Prophets of Rage (Rage Against the Machine + Public Enemy + Cypress Hill)

Prophets of Rage

Bell Center

Montreal

Aug 23 2016

Rage Against the Machine (minus de la Rocha), B-Real from Cypress Hill and Chuck D and DJ Lord from Public Enemy formed a new supergroup called Prophets of Rage.

The Prophets are basically playing a best of version of their bands.

I had never seen Rage Against the Machine live and this would be the closest I will probably ever be to watch the original in concert.

As Zach de la Rocha is doing his own solo album, the remainder of RATM are back to cause some chaos and hopefully let everyone know that everyone should vote and change the future...mostly the future elections in the US which are coming up fast.

Needless to say that I was really excited for this show and had been since they announced a tour together. Prayers were answered and they added a date in Montreal!

The show started with DJ Lord doing a medley and creating magic with his turntables.

That was quite a show we experienced watching him perform in front of us mixing the classics from old hip hop passing through its history and finishing up in the 90s with some rock songs and ending with Nirvana in a 15 minutes mix.

They started the show with their new song Prophets of Rage, then played 2 RATM songs which energized the crowd.

Unfortunately, they played a really slow song and nobody was reacting too much to it.

Then they put some energy back into the crowd with People of the Sun and a bunch of great songs.

In the middle the show, members of RATM left to let Chuck D, B-Real and DJ Lord "rap into your(our) face". Chuck D and B-Real got closer to the crowd and even jumped in the crowd to rap a medley of their best songs.

It was a really entertaining moment.

Rage came back after this so Tom Morello could do more amazing solos with his guitar.

He was just the star of the show, so good at playing his instrument in so many different ways and managing to always impress everyone in the crowd.

Ghost of Tom Joad was performed with Awolnation singer which was the weakest moment of the show, but fortunately Morello would save the song with his solos which at least gave a special touch to this (boring) song.

Tom and DJ Lord started a competition between each other to show who was the best with his instrument! One of the highlights for sure.

Bulls on the Parade was played and seemed to please the fans who continued to trash heavily on the floor and then Killing in the Name Of was played which enflamed the crowd even further into a huge trash.

After their salutations as a group and their "legalize it" moment they left us with their message to fight back authority.

They had a few backgrounds throughout the show, but the last one was "Make Canada Rage Again" banner which was a nice touch for us :)

Great show and pleased that it happened in my town !

Set List:

1-Prophets of Rage 

2-Guerrilla Radio

3-Bombtrack

4-Miuzi Weighs a Ton

5-People of the Sun

6-Take the Power Back
7-(Rock) Superstar

8-Testify

9- Hand on the Pump / Can't Truss It / Insane in the Brain / Bring the Noise / I Ain't Goin' Out Like That / Welcome to the Terrordome
10- Sleep Now in the Fire

11- Cochise / She Watch Channel Zero?!

12- The Ghost of Tom Joad
13- Bullet in the Head

14- Shut 'Em Down

15 - Know Your Enemy

16- The Party's Over

17 - No Sleep Till Brooklyn / Fight the Power

18- Bulls on Parade
19- Killing in the Name
 



Osheaga Day 3: Electro Day!

Osheaga Day 3: Electro Day!

Finally the last day of Osheaga 2016!

This year was probably the best A list Osheaga lineup since it had most of the top bands that were touring this year including Radiohead!

Melanie Martinez

I didn't know anything about Melanie Martinez other than what I read on Osheaga's site.

The stage was really impressive!

They had decorated the whole stage like a baby room with a huge crib in the middle.

She was really entertaining by dancing a lot on stage while singing.

A lot of girls were present singing with her all of the lyrics.

The songs were good enough and perfect as the first act of the day.

M0

Mo started late but it was worth the wait... I knew of her music but I'd never seen her live.

She was dancing a lot on stage sometimes in a unusual way and it was great to watch her perform.

The songs she played were good and catchy.

She had a great style overall.

There was something about her that you couldn't look away from the whole spectacle. I would say some kind of magnetism.

I bought tickets to her next show in Montreal right about her performance.

Great to watch.

Paper Kites

I knew of them from their single, but I didn't know much else from the Paper Kites so that's why I wanted to see them.

They had good songs.

They were captivating to watch and most people seemed to enjoy the show.

It was a good time slot for them as more people were showing up.

The background kept changing and it was fun to watch it too.

The Struts

The Struts were one of the most entertaining band we saw during the weekend and at that point on Sunday it was the best so far!

I didn't know anything about them, I just read their bio to decide where to go next.

They were excellent in every way.

The singer was very charismatic and people were responding really well to him.

My son and I danced the whole set.

It was some good 80s rock pushed to the extreme :)

The singer was dressed up and face painted.

He was really entertaining the crowd and interacting a lot with everyone.

He created a few competition such as the side with the most women on other people's shoulders.

Made the crowd jump on multiple occasions.

Dilly Dally

Grunge at its best, would be a way to describe Dilly Dally!

It was great to see this band live!!

The singer had a grungy voice (a la Kurt Cobain) and the sound was also reminiscent of the Grunge era.

When the singer was screaming, she was really good to keep it controlled.

She had great looking glasses.

The crowd was intense during the show and induced in some heavy mosh pit dancing.

Strumbellas

I only watch a few minutes of their performance since other shows were conflicting, but I liked their latest album so I wanted to take a peek at what they did live.

They seemed to have a relaxed, cool, friendly attitude and music.

The violin playing was great.

The whole set I saw was like a folk party in many ways.

Good single!

Rufus du Sol

First time at the piknic Electronic stage of the weekend to watch Rufus du Sol while taking a break to eat.

It was just like a huge party that everyone was invited to!

Everyone was dancing to the great beats and the good rhythm of the songs.

Grimes



Grimes was really sick and had 2 twisted ankles when she walked on stage.

She puked in the backstage between songs BUT she gave everything she had during her performance...she was dancing around when she could while holding her stomach and sang her heart out.

I thought the songs she played were really entertaining.

Her dancers did a great job to cover for her.

I had never heard a singer scream has intensely has Grimes during a song...impressive and surprising!

Good show even though she kept being sorry for her current state.

M83

I don't have much to say about their performance as I thought they were good, but not to be remembered.

Grammatik live

Grammatik had the big task of replacing Disclosure who couldn't make it due to traveling issues.

Everyone was surprised that Disclosure couldn't be there and people were kinda angry too.

Grammatik was great though!

It was the "full band" experience since he added a guitar player.

The duo of Dj + guitar gave actually a great result.

The beats and songs were good.

The background videos were super fun to watch and well made too.

During one of the songs, the video playing was an Anonymous hacking style video and that was really interesting to watch.

RADIOHEAD!

Everyone was waiting for this show to start for so long.

It was the most packed moment of the weekend for me as I was right in the middle of the crowd and as close as I could be.

It was going to be more than 2 hours (2h20) of Radiohead music and I was excited!

During the first hour of the show there were a lot of new songs.

There were 6 screens over the stage showing each member of the band playing in different angles.

Thom was dancing on the stage during most of the show.

Everything was well executed even the changes from style to style as Radiohead reinvents themselves for each albums well the shows have that too.

The classics started coming in at half show and it was just a lot of perfect moments.

All old classics even Creep was played during the show.

The concert was simple not too extravagant, but everything was perfect, the sound, the performance being played, the atmosphere, Thom's voice.

When the crowd was singing in unison the calmer songs it was like experiencing a wave ending on a beach.

The songs that started slow and start to change in the middle to become rock songs were amazing moments to share with everyone there.

As the lighting of the stage changed the mood changed so drastically it was magical.

Not artifice this time just music and windows into each member's little bubble!

It was Radiohead!

And so Osheaga 2016 ended on the best note possible ... the end of Creep.



Osheaga Day 2: conflicts day

OSHEAGA Day 2:

Lots of bands to see and lots of conflicts that left me in tears for choosing between bands to see.

Noé:

The day started with Noe who was a singer I didn't know, but was really impressive. She is a new artist that needs to be known. She started with "American Boy" and played a couple of her songs. She is from Paris so she spoke in French and English to the pleased crowd.

The bass was loud and good, the crowd was participating through the set.

The drummer was also rapping on some of the songs.

It was a great set.

Coleman Hell

I didn't know what to expect from Coleman Hell, but we were definitely pleased with his live set! The first song was great and it was a good defining moment for his whole set.

He kept dancing through the set and so was the crowd...it was a great dance set!

Coleman was also a great entertainer which is helped with all the good songs that were played and could be danced to.

Hiatus Kaiyote

Hiatus was really loud!

The band was really different from what I'd heard throughout the weekend so far, they played laid back jazz and it felt like I was transported in a jazz club atmosphere and the Scene des Arbres was a perfect fit for them.

The singer had an eccentric hat during the set and it fit perfectly for what we heard.

Daughter

Daughter played a set that was normal and only the bass really stood out.

Disappointing and nothing else to say about it.

Barr Brothers

Barr Brothers are always impressive due to the quantity of instruments played and the quality of their skills with all these said instruments.

The guitar soloes were great to listen to and the jams they performed are the best things from the set which I liked quite a bit :)

Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile is an amazing performer and guitar player.

During the set, he performed some really good songs and performed as usual great soloes which is always the highlight of his shows!!

He didn't disappoint in this regard.

The Arcs

The Arcs were one of the top bands I really wanted to see at Osheaga.

I went to see them, but I was disappointed a little bit since the set was on the boring side and felt long so we left before the end of the set.

There were some really positive aspects to their set though.

The background looked great.

The jazzy songs they interpreted led to great soloes that were really impressive and the best thing from the set.

Best Coast

Best Coast did a great set!

I didn't note much other than that.

Bastille

Bastille felt it was time to party!!!!

We got to the set when they were doing their 2 last songs.

The atmosphere was great as they were jumping around and playing some great danceable songs.

My wife and son went in to dance their asses off.

HAIM



Finally, I got to see Haim in concert.

I missed a lot of their concerts because of unfortunate events or moves that I had to do.

I listened to their first show they ever did in Vancouver before they had an album, but since I didn't have a ticket I was listening to them beyond the gates while doing a picnic with friends. At that time, I was sad that I couldn't really see them, but their energy could be felt through the trees and gates.

Now it was time to watch them and enjoy it!

It was a lot of fun to hear them and sing with them all their songs.

It was as good and inspiring as on their albums.

It was a gathering set.

A guy in the crowd had a sign with a message asking to marry one of the girls, even though he was married... "we don't cheat and we don't break marriages...dammit" Said one of the sisters in an harsh tone.

The remaining of the set was really energetic!

They always played a new song.

GREAT!

Last Shadow Puppets

For the Last Shadow Puppet show, we had to run to the smaller stages area at the end of Haim show so that I could see at least half of the set.

The singer (from Arctic Monkeys) had a really good voice that evening and I felt like listening to Arctic Monkeys at the moment I heard his voice.

The atmosphere was relaxed, but it was a really entertaining set nonetheless.

They had violinists on the stage.

They played in a slow and languorous mood.

They always played a song from Leonard Cohen.

Great set to relax a little bit and enjoy the sunset.

Death Cab for Cutie

I saw Death Cab at the Bell Center with Metric a few months before Osheaga so it wasn't my priority to see them here and I find that in Festival settings they are kinda boring and the crowd never really get into it.

This is pretty much what happened.

They played great songs, but it felt too much of the same at the end of a long day.

The music wasn't loud enough for the enormity of the area.

BUT the end was an epic jam and it was great to listen to it.

Lana Del Rey

I was intrigued by Lana Del Rey in a live setting.

My wife really wanted to see her as well so we stayed for a few songs.

We enjoyed what we saw.

The video was shot in black and white lenses and that was interesting to see.

The concept was that she was going to look like an old 50s singer dressed in that style.

Lana was dancing during her set and it was really fun to watch.

That was the end of Day 2.