 2000 performances, classic tracks were imbued with Zach's timely worldview, as "Killing in the Name" has its famous mantra morphed to "some of those that burn crosses/are the same that hold office," while the band precisely pummels its instruments. On "Freedom" (originally written to champion the cause of Leonard Peltier), de la Rocha chants "Free Mumia," in reference to his support of Mumia Abu-Jamal. LIVE is a final testament to the greatness of this groundbreaking group, having special significance as the final performances of RATM, recorded in the band's hometown of Los Angeles.

Spin (2/04, p.97) - "LIVE reminds us just how much we could use Rage right now. To paraphrase 'Know Your Enemy': Their anger was a gift." - Grade: A- Entertainment Weekly (11/28/03, p.125) - "...This live greatest-hits set makes the studio versions of these songs sound tame..." - Rating: A-

While a select few hard rock bands incorporated rap into their sound (Anthrax, Faith No More, etc.), it was Rage Against The Machine that perfected and popularized the rap-metal genre in the 1990s. Unlike the aforementioned bands, the Los Angeles-based RATM was overtly political--especially in singer Zack De La Rocha's irate lyrics and vocal delivery. When De La Rocha split at the turn of the century, the rest of the band formed Audioslave with erstwhile Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell.

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