Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

So what do they do? They break up. After 3 records of original material, and a posthumous album of covers, they break up. And for what? For Audioslave? Rage minus Zack plus Chris Cornell, though some good music, does not equal the force and/or the importance of Rage Against the Machine!

...but alas, for the fans, we are giving one more morsel of goodness from the past in the form of this cd. Recorded over the course of 2 days at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in LA, we are giving front row seats to the final 2 shows the band ever played. Whether or not the band knew that these shows were the end or not, I am unsure of, but you'd think that they did by looking at the setlist, for it's got virtually all of the songs you'd hope to hear: "Testify," "Bombtrack," "People of the Sun," "Know Your Enemy," "Kick Out the Jams" ( a MC5 cover- one of the original political radical hardcore bands) and "Freedom" just to name a few of my favorites...

This album is so good it pisses me off!!!


Rage lives on!!!!   November 23, 2003
 5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This album is nothing short of amazing. It contains a mix of songs from their final 2 shows recorded live in Los Angeles on September 12th and 13th of 2000. If you're a fan of RATM you need to get it right now. Even if you're not get it anyway. Trust me it's worth it alone just to hear Tom Morello's insane guitar playing. I love how he has changed some of the guitar solos, especialy in the songs "Bullet in the Head" and "Freedom".


Absolutely Amazing...   December 9, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

This CD is just excellent. It features many of RAGE favourites, such as Killing In the Name of, Bulls on Parade, Guerrilla Radio etc...

To start it is Bulls On Parade, but not just that.
For the first minute, the crowed is going crazy, then even louder, and louder till I should think Zack comes on stage. The crowd goes insane. The usual Bulls on Parade starts, 5 small drum beats, then BAM, right into it. The Crowd goes wild, more so then before. It is amazing how you feel when you hear this for the first time, and numerous times after. It is one of those things that sends chills through your spine.

The rest of the CD goes as, Bullet In the Head, Born Of A Broken Man, Killing In the Name, Calm Like A Bomb, Testify, Bombtrack, War Within A Breath, I'm Housin', Sleep Now In the Fire, People Of the Sun, Guerrilla Radio, Kick Out the Jams, Know Your Enemy, No Shelter, and finally Freedom.

The emotion put into these songs is just shocking, you can sense that everyone in the building felt it. Even you will get a certain chill when you hear all the emotion Zack goes through. If you dont buy this CD, at least get the DVD, you will see all the good stuff you would expect. The DVD goes on sale tomorrow, and I cant wait.

You're a RAGE fan? Yes? Go pick this CD up, dont mind the price whatever it might be, Go buy the CD.


(4.5 stars) Not a Greatest Hits album--better!   November 5, 2005
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

A couple of years ago, I was beginning to wonder if Rage Against the Machine were ever going to release a Greatest Hits album. After all, they were a very popular and influential and innovative group, and I'm sure Zach de la Rocha misses the income (no matter how much he is against money/greed/wealth).

Well, only a short while before these political rap-rockers disbanded (because Zach left), Rage were busy touring in support of their latest album, 2000's covers disc, "Renegades." While touring, they made a stop over in their hometown (Los Angeles) and played a show which was actually recorded and was to be released as a live album which wouldn't see the light of day for three years.

Unless the record label decides to cash in and releases a Greatest Hits album for Rage's anniversary, "Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium" is as close to being a greatest hits album that you're going to get. But, at the same time, this live C.D. is much better than a Greatest Hits release. Why? Well, RATM's live shows were quite powerful, energizing, and inspirational. Thus, some of the songs on here are so intense, they actually make the studio versions sound calm and restrained (for proof, see "Bulls on Parade" and "Testify")!

The rhythm section (composed of Tom Morello, Tim Cummerford, and Brad Wilk), coupled with Zach's angry vocals and inspired lyrics, makes every one of these songs detonate like a grenade. Tom, not surprisingly, pulls off a flawless performance. As "Testify," and the aforementioned "Bulls On Parade" show, he makes noises on the guitar that I couldn't even make with my mouth! His guitar swoops, beeps, punches, crunches, chugs, creaks, wails, and about everything in between. Also, Tim's bass (which hums, grumbles, and makes a wah-wah sound) is a lot more audible, here, than originally. Finally, drummer Brad Wilk fills in the remaining gaps and anchors the songs, making them as solid and impenetrable as a brick wall.

Even though the whole set is great, my personal favorite songs are "Bulls on Parade," "Bullet In The Head" (where Zach switches off vocal parts with the crowd), "Sleep Now In The Fire" (which also features some great bass riffs), the exciting, adrenaline-pumped and very catchy renditions of "Guerilla Radio" and "Kick Out The Jams," and the perfect album/concert closer, "Freedom" (which has a few impromptu, added lyrics).

Ultimately, it's just a hair away from being perfect. Zach can't complete the whole rendition of "Killing In The Name" without pausing to take a breath, and he forgets part of the ending to "Know Your Enemy." And, I, overall, prefer Rage's "Live and Rare" album to this. But, even still, "Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium" is more than a welcome inclusion in your collection and a great snack if you're tired of listening to the same four Rage C.D.'s again and again.