Recap Tom Morello at the Capitol

“It is appropriate to cheer loudly now,” former Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello said during his mini-set on the Capitol steps this frigid afternoon. He probably didn’t need to remind everyone to be heard: After all, this was a crowd that has been marching on the capital for a week, and is just now getting the co-sign of national performers at the noon labor rally, like Wayne Kramer of the MC5, Chicago singer Ike Reilly, and Tim McIlrath of Rise Against. If there was ever a definition of a “friendly” audience, this was it: Morello and company’s performances were punctuated by shouts of “thank you” and at least one well-timed, “Unleash it, baby!”

Appropriately, acoustic protest songs were the flavor of the day, with Kramer relying on acoustic blues, Reilly covering Bob Marley (“Get Up Stand Up”) and McIlrath covering Credence Clearwater Revival and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (“Who Will Stop the Rain” and “Ohio”). For his headlining set, Morello covered his old band’s “Guerilla Radio” like it was a blues standard (making us pine for Zack De La Rocha in a way we didn’t know was possible), played his Nightwatchman song “Union Song,” and led the crowd in a sing-along with the other performers to Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land.”

Ultimately, it didn’t really matter what Morello and company played (or what they play at 7 p.m. at the Monona Terrace, a show Morello announced during his set); the crowd reaction was just as strong during his songs as it was during his speeches big-upping unions (he’s in the IWW and the musician’s union) and his references to Egypt’s Tahrir Square. That he showed up was enough for this crowd—after a week, a sign of solidarity from a few musicians was more than welcomed.