Concert Review
Rage Against The Machine
KeyBank Center
Buffalo, NY
Monday July 25, 2022
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
Rage Against The Machine, the band known for bringing their political views to the forefront in their music finally made a Buffalo area appearance. Until this year, the band had not toured since 2011. It had been even longer that they made it to town, as going through the Buffalo concert history archives found them last playing Alumni Arena at UB in 1993. Some 29 years between shows. The tour would have hit town in 2020 but was moved to 2021 then again to 2022 due to the pandemic.
The band has remained unchanged with the original line up intact. This includes vocalist Zach de la Rocha, guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. De la Rocha was forced to sit for the entire show due to the injury sustained on the second night of the tour in Chicago. This did not detract from the show like one would expect.
The show was everything what was expected and more. The band chose to let the screen behind them speak politically with messages rather than any spoken words. The band came out hard and fast and for every song had the fans in a frenzy as they performed with vigor and an energy that made the fans almost forget it had been so long the band had toured. Opener Run the Jewels came back out to play “Close Your Eyes” with RATM. It was simply a fantastic show by a band who gave it their all as well as giving the people what they wanted.
It has been a great week for concerts in the Buffalo area with this show and the Garth Brooks show out at the Stadium over the weekend. Buffalo was once a major concert town but the last few years saw many big artists skip by. The second week of August in where it all changes with back-to-back stadium shows featuring The Stadium Tour on August 10 followed by a rare show this year for Metallica both at Highmark Stadium. Hopefully with all of the aforementioned shows this will entice the promoters to book more of the big name acts to help put Buffalo back on the map of being a major city when it comes to having concerts like the heyday of the seventies!
Set List
Bombtrack
People of the Sun
Bulls on Parade
Bullet in the Head
Testify
Take the Power Back
Wake Up
Guerrilla Radio
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) (Run The Jewels Cover)
Down Rodeo
Know Your Enemy
Calm Like a Bomb
Sleep Now in the Fire
War Within a Breath
The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen Cover)
Freedom
Township Rebellion
Killing in the Name
