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Tom Morello and the gang put together one of the great concerts in support of immigrant rights in L.A., and the reactions to it were just as heated and furious as the line-up itself. Rage Against The Machine guitarist launched the June 16 fundraiser at The Echoplex for CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights), with B Real of Cypress Hill, Pussy Riot, K.Flay, The Neighborhood Kids, DJ work by Shepard Fairey, and George Lopez serving as the MC. The creativity and outspoken support of social causes had L.A. ragtime hungry-with dissent.
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Scrolling through Instagram would give you a fit of laughter. Morello was mid-scream, fists raised, against a stark black backdrop emblazoned with red lettering screaming DEFEND LA. DEFEND HUMANITY.” This truly says it all: a call to arms against oppression and a punk rock invitation to attend. The person behind” Killing In The Name,” which became an anthem of dissent for youth, never got mellow With Age and still fights for the big guys using his platform.
Ohhhh, the comments section. Hang on.
One user simply wrote: “Tom I love your music, but you’re a tool. Grow up.” Now, here, the whole thing exploded into defenses for Morello, with commentators casting irony in being faulted for others when in fact his entire career had been one big ‘implement radical leftist’ ideal. Another one said, “Have you not heard a single Rage Against The Machine song?” I mean, the name of the band is literally rage against the machine(government).” This devolved into an argument about immigration law, with one noting: “Remember the law not so long ago was people of color couldn’t use certain bathrooms…Sometimes law isn’t right.”
Much debate was generated by George Lopez’s appearance on the show. “You lost me at George Lopez🤮,” said one comment, spawning an entire sub-thread about his contested standing within the Latino community. They accused Lopez of being a “Zionist,” gatekeeping other Hispanic comedians, and there were various attacks about his personal life (“He cheated on his wife who by the way gave him a kidney”). The most cutting was, “He’d never sit at our table even though he came from the same house.”
Elsewhere, the debates on immigration policy were hot: “How bout you fight legal immigration rights.. not those who are doing it illegally,” argued one commenter with others countering about deportation practices and civil vs. criminal-violation discussions. The most heart-breaking answer: “Legal immigrants have been getting deported by this disgusting administration this is just blatant nationalist intolerance at play.”
The drama of getting tickets was recounted by frustrated fans in real time. “2:04 and already sold out!” was another lament, coupled with complaints over Ticketmaster acting up and possible scalping. One user went on to say he’d been approached by a scalper right after commenting about tickets; Morello then warned against signing up for any resale offers because those profits wouldn’t even be going to CHIRLA.
Neighborhood Kids Music issued another kind of statement amid the chaos: “Thank you for the invitation we’ll be there to support our immigrant and indigenous communities ✊🏽 We are ready to rage for the people!!!” Their much-needed positive outcry was met with sarcastic rejoinder, “indigenous communities? WTF are you even babbling about? 😂😂😂”- really no good way to end an Instagram comment section.
This political instance could not be any hotter, considering immigration remains an issue that divides the land at the moment. To still have the muscle to polarize in the space of decades really marks Morello’s capable career- whether you call him a righteous activist or an aging radical, you cannot ignore him. Based on the comment section, the quick ticket sell-outs would suggest that there’s still a huge divide in society, although Morello still does manage to strike a chord in Los Angeles. One thing for sure, June 16 at The Echoplex will get shaken loud with tremendously loud sonic energy and an equally loud revolutionary spirit.
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Those who missed out on tickets can go to www.chirla.org to donate directly to CHIRLA. Because, as Morello’s career shows, the fight carries on far beyond when the amps are turned off.