Atari, Roots, and Rage blow up Denver
Tracy M. Rhines
The Metropolitan
Fiddler's Green drew a full house Sept. 8 as music fans gathered in droves to watch three
phenomenal bands: Atari Teenage Riot, The Roots, and Rage Against the Machine.
Rage Against the Machine headlined the event, following solid performances from opening acts Atari and The Roots, which substituted for the absent Wu-Tang Clan.
When Rage Against the Machine occupied the stage, eruptions of people broke through the security wall that was supposed to keep them from the mosh pit. Frontman Zack de la Rocha spit his rap-styled lyrics into the crowd, igniting reactions of screaming, jumping, running, and most any other action imaginable. As bodies flew into the fracas, the intensity grew.
The band played a great set of songs. Rage Against the Machine's lyrics have the rebellious touch of a prizefighter's fist, punching the establishment in its soft underbelly and waking it up with the crunch of guitars and hard beats.
The opening acts did more than serve as sacrifical time-killers in anticipation of Rage, however.
Hanin, Carl, Alec, and Nic (do we want to use full names here? - bec) of Atari Teenage Riot took the stage first and played a sunlit 25 minute set.
"We're used to playing in the dark, without seats," Hanin said, "and you could see people sitting there eating."
The sunlight took a certain edge off of their show, considering how their music makes you want to dance. Atari Teenage Riot energetically presented their mix of danceable beats and angry lyrics, a new combination they said has a positive progression.
These Berlin natives said they enjoy American crowds, especially in smaller venues. Fiddler's Green, however, doesn't quite provide the same cozy atmosphere.
"There was so much security it felt like a prison," Alec said.
A Fiddler's Green employee said that security was stepped up because the police expected the Wu-Tang Clan, which left the tour before the Denver show, to attract a rowdy crowd.
The Roots stepped in to replace Wu-Tang. Asked about the effect this had on them, a Roots member replied, "It's cool. This just paid our rent for the whole year."
The Roots, consisting of Black Thought, Qwest-Nice, Kamal, Rahzel, and Leonard Hubbard, entered the stage just as darkness crept over the amphitheater. Rap music heavy with jazz and rock overtones grabbed the audience and threw them into a frenetic mass of cheers and raised arms.
Most of the crowd was unfamiliar with The Roots. A common response heard was, "That was amazing, who was that again?".
"America is the most rap-disconnected country in the world, " said Qwest-Nice, "Japan is the best, because they appreciate the music so much more."
The Roots have been on tour for over a year now, visiting both Japan and Europe in addition to traveling all over America.
"The crowd (at Fiddler's) was dope; doper than when we played Red Rocks with the Smokin' Grooves Tour," the group said. But they were awed by Red Rocks, because of its size and grandeur.
And grand was the way they played their set; it built to a climax, ending with Rahzel, the DJ, beatboxing the crowd into an applause spasm.
