Rage Against the Machine Perform ‘Fistful of Steel’ for First Time in Nearly 25 Years
Would you like some vintage Rage Against the Machine? Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk provided exactly that Friday night (Aug. 12) in New York as they brought out "Fistful of Steel" in their set for the first time in 25 years.
The song was the eighth track on their 1992 self-titled debut album and according to Setlist.fm, the track was last performed by the band on Sept. 21, 1997. "Fistful of Steel," though a deeper cut on the record, appeared to be a staple in the band's early days, being performed now 121 times total, which would make it the band's twelfth most performed track. But the long layoff definitely made Friday's performance a special occasion.
As seen in fan-shot video below, the group performed the song with a video wall behind them showing a group of people climbing a high fence separating a city from its neighboring environs.
As with previous shows, Zack de la Rocha performed the song while seated on a touring case due to a recent leg injury. which has been reported to be a torn achilles tendon. However, the seated performance has not exactly thwarted the vocalist's energy as he is seen bouncing in place and waving his arms to the song as he belts out the lyrics for "Fistful of Steel." The vocalist suffered the injury while performing in Chicago in the early stages of the current tour leg.
That Friday performance also earned rave marks from longtime friend of the band, Robert Trujillo, who remarked, "Madison Square Garden got a funkified Ass kickin’ (in the best way) Rage throwin down as they always do! I was so proud of these dudes last night."
Rage just wrapped up their U.S. run, having completed a five-night stand of shows at New York's historic Madison Square Garden. The band just called off their European tour leg, citing "medical guidance" where de la Rocha's injury is concerned. They do expect to return to the road next February for the second leg of U.S. reunion dates starting Feb. 22 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.