Tom Morello (and Friends) Completely Destroy the Danforth Music Hall - BAM!!

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Toronto, Canada

By: Jay Broderick - Sometimes, things work in mysterious ways. It's important to us here at LoudTO to bring you photographs from the concerts that we cover. Actually, it's the photos that are the main draw. Because we live in a world of diminishing attention spans, the words are pretty much secondary. We hope that our written work is not in vain, but we understand that most will take a quick look at the photos, and move on. So when we are covering a concert, the critical piece is getting that photo pass. It is a must to have photos accompany any articles we write.

When I reached out to Tom Morello's public relations team to cover the July 17th show at Danforth Music Hall, they advised me that they would only be allowing media at the first show of the 2 nights in Toronto. They asked me to please cover the July 15th show instead, but unfortunately I had a personal conflict on that night. Instead, they offered me entry to see the July 17th show, but that I would not be permitted to shoot the concert. 100 times out of 100 I would respectfully decline, but something in the back of my head told me to accept. I did, and damn... DAMN!!!!

Snotty Nose Rez Kids

SNRK first came on the scene in 2016, and released their first album the year after. The First Nation hip-hop duo from British Columbia have been kicking things for close to 10 years now, but over the last few, they have really started to make their mark. Earlier this year, they won the 2025 Juno Award for Rap Album of the Year, making them the first indigenous artists to do so.

With an already rammed venue, SNRK hit the stage, complete with DJ, drummer and guitarist. As the duo walked out, Quinton "Yung Trybez" Nyce sporting dark sunglasses, the hip-hop tribe immediately got the crowd pumping to the beat, joining in with the singing, and having a great time. As the set closed down, Nyce attempted to get a pit going to no luck, so what is one to do? Well, you jump into the crowd and start one yourself. Good on you "Kids"!!

Tom Morello

I first saw Rage Against The Machine at Lollapalooza in 1993 at Molson Park in Barrie. The vision of the crowd jumping up and down in a sea of waves while Rage raged on, is permanently burned in my brain. It remains one of my most memorable concert experiences ever. And as a huge fan of Audioslave, but never having seen them live, the decision to accept the media pass without a photo pass was made a little easier. I mean, come on! This is Tom Morello!

As his band moves into position on the stage, and his son Roman in tow with his own guitar in hand, Tom begins to shape the sound, turning the volume on and off on his electric as he hammers the strings. Building up... building... building.... The band then rolls into "Soldier in the Army of Love", and Morello's message comes loud and clear 30 seconds in. As a political activist, the guitarist makes no bones about where his heart lies, and it would be displayed over the next 100 minutes. The guitarist's 14 year old son quickly shows that he's not just out there because of who his father is. The youth rocks out hard, jumping around the stage, and even playing his guitar behind his head. The crowd erupts!! Perhaps not to show up his old man too much, Roman heads off stage after 2 songs.

Morello greets the crowd ahead of the band's 3rd track. "Toronto, how you doing tonight? We've been waiting a very long time to play this... for you!!!" They immediately scream into a medley of Rage songs and the fans explode. One thing is for certain... Tom Morello can make that electric guitar sing. Listen to any record that he has been a part of, and you can quickly hear his signature style.

After a blazing "first act", things came down a tad as Morello played a number of slower tempo tracks, including any extremely heartfelt "The Garden of Gethsemane" that the guitarist wrote for his lost friend Chris Cornell. Cornell had once told Morello "If you swallow a coin from the wishing well, you're dreams will come true in Heaven or hell." Morello wrote this song the next morning, in concern for his friend. With such intense meaning for the track, Morello asks the crowd for silence, just for a few minutes. "If your neighbour wants to talk to you about sports, quietly tell him to shut the fuck up!" Thatta boy Tom! Really though, why does this even have to be stated? Well, it's because people would rather spend the show talking than watching and listening. It's a personal pet peeve. Morello promises that it'll be heavy metal bangers for the rest of the show, and this is where things really get crazy!

After a rendition of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land", or more importantly, the Canadian The Travelers version, Morello and his band absolutely light it up, playing songs like Ozzy's "Mr. Crowley" that saw his son rejoin the band on the stage. The track also featured a 15 year old girl drumming phenom named YOYOKA. Another Rage medley including "Bulls on Parade" was played, the Audioslave track "Like a Stone" and even a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad". The crowd was in a frenzy, and then things really got crazy. I think I said that already, but seriously... like seriously crazy!

After the band's rendition of John Lennon's "Power to the People", Morello came to the mic, and blurted out "Please welcome Alex Lifeson to the stage!" Just like that! And there he was! WAIT... WHAT??? As you would, the crowd went absolutely insane as the troup on the stage started in on the Rush classic "Limelight". At one point, Morello looked out to the crowd and mouthed "Holy Shit!!" I mean, come on! This is some serious shit, and as a Canadian, such a proud moment. Really, the world loves the Canadian Prog-Rock Gods.

Toronto, just when you think you've had enough, after "Limelight", Morello yells out "I would like to welcome to the stage Brownsound and Cone from Sum 41!!" True story folks!! The 3 guests, Morello, and the rest of the band jammed out to MC5's "Kick Out the Jams", where Morello then called out the Snotty Nose Rez Kids, and the stage was rammed for an all out explosive party to finish the show.

What more to say outside of "my deepest sympathies for the horrible cell phone photos shared above", but what can I do? I have to share them, in order for you to believe the unbelievable! Man, I wish I had my camera...

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show date: July 17, 2025