Rage Against The Machine Take On The Cops, Electricity

Yesterday, a free Rage Against the Machine show outside of the Minnesota state capitol in St. Paul that was scheduled to coincide with the Republican National Convention–which is taking place in that city–was shut down by local police, who claimed that the band couldn’t play because it was going to take the stage too close to the show’s 7 p.m. curfew, and besides, Zack de la Rocha and his pals didn’t have the proper permits to perform, even though the rest of the festival apparently went on without incident. This year’s RNC, like the ones in 2000 and 2004, has seen its share of protests and heavy-handedness on the part of law enforcement, so it probably isn’t surprising that organizers of Ripple Effect, the festival where all this went down, are saying that state troopers tied up the band until it was too late for them to go on. After the jump, video of what happened after the mics were cut: de la Rocha led the 2,000-strong crowd in an a capella version of “Bulls On Parade,” complete with simulated wah-wahs from the mouth of Tom Morello.

I suspect tonight’s show at the Target Center–which is just across the river from the convention–will address these events in some fashion. Call it a hunch.

Police shut down Rage Against The Machine show (RNC videos). Band performs a cappella. [Prefix] Ripple Effect ends in Rage [Star Tribune]