Tom Morello and Friends at the Troubadour
by Russ Allsup
Nothing like seeing Tom Morello, Ziggy Marley, Joan Baez and many more in a small bar.
This was just one of the coolest shows ever. Finally got to see Joan Baez- best of all was seeing her in a bar, about five feet in front of me. Another highlight was watching Ziggy Marley sing “Get Up, Stand Up” on a bar stage right in front of me- powerful, powerful stuff indeed. Just one of the most magical nights of music I’ve ever witnessed. When I first heard about the show, I immediately checked and tickets were all sold out ( the Troubadour is a tiny venue / bar ), but about three weeks later I talked to my pal Chuck Walker and he was able to secure two tickets and made it all possible- thanks Chuck- you, my friend ROCK!
The show was a Joe Hill Centenary Concert. Joe Hill was an early labor activist and most of the songs performed at the show would be about him. That night, my partner in crime for the evening, Chuck, and I claimed our spots right in front of the stage as soon as we got there, and it was just one magical music moment after the other. all night. The first half of the evening was pretty much solo acoustic performances, then the second half of the night was full on electric jams.
Tom Morello began the night with a couple of acoustic songs that were great. I’d seen him a few times with Rage Against The Machine and he was always one of the most powerful performer / songwriters I’ve seen, but the acoustic stuff was great on a whole different level. The first song he played and sang that night was actually my favorite musical moment of the night, and that’s saying a lot considering the other performers.
Best of all was meeting Joan, Tom, Rich Robinson, Tim Armstrong and more of the performers after the show at the Troubadour, then going to the after party at a hotel on the Sunset strip with Tom and his band. At the after party each attendee was given a gift bag. In the bag were about ten brand new books, valued around $150, and they all dealt with activism, great poets, and such. Not your typical L.A. Gift bag. Great move by Mr. Morello, who really puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to activism.
