Tom Morello, Slash, and a host of big names joined forces as The Freedom Fighter Orchestra on Friday (February 7), with the Rage Against The Machine ripper spearheading the second of two performances in aid of the LA wildfire relief.
Members of System of a Down, Wu-Tang Clan, Maneskin, and The Struts also featured alongside Morello’s shred-laden son, Roman, as part of a mammoth set at the Fonda Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.
Unsurprisingly, it was the Guns N’ Roses man’s three-song cameo that stole the show. He joined the set late on, ripping through an original and two classic rock bangers peppered with sweet, bluesy leads.
“Sounds just like Slash, doesn’t it,” Morello laughed as the guitarist plugged into a Marshall stack. They quickly turned to Interstate 80the song the pair wrote over lockdown, which sees them trading blazing solos like they’re going out of fashion and neither of them held back here, either.
Next on the bill was MC5’s Kick Out the Jams – previously covered by RATM and, more recently, at Soundgarden’s first show since Chris Cornell’s passing – before rounding out with the snake-hipped AC/DC classic, Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap).
Again, there are solos aplenty from Slash, wearing a beanie and glasses for the occasion, and shredding like he’s got his feet up in his living room with no one watching – making for a spontaneous, off-the-cuff performance.
That latter track was brought together by a sizable cast, with Måneskin’s Thomas Raggi, SOAD bass player Shavo Odadjian, and The Struts singer Luke Spiller all joining in, after Raggi and Spiller had dropped in for Måneskin’s Morello-bolstered Gossip earlier on in the night.
Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA then stepped in to keep up the momentum, performing Ain’t Nuthin’ to Fuck Witwhile Roman Morello – a player his father says “can shred circles around me” – stepped up for his dad’s career-defining hit, Killing in the Name, alongside Soldier in the Army of Lovethe song he wrote with his dad.
The LA Wildfires started on January 7 and have caused widespread damage to the infamous American city. Many musicians, including Iron Maiden’s Adrain Smith and Primus’ Larry LaLonde, have lost their homes and gear.
The industry has responded by putting together a string of benefit shows, initiatives, and raffles to help support those most affected. Fender, Gibson, Guitar Center, and Spiritbox’s Mike Stringer have helped raise vital funds.
Another benefit show saw an unexpected Nirvana reunion. The band was fronted by four mega-talented women, including Joan Jett and Grammy-winning shredder St. Vincent.
The idea had come from Dave Grohl, who wanted to use their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance to showcase female talent, and that legacy continued in incendiary fashion at the end of January.
“If we can fill the performance with these incredible women singing Nirvana songs, then we’ll have achieved our own revolution,” he had said to Rolling Stone about the Hall of Fame show.
For his revolution, Morello rounded-out his monstrous set with a RATM/Audioslave medley (in E, key fans) and concluded with Power to the People.
All merchandise proceeds and a portion of the ticket sales from the events at Anaheim’s House of Blues and the Fonda Theatre have gone to LA Wildfire Relief.
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