Mourning the close of a Raging era

I remember my first Rage Against the Machine concert. It was on a hot summer's day in 1992 at what used to be Irvine Meadows.

Eight years later, I was shocked to hear the news last week that the band's vocalist Zack de La Rocha, would be leaving. Sure the band will still be together, but without Zack, they might as well just call it quits.

Since that first show, I have been part of Rage's machine. I talked them up before a lot of people had even heard of them. I followed them from show to show, each time noticing a larger, different type of crowd as they crossed the line from a popular local band to a giant musical icon.

Their songs of protest and anger didn't dictate my political thoughts, it mirrored them. They were probably the first band to make me feel like my anger and disillusionment were shared by somebody who understood.

I immediately identified with Zack. I too was from a mostly white suburban Orange County neighborhood, where people used racial epithets as if I had been invisible.

Rage offered me an outlet; their shows left me stunned. "How can one band be so damn powerful on stage?" I would ask of whomever would listen.

So it's the end of an era, the close of a cycle in my life, one I will be able to look back on with fondness. I can tell my children someday that there was once a band that stood up not only for their rights, but the rights of people who didn't have any. Sure, bands like the Clash had done it before, but it was my generation, those were my times and my band.

Last month, I was lucky enough to get tickets for the Rage show at the Olympic Auditorium in downtown Los Angeles. It was the most amazing show that I have ever seen. Even having seen the band more than 20 times in eight years, they were still the most incredible band I have ever seen on stage.

After closing their show that night with "Killing in the Name," Zack and guitarist Tom Morello stood at the front of the stage with their fists in the air, while bassist Tim Cummerford stood with his arms across his chest as if he was hugging the crowd. They stood there thanking the fans that did not want them to leave.

Alex Roman is a print journalism major at Cal State Long Beach.