Over a month ago—while thousands of Rage Against the Machine fans in the Chicago area were sitting in front of their computers in their underwear, refreshing the Ticketmaster web page and waiting for the clock to strike 10:00 a.m.—a few hundred fans were already resting comfortably in fact that they had already made arrangements to see the group’s axe man solo a month prior. Ah, to be in the know.
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The Nightwatchman with Ike Reilly
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 Entertainment
 Art
Schubas
Chicago, Ill.
July 12, 2007
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In fact, word spreads fast. Schubas quickly sold out Wednesday night’s show featuring Tom Morello, better known as The Nightwatchman, prompting the venue to add another night. Subsequently, that night’s show was also sold out in a short period of time.
In April, The Nightwatchman released “One Man Revolution” to some reasonable acclaim. The new outfit finds Morello striving to follow in the footsteps of great protest singers in the past like Billy Bragg, Joe Strummer, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie: admittedly impossible shoes to fill. While Morello is seasoned and revered in the “alternative” rock world, he is a near novice when it comes to folk music.
As previously reported in the spring, The Nightwatchman was a superb highlight at SXSW in Austin, Texas. One can only assume that Morello upped the ante for this show, headlining his own solo tour, sponsored by his non-profit activist organization Axis of Justice. Not to mention the fact that Morello was now back in his home state.
Chicago native Ike Reilly (of The Ike Reilly Assassination) opened the show with a few protest numbers of his own, before a sold out Thursday night crowd. The self-proclaimed “daywatchman” had an acoustic arsenal comprised of amusing narratives, which whet the appetite for an impetuous show to follow.
Equipped with a nylon string guitar and harmonica strapped to his neck, the crowd quieted to heed The Nightwatchman’s opener, “One Man Revolution.” While all of the songs were completely minimalist in instrumentation, many of the tunes still held all the vitality of a Rage Against the Machine performance.
The Nightwatchman played a few sullen dirges between the rallying jams of which he is well known. The Nightwatchman covered Rage Against the Machine’s cover of Devo’s “Beautiful World,” as well as “God Help Us All,” a song inspired by Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series at Wrigley Field.
Between songs Morello enlightened the crowd with anecdotes about growing up in the suburbs of Chicago and lurid Rage Against the Machine tour stories. He also, not suprisingly, urged the crowd to pursue action against social and artistic injustice, as all good activist singers do, of course.
The Nightwatchman’s act culminated with a rambunctious performance of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land.” Following a truthful rendition of the often-censored verses of the song, in a truly extraordinary moment following The Nightwatchman’s lead, the crowd proceeded to jump up and down shouting the renowned chorus until their collective voices became hoarse.
If you appreciate nothing else from Morello’s new musical direction, you can at the very least find some respect for his unbending commitment to oppose social injustice. As a result, proceeds from all of the merchandise sales on the tour went to various charity organizations. On this tour stop, proceeds were donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
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