Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
documents the last two shows from
Rage Against the Machine
, recorded in September 2000 for a planned November release, but canceled when the band broke up, and postponed for the second time one year later after three-fourths of the band formed
Audioslave
with
Chris Cornell
. The finished product isn't a very good look at one of the finest
metal
bands of the '90s, not because the performance quality is lacking but because of mixing problems and the simple problems inherent in transferring the energy of a live concert to record. Featuring highlights from the two shows, recorded September 12th and 13th, this delayed version of
also downplays the cover material that comprised the band's last studio album,
Renegades
, which is a good thing for the fans who agree that
Rage
performed better with originals than covers. Early on, the band storms through three of its career highlights --
"Killing in the Name,"
"Bulls on Parade,"
and
"Bullet in the Head"
-- with intense performances that capture its combination of
heavy metal
strut and
punk rock
disdain. Something is lacking here, though.
Zack de la Rocha
's vocals are too high in the mix, and the band sounds powerful but surprisingly muddy.
Tom Morello
's ragged guitar work and siren effects occasionally cut through the fog, but the songs here add little to what fans know of the studio albums. The two covers, cut down from five, add little to the concert;
's version of the
EPMD
classic
"I'm Housin'"
is a misguided attempt at injecting melodramatic tension into an original that was eerie precisely because the vocal was so nonchalant, and
MC5
's
"Kick Out the Jams"
is butchered by
de la Rocha
, whose attempts to sing the song are flubbed badly. ~ John Bush