Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello is using his voice to defend Minnesota.
On Wednesday (Jan. 28), the iconic rock guitarist announced the Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota, set for Friday (Jan. 30) at First Avenue in Minneapolis, with doors opening at 10:30 a.m. CT. Fans can purchase tickets via AXS.
“If it looks like fascism, sounds like fascism, acts like fascism, dresses like fascism, talks like fascism, kills like fascism and lies like fascism, boys & girls, it’s f—king fascism,” Morello wrote in a lengthy, impassioned Instagram caption. “It’s here, it’s now, it’s in my city, it’s in your city, and it must be resisted, protested, defended against, stood up to, exposed, ousted, overthrown and driven out. By you and by me.”
“We are coming to Minneapolis, where the people have heroically stood up against ICE, stood up against Trump, stood up against this terrible rising tide of state terror,” Morello continued in his caption. “Where the people have stood up for their neighbors and themselves, for democracy and justice. Ain’t nobody coming to save us except us, and it’s now or never.”
The concert’s proceeds will go to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by ICE in Minneapolis earlier in January. The event, which is all ages, will also feature performances by Rise Against, Al Di Meola, Ike Reilly and a few still-unannounced special guests across music, protest and community action.
Morello has long been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and his administration. On Jan. 12, he called out U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem for standing behind a podium that displayed a “verbatim” quote of a “Nazi mass murder slogan.” Last summer, Morello released the protest song “Pretend You Remember Me” in response to ICE’s ongoing raids.
Alongside Rage Against the Machine, which officially disbanded in 2024, Morello topped the Billboard 200 twice, won a pair of Grammys, was part of the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction class and was saluted as one of the 50 Best Rock Bands of All Time on a 2025 Billboard staff ranking.
Check out Tom Morello’s Concert of Solidarity & Resistance to Defend Minnesota announcement below.
