Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Lineup:
El Gran Silencio, Immortal Technique, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Rise Against, Muse, Rage Against the Machine
Last Saturday’s music event was a summit of social justice through music. The first rumors of there being a new festival in Los Angeles began at the beginning of the year and when Rage Against the Machine announced the show with Goldenvoice the social networks exploded with interest. Taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum under a bright summer sky, it felt like a convergence of every cultural cause that needs a voice in this city, and together those voices rose into a roaring call to arms.
But let me dial it back a bit.
I attended L.A.Rising with a friend of mine from Ireland, who had never been to Los Angeles before. I didn’t think, as I drove her around the city and neighborhoods on the day of her arrival, that I was prepping either of us for the experience we’d have on Saturday. But as we waited in the blocks long queue to enter the stadium, it occurred to me that our casual little tour had done just that. In that two hours of driving we had seen the natural beauty of this area, driven through neighborhoods palatial and destitute, discussed the economics of crumbling infrastructures, and witnessed abject poverty. We talked about the similarities we saw in other cities we had travelled to, and how every place seems to share the struggles of common problems.
As we waited on Saturday, many relatable issues were brought to us again as activist groups worked through the crowds to get their messages out. It was a taste of things to come as we were offered leaflets for causes ranging in variety from voter registration and animal cruelty to communist revolution. These fragments of communication brought out my inner cynic , when I saw them being dropped almost immediately onto the ground to become piles of waste. Maybe these activist groups didn’t realize they were preaching to the choir, but I hope they at least did so on recyclable paper.
“Why stand on a silent platform? Fight the war, fuck the norm.”
Lessons in socioeconomic and political awareness continued once the music began. El Gran Silencio rallied behind the cause of immigrant rights. Immortal Technique engaged the crowd in chants of “fuck the police” in response to the issue of law enforcement corruption, following that up with ghetto style sermons on how men should respect women. The crowd loved it, for the most part. Any heckling thrown his direction resulted in an instant volley of intelligent abuse.
Between each set videos filled the gap, giving testimonies of Iraqi veterans against the war, showing the struggles of inner city and immigrant youth fighting for the opportunity to become educated and gain citizenship. “It Gets Better” was promoted by Rise Against on the day, bringing support awareness for teens in the LGBT community. When Rage Against the Machine took the stage, Zach De La Roche passionately addressed the problems rife in Los Angeles, comparing the city to how it was before the riots in 1992.
From this aspect of the festival, Muse being in the lineup rendered them the odd band out. As a band they aren’t likely to say much at all on stage, much less sermonize for one cause or another. And, unlike Rise Against who openly supports PETA, Muse does not have a platform of activism. Even Rise Against guitarist Zach Blair made note of that in a recent interview. Muse are however, always demonstrative in their love for Rage Against the Machine and this cemented their appeal to the Rage loyal crowd.
On paper, the lineup made sense…almost. Musically speaking though, the artists were refreshingly unique in their styles; at least enough to give the feeling of each set being its own concert.
El Gran Silencio
For those unaware of El Gran Silencio before the day, the band from Monterrey Mexico were fascinating to listen to. The combination of Latin American influences with heavy rock rhythms were difficult to identify from a first hearing, but one can hardly ignore the appeal of electronic accordion.
Immortal Technique
Immortal Technique’s virtuosic rap talents were not a surprise. As he does not perform often on the West Coast, it was an opportunity to compare his on stage presence with the strength pouring out of his recordings, and his stage presence is undeniably dynamic. He gave testimony as one would give in church, cracked jokes, and engaged the crowd in chants against corrupt law enforcement. Unhindered by the absence of a backing track, Immortal Technique performed a cappella a new and moving track called “Toast To the Dead” and brought up Chino XL on stage to let loose freestyle. He ended his set with “Dance With The Devil”, a harrowing piece of literary excellence that left the crowd stunned, even if they’d heard it before. As an artist Immortal Technique left a lasting impression. The craft of his lyrics is stunning, both in their anger but also in their profound logic.
Ms. Lauryn Hill
While every act seemed to experience technical difficulties on the day, no one seemed to suffer from them more than Lauryn Hill. Having just very recently given birth to her sixth child, there had been speculation on various sites as to whether or not she would actually perform. That she did take the stage was amazing, and she preformed her set of solo tracks, covers and Fugees hits with great energy. Unfortunately her band did not seem prepared. All through her set there seemed to be problems with sound levels and the band lacked the tightness one would expect from such a performer. Hill’s frustration was obvious as she corrected tempos and gestured repeatedly for more amplification. Despite this difficulties the crowd was very receptive to such songs as “Ready or Not” and “Everything is Everything”. She was at her very best during the rap portions of her set.
Rise Against
Crowd energy surged when Rise Against took the stage around 4pm. Opening with “Chamber the Cartridge”, the Chicago based band moved on stage with the frenetic energy their music inspired in the mosh pits. Their set consisted of a steady string of full on rock songs which went over well with the audience. Tracks such as “Make It Stop” written to support their socio-political sensibilities were included, the aforementioned song having been written in response to the wave of gay teen suicides that tragically occurred in 2010. Of the acts that had performed to that point in the day, Rise Against had the largest contingent of fans. They seemed to pop up at the barrier and in the pit when the band took the stage and were very enthusiastically dancing and singing along with their favorite band.
Muse
The ebb and swell of passion displayed onstage throughout the event seemed to reach a trough when Muse came on to play. While there were many enthusiastic Muse fans in the crowd, the energy that existed appeared to be more in anticipation for Rage than anything else. While Muse played a solid string of well known songs with their usual precision and impressive visuals, the energy in their set lacked rebellion. There was no raw language (excepting drummer Dom Howard’s usual “you fucking rock” when leaving the stage), no rants against corporate media or the injustice rampant in the world. While this may seem like a harsh criticism of the band, the fact is they were the only truly mainstream media act on the bill, and even a song such as “Uprising” seemed like milk chasing whiskey.
Muse
Anyone who is familiar with Muse knows this band is capable of so much more that what they show on stage. In the last few years their sets have become numbingly predictable in terms of the songs they are willing to play, while they take on grandiose productions which limit their ability to truly display their potential as musicians. It’s all very well and good if you’ve only seen them play once or twice, but for those who know every Muse song inside and out there are gaping holes left where songs truly worthy of performance are left to be played while at the gym, or in the car. It’s a shame that more relevant songs such as “Assassin”, “Citizen Erased” or “City of Delusion” were not included in a set where they would have been most fitting to the LA Rising festival. Muse has a history of exploring the shadows of government in their music, without really defining solutions. Instead of tapping into those songs, pop appealing radio hits “Starlight” and “Undisclosed Desires” were played, and from this perspective, this fine band was disappointing. On the other hand, heavy hits “Hysteria”, “Stockholm Syndrome” and the one surprise, “Butterflies and Hurricanes” got the approval of the crowd and Muse fans alike.
Rage Against the Machine
By the time Rage Against the Machine took over the proceedings, the Coliseum arches were glowing red, black flags which flew over the perimeter were illuminated from below and chaos went from a tidy simmer to a full blown boil. Rage launched into “Testify” as fans swelled against security barriers to get closer to the stage. People from the seats jumped over the wall to join in and all of these filled in Zach de la Rocha’s lost lyrics when the sound cut out in the first third of the song.
As the set progressed the number of maelstrom mosh pits increased, providing a truly dramatic sight of swirling bodies moving at dizzying speed. By the time Rage started “Bulls On Parade” there was a bonfire burning brightly on the GA floor and at least one other visible in the stands. The band and the crowd matched the energy of the other through to the end.
Rage Against the Machine
Rage had begun rehearsing for this event many weeks ago and it showed. The band was seamlessly tight, and their energy unmatched on the night. During their performance concert goers were able to witness the rare spectacle of the Olympic torch light high over the stadium and that sight was a perfect symbol of the people’s power to influence change and ensure justice, not only in Los Angeles but all over the world.
In conclusion, this was a tremendous event. From a logistical standpoint it could not have been easy to plan for such a crowd of 70,000 people capable of wreaking havoc and destruction. The security team was well staffed, police were on standby throughout, and medical assistance was also well planned. Some venues are stingy with something as basic as water for people closest to the stage, but this was provided for. Fans were treated respectfully until intervention was required and even the barest hint of dehydration was taken seriously.
But is LA Rising a true festival? Tom Morello had said in interviews that LA Rising came out of their desire to create this kind of recurring event for Los Angeles. While there are other festivals that do occur here, none begin to compare to the scale of Coachella or Lollapalooza. LA Rising is meant to change that. As an inaugural event the night was massive, exhausting and incomprehensible at times, and it’s difficult to say whether the day’s intensity could be recaptured or matched in the future. It is hoped that the festival will take root, for while it may not reach this magnitude in the future, it would serve Los Angeles well if it did.
(Note: comments and corrections, suggestions and recommendations are welcome and encouraged. If you wish to send me private comment or contact me you may do so at bglennie@gigspunk.com Thank you! ~B. )
