An anxious crowd chatters and buzzes. Shouts of "Rage," can be heard as the
group grows more restless. The mob becomes one giant sweat-fest as lights
flicker and fade and Stanford Prison Experiment takes the stage.
SPE initiated the all-out madness that is a good Rage show, with the lead singer jumping around like his ass was on fire. Crowd surfing and moshing, a staple of any good concert, began just minutes later, despite the huge "anti-mosh" signs defacing Hollywood's fantab-a-licious Palladium. A select few near the stage decided to bop around. I guess the Pogo is coming back after all...
Overall the opening acts rocked, but I wasn't paying too much attention... It was time to Rage. Zach and the guys hopped on-stage and reignited the fire in the stagnating tired, sweaty crowd. Rage has an incredible energy like no band I have ever seen. Zach's mini braided dredd-locks swung furiously as he belted out some of the best Rage has to offer, from Bulls on Parade to Freedom.
As the temperature soared, the mosh pit slithered around like frothing beasts. It must have been 90 degrees, but no one seemed too mind. Shirts came off and the pit grew, encompassing almost everyone. Never having experienced the pit before, I held my breath and jumped right in. Pushing, shoving, flailing arms threw me from one end of it to the other in an uncontrollable frenzied pace. It was scary as hell, but it was also the biggest rush.
Known for their injuries, this pit was no exception. A girl staggered out of hell hole, her t-shirt drenched in sweat, and also blood. She walked away from the show with one less tooth than she came with. Violent, dangerous, but more exciting than any concert I've ever been to.
This show definitely get's a Rave Review. If I was that toothless chick, perhaps I would have rated the concert a bit differently. But there's nothing like a concert for $13, and there's no one like Rage Against the Machine.
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