ECHO PARK—On Monday night, the heart of Los Angeles beat a little louder as guitarist Tom Morello, of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, hosted a powerful show at the Echoplex.
The show, titled “Defend L.A.,” launched on Friday, June 13, in response to ICE raids across the city. All proceeds were donated to The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), an organization at the forefront of defending the rights of our immigrant community and fighting for dignity and justice for migrants in the city.
The show brought together various bands, kicking off with a fiery set by the dynamic, revolutionary hip-hop duo The Neighborhood Kids from San Diego, followed by anti-Putin, anti-repression activist collective Pussy Riot, and rapper/musician K. Flay.
A member of Pussy Riot strode to the front of the stage, announcing in her accented English, "I am from a country ... that is called Russia and trust me, it sucks dick" to hoots from the crowd
Throughout the night, between each set, artist Shepard Fairey entertained the crowd by deejaying. The crowd, who arrived with a lot of energy and enthusiasm to support the benefit show, at times took center stage as chants of “ICE out of L.A.” and “Chinga la Migra” took over the show.