"It's a pretty stacked bill, but my part of the day is to rock people absolutely into the ground. I'm going to give a guarantee beforehand, that's what we're going to do," Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine, told Huntsville, Alabama's Fox 54's Gabe Glassman.
Gabe might have thought Tom was playing. He wasn't.
The bill was indeed stacked with Gwen Stefani, Ludacris, TLC, Shinedown and others on the lineup on Saturday, September 29, the opening day of the inaugural weekend of the South Side Festival in Huntsville, Alabama.
When it was time to open the gates for Sunday's festivities with blink-182, Bech, Sublime, Big Boi and others, organizers took one look at the ground, and it was hurting.
They had to cancel the second day. Morello's guarantee had come true.
So let's revisit that first day in 'Bama.
Gwen Stefani performed "Somebody Else's" for just the second time ever
Your girl Gwen is still on her festival tour and putting out new music. Last night she was on the Jimmy Kimmel Show promoting her forthcoming album, Bouquet.
Wanna feel old: it is her fifth solo LP. It'll feature "Purple Irises" the duet with her husband Blake Shelton, and the new single, "Somebody Else's," which she performed at South Star for just the second time ever.
Gwen only has one more date on her schedule. Can that be? Si, it's in Monterey, Mexico, not long after her birthday. Get your tickets on her website.
Ludacris reminded us he was on "Glamorous" with Fergie
On countless pop tracks, especially those with beautiful female singers, instead of a guitar solo there will be a rap break where a hip-hop star tosses in a few sassy bars.
It happens so often it's easy to forget who is rapping in what tune.
Look no further than Fergie's "Glamorous" which Ludacris was featured on, but how many of you remember that it was him saying:
I gotta keep enough lettuce to support your shoe fetish
Lifestyle so rich and famous, Robin Leach'll get jealous
Luda has at least 9 dates left on his calendar this year. Go to Bandsintown for tickets because he doesn't have a proper website for some reason.
TLC still isn't into your best friend on the passenger side
TLC is really just T-Boz and Chilli after Lisa "Left Eye"'s tragic death in 2002.
They've been touring the world this year, giving fans more chances to sing "Waterfalls" and "No Scrubs" - of which opinions they have not budged from.
With over 65 million records sold, you'd think someone would want to collab with them or capitalize on the fact the remaining members are still hugely talented and fun. It was very wise of South Star to have them on the bill.
TLC has three more shows on their schedule for 2024, all in October. Get your tickets on their website.
Like Babe Ruth at Wrigley Field, Tom Morello said he wanted to rock people into the ground, and lo: the ground couldn't support another day.
When Jane's Addiction had to pull out of the festival because... reasons, they called their old pal Tom who offered to replace them on the bill.
When talking to a local news channel, the guitar hero said it was his hope, as always, to rock fans into the ground.
Before leading his band into a Rage Against the Machine classic, Morello the crowd they'd probably be familiar with it.
"It's an old Alabama folk song," the guitarist said, "you probably learned it in school." Then he said he'd let them sing it.
The next morning organizers canceled the second day of the festival.
The reason: the ground was unsafe after the day of rock and night of rains from a pesky hurricane.
But we all know: Tom Morello had rocked those poor Southerners right where he said he would.
He blasted them with original songs, Audioslave hits, covers from heroes like Springsteen and John Lennon.
The ground didn't have a chance.
"For South Star fans who joined us yesterday, we thank you for welcoming us and enjoying some amazing music," organizers wrote on the festival's website.
"Unfortunately, as you know, Hurricane Helene saturated John Hunt Park before you arrived, and Saturday’s foot traffic has led to severe deterioration of the grounds. Following an inspection by festival organizers along with city officials, it has been determined that the grounds are no longer safe to welcome you back today.
"In coordination with the City of Huntsville, we have made the difficult decision to cancel today’s festival. Safety is paramount, and we do not take this decision lightly."
Morello's last show of 2024, according to his website, is Aftershock in Sacramento. Aftershock is the three day metal fest which is being headlined by Iron Maiden, Slayer, Motley Crue and Slipknot.
Get your tix on Tom's website.
