While performing in Canada this past weekend, Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello used his guitar to send a strong message. He wrote “NO KINGS” on it to protest former U.S. President Donald Trump. On Instagram, he said the opening night of his solo tour in Oakville, Canada, had great energy, international unity, and anti-fascist spirit.
We got our “NO KINGS” on at the opening night of my solo tour in Oakville, Canada. Great crowd, great international solidarity, great anti-fascist energy.
That’s not all Morello did onstage, as he also honored his late friend and guitarist Ace Frehley with the words “Ace Frehley Forever” on his guitar. On the second night of his “A Night of Stories and Music” tour, Morello said the crowd was amazing and the venue was beautiful. He said he loved playing for fans who connected with his message and music.
Night 2 of my “A Night Of Stories And Music” Canadian solo tour featured an incredible crowd in an absolutely beautiful venue. Loving playing these shows.
At the same time, people across the United States, including Morello’s mother, were protesting with the same slogan, “No Kings.” They included teachers, veterans, students, parents, and retirees. They gathered in big cities and small towns, carrying signs, waving flags, and playing music. The protests were peaceful and family-friendly, but the message was clear: no one should rule like a king.
Protesters said they were upset about immigration raids, government layoffs, cuts to public programs, and limits on voting rights. In major cities like Washington, Chicago, and New York, thousands filled the streets. In Times Square, one sign read, “I Pledge Allegiance to No King.”
Tom Morello’s performance in Canada captured that same spirit, and Democrat fans wouldn’t have it any other way. Through music and activism, he joined liberals calling for equality, freedom and unity under one idea and slogan, “No Kings.”
Conservatives though will disagree with Morello though as usual.
During the October 17th episode of Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM, titled “Tribute to Ace Frehley,” Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello reflected on his admiration for Kiss and the influence that guitarist Ace Frehley had on him. Frehley passed away on October 16 at the age of 74.
When host Eddie Trunk mentioned that Tom’s playing style is very different from Ace’s but that Frehley still had a huge impact on him, Morello agreed completely. He said Ace was his first guitar hero and that KISS was the band that made him fall in love with rock and roll.
Without Ace, he said, he might never have wanted to play guitar at all. Kiss, he added, was the band that lit a spark in him and made him realize music was something he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
“One hundred percent. [Ace] was my first guitar hero. KISS was the band that made me love rock and roll, and he was the lead guitar player of that band. I mean, without him, I don’t know whether I would’ve ever wanted to play guitar. It was totally formative. KISS was the supernova that made me light up and think, ‘Oh, this is something I might wanna do for the rest of my life.’ And the lead guitarist of that band, a crucial part of that band, an indispensable part of that band’s original chemistry, was Ace Frehley. So I owe not just a artistic debt to him, but just a life debt to him. Every riff that has ever come, every guitar solo that’s ever been a part of my life has its origins, the DNA imprint of Ace Frehley.”
Tom continued: “In the same way that acts like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, they captured the imagination of generations and made people think, ‘There might be room for me to do that too,’ KISS was that for us. And Ace was the coolest axe-slinging, Les Paul smoke-belching guitar hero for all of us.”
