Review: Rage Against The Machine & The Battle of Antwerp, 2008!

RATM plays the music I grew up with as a teenager, but my mum didn't let me go to concerts (anger). So I watched my friends go to those massive rock festivals with all these awesome bands I only knew from my copied tapes (frustration). I was a teen in the middle of my puberty (rebellious).
This was 15 years ago (unpatience).


Monday, 2nd June, 2008: Rage Against The Machine, Sportpaleis, Antwerp.
RATM hasn't lost any energy in those 15 years. Zack de la Rocha jumps around like a wildman, and so do all his soldiers with him in the snake pit. Tom Morello still plays the guitar like a turntablist, and bass Tim Commerford has the same tattoo as me, hell yeah!

The crowd turns into a wild sea of jumping, sweating men, pushing eachother, lifting one guy after the other for a decent surf. It feels like it is a 1000°C down there. Yes, this is the concert you had to see & feel. I can imagine some girls had a nearly-dead experience, 'cause, make no mistake, this is not for puss**s.


And the concert itself? I'm not completely sure, but I seem to remember we took off with: Testify, Bulls On Parade, Bombtrack, Bullet In Your Head...somewhere in between Guerilla Radio, Calm Like A Bomb, Freedom, and it ended off course with Killing In The Name. The rest was a struggle to survive I will never forget.

So fuck Lost & the survivors of Oceanic 815, we survived RATM in Antwerp! ;-)


Oh, I almost forgot to mention: Serj Tankian was a good (and far underestimated) support act, but if the volume is turned down, you really can't get into the vibe. Shame on you, PA!


A pity, because he deserved better. Anyway, I adore his Sky Is Over. Check out the video, and support Mister SOAD.

www.myspace.com/serjtankian