Rage guitarist brings music, activism home to Chicago
Chicago-area native Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, is bringing his firebrand folk act — billed as The Nightwatchman — back to the city for a star-studded show and a social message.
The current Nightwatchman tour, called the Justice Tour, concludes May 1 at Chicago’s Park West. The show will feature appearances by Maynard James Kennan (of Tool and Puscifer), Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell, Boots Riley (of the Coup), Shooter Jennings and Ike Reilly.
(File)
In each city on the tour, Morello has teamed with a local social justice organization for a day of activism. His partner in Chicago is the Service Employees International Union. On April 30, Morello will spend time with an SEIU member on the job. The following day, he’ll perform several songs at a lunchtime May Day rally in Grant Park.
“We would all do well to walk a mile in the shoes of those around us,” Morello said. “It’s only fitting that the Justice Tour culminates in a rally supporting American workers.”
“SEIU is proud to work with Tom Morrello in the fight to restore the American Dream for all working people,” Tom Balanoff, president of SEIU Illinois Council, said today in a statement. “To create a better future, we must replace low-wage, no-benefit jobs with jobs that offer a paycheck that can support a family and access to affordable health care.”
Previous activist actions during the Justice Tour included working with homeless in Los Angeles and discussing peace and veterans care in Washington, D.C.
Tickets for the Justice Tour at the Park West are $10 and are on sale now at Ticketmaster outlets (312-559-1212 and ticketmaster.com) and at the Park West box office.