Tom Morello Performs With His Son Roman, members of Guns N' Roses, System Of A Down, And More At Californian Wildlife Benefit Shows

In a powerful display of solidarity and musicianship, Tom Morello, renowned guitarist of Rage Against The Machine, spearheaded a series of benefit concerts in Southern California to support victims of recent wildfires. The events, held in early February 2025, featured an impressive lineup of guest artists, including Slash, Shavo Odadjian, and RZA, among others.

In 2024 and into 2025, California has faced one of the worst wildfire seasons on record with 8,024 fires scorching over 1 million acres across the state. This marked the highest number of burned acres since 2021.

Southern California was particularly affected in September, with the Line, Bridge, and Airport fires causing significant damage. The Bridge Fire, which ignited on September 8 in the San Gabriel Canyon, led to evacuations in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, destroying approximately 20 homes in the Mount Baldy area, 13 in Wrightwood, and six wilderness cabins. The severity of the 2024 wildfires was attributed to a combination of factors, including a hotter-than-normal June and an abundance of fine fuels resulting from unusually wet winter and spring seasons.

In response to these devastating events, musicians like Tom Morello organized benefit concerts to support affected communities, with proceeds being directed towards organizations aiding those affected by the wildfires.

The first concert took place on February 6 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, followed by a performance at The Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles on February 7. During the performances, the audiences were treated to some iconic collaborations, with Slash joining Morello on stage for renditions of classic tracks, including a cover of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan brought a hip-hop flair to the rock-centric lineup. Shavo Odadjian of System of a Down contributed the rumble from down under. Tom Morello's son, Roman Morello, also performed with the ensemble, which brought an even more wholesome lane to the benefit.

For fans who missed the live performances, footage from the Los Angeles show is available to watch now

Tom Morello's leadership in organizing these benefit concerts underscores the music community's dedication to supporting those in need, and hopefully sets an example along with other artists who have procured benefit shows that music can be used as a force for tangible change in addition to culture and dialog.

Full setlists for each of the benefit shows were as follows:

February 6, 2025 – House of Blues, Anaheim, CA

1. "Soldier In The Army Of Love" (feat. Roman Morello)
2. "One Last Dance" (feat. Roman Morello)
3. Rage Against The Machine Medley: "Testify / Take The Power Back / Freedom / Snakecharmer"
4. "GOSSIP" (Måneskin cover) (feat. Thomas Raggi)
5. "Lightning Over Mexico"
6. "One Man Revolution"
7. "Union Power"
8. "Hold The Line"
9. "Let’s Get This Party Started"
10. "Secretariat"
11. "Cato Stedman & Neptune Frost"
12. "Keep Going"
13. House Gone Up In Flames"
14. "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie cover)
15. "Kick Out The Jams" (MC5 cover) (feat. Thomas Raggi)
16. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (AC/DC cover) (feat. Luke Spiller)
17. Rage Against The Machine Medley: "Bombtrack / Know Your Enemy / Bulls On Parade / Guerrilla Radio / Sleep Now In The Fire / Bullet In The Head"
18. Audioslave Medley: "Cochise / Like A Stone"
19. "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
20. "Killing In The Name" (Rage Against The Machine cover) (feat. Roman Morello)
21. "Power To The People" (John Lennon cover)

February 7, 2025 – The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

1. "Soldier In The Army Of Love" (feat. Roman Morello)
2. "One Last Dance" (feat. Roman Morello)
3. Rage Against The Machine Medley: "Testify / Take The Power Back / Freedom / Snakecharmer"
4. "GOSSIP" (Måneskin cover) (feat. Thomas Raggi & Luke Spiller)
5. "Let’s Get This Party Started"
6. "Hold The Line"
7. "Lightning Over Mexico"
8. "One Man Revolution"
9. "Secretariat"
10. "Cato Stedman & Neptune Frost"
11. "Keep Going"
12. "House Gone Up In Flames"
13. "This Land Is Your Land" (Woody Guthrie cover)
14. Rage Against The Machine / Audioslave Medley: "Bombtrack / Know Your Enemy / Bulls On Parade / Guerrilla Radio / Sleep Now In The Fire / Bullet In The Head / Cochise"
15. "Like A Stone" (Audioslave cover)
16. "The Ghost Of Tom Joad" (Bruce Springsteen cover)
17. "Interstate 80" (feat. Slash)
18. "Kick Out The Jams" (MC5 cover) (feat. Slash)
19. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" (AC/DC cover) (feat. Slash, Luke Spiller, Thomas Raggi & Shavo Odadjian)
20. "Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit" (Wu-Tang Clan cover) (feat. RZA)
21. "Killing In The Name" (Rage Against The Machine cover) (feat. Roman Morello)
22. "Power To The People" (John Lennon cover) (feat. Roman Morello, Luke Spiller, RZA, Thomas Raggi, Jason Heath & Kenzo Sohoue)