On February 7th, legendary guitarist Tom Morello played a sold-out show at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles with special guests. Following his concert in Anaheim the night before, Morello effortlessly proved that he remains one of the greatest guitarists in the industry. Morello is best known for being a founding member of the bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, in addition to his solo work under his own name and as the Nightwatchman, and supergroups Prophets of Rage and Street Sweeper Social Club. His famous guitar playing style includes unconventional picking, feedback noise, tapping, and the use of heavily modified guitars. He was backed by his fellow members of The Freedom Fighters Orchestra: Carl Restivo, Eric Gardner, and Dave Gibbs.
The Fonda show featured support by metalcore band Seven Hours After Violet, formed by System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian. The band also includes vocalist Taylor Barber, guitarists Alejandro Aranda and Michael Montoya, and drummer Josh Johnson. For a band that only released their debut album less than a year ago, their set was smooth. They flowed between atmospheric melodies and bursts of heavy riffs that set everyone into a groove. The crowd had already nearly filled the 1,200 capacity venue and was getting amped up early on. Their last two songs, “Alive” and “Sunrise,” were the highlights, getting a mosh pit going during the latter. ‘
Tom Morello started off his set strongly, coming out to play his solo single “Soldier in the Army of Love” with his son Roman playing guitar with him. Morello simply couldn’t look any prouder of his son holding his own on that stage, and everyone in the room could feel it. They played another song together, coordinating their jumps and kicks, before Roman left the stage, his father taking any spare moment to point at his son shredding a guitar solo or say “that’s my son!” with the biggest smile on his face.
Next up was an energetic Rage Against the Machine medley of “Testify,” “Take the Power Back,” “Freedom,” and “Snakecharmer,” the crowd screaming along with the words. Morello announced special guests Thomas Raggi (Måneskin) and Luke Spiller (The Struts), who came on stage to perform a cover of Måneskin’s “GOSSIP,” with Raggi on guitar and Spiller doing lead vocals. While the two had joined him on stage the night before, it was nevertheless an exciting surprise for the audience and a great performance.
Later on, in an ode to Woody Guthrie, Morello played the folk legend’s iconic song “This Land Is Your Land,” calling it “America’s alternative national anthem,” stating that he would sing it with the censored verses for the audience’s entertainment and education. Like Guthrie’s “This Machine Kills Fascists,” Morello has similar slogans on his guitars. During the cover, he brought out rapper Kzo-World, who effortlessly freestyled a verse about education.
Morello then did a heavy-hitting medley of more Rage Against the Machine songs, ending with “Cochise” by Audioslave. This led to the introduction of Audioslave’s “Like A Stone,” with the late great vocalist Chris Cornell’s photograph on the screen, which garnered a big reaction from the crowd. Morello left the lead mic open for Cornell, closing his eyes and playing for him. Whether it be tears or singing their heart out, the room was heavy with emotion, everyone feeling the weight of a man who was gone too soon.
Following that, Morello went into a cover of “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” referencing the period of time when he toured with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Morello announced the biggest surprise of the night for “Interstate 80,” when he brought out Slash, iconic lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses.
The crowd went absolutely mental, and they played another song together, MC5’s “Kick Out the Jams.” In one of the best moments all night, Slash continued to play and Raggi, Spiller, and Shavo Odadjian came back on stage to play an AC/DC cover of “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” all together. In another insane and unexpected surprise, RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan suddenly appeared to play “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F’ Wit,” making the crowd go wild, screaming the words in excitement and putting up their W hand sign.
For the second to last song of the set, Roman came back to play Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” with his dad. One of the rowdiest songs of the night, everyone in the room was rocking out to the ever-relevant protest song. To finish off the show, Morello brought all his special guests back out to do a John Lennon cover of “Power to the People,” an apt and beautiful closer to an incredible night.
GALLERY: Tom Morello and Friends at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (February 7, 2025)
