- - Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, 61, Shocks Fans in 'Surprise Show of the Year'

Jacqueline Burt CoteDecember 6, 2025 at 1:00 AM

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Photo by Gie Knaeps on Getty Images

For plenty of Gen X music lovers, Rage Against the Machine's anti-authoritarian 1992 hit "Killing in the Name" was the anthem of the decade. Years later, the song is still as relevant as ever...and as a recent video proved, fans still can't get enough.

In a clip shared to TikTok this week from what the caption called the "surprise show of the year," RATM guitarist Tom Morello took the stage at the famous West Hollywood venue Whisky a Go Go in a guest appearance at a release show for Måneskin guitarist Thomas Raggi‘s debut solo album Masquerade, as The PRP reported. The band closed out the set with a rendition of "Killing in the Name" that drove the crowd wild.

Commenters couldn't get over the nostalgic musical moment.

"Tom Morello is a badass," wrote one person, with a second adding, "Tom Morello is a national treasure."

"Needed now more than ever," declared another fan.

Tom Morello didn't expect 'Killing in the Name' to be a big hit

In an interview with George Stroumboulopoulos, Morello admitted he was taken by surprise when Rage Against the Machine's record label wanted to make "Killing in the Name" the first single from their self-titled debut album.

"We buried that song on our demo tape. It was song six on the Rage demo. The first time it came to the forefront was because of Michael Goldstone, the A&R guy, who was, for a while, kind of like the fifth Beatle of the band. He was very, very smart, caring, and had the right stuff to say," Morello recalled.

"He suggested that it should be the first single, with one caveat — we do not edit any of the lyrics," Morello continued. "Sixteen f—k yous and one motherf—ker. We're not going to edit it, and we're going to send that to the radio. And I remember being in the Epic office, going, 'You want that?'"

Of course, as fans know, Goldstone's idea proved to be right on target.

Related: Groundbreaking '90s Singer Is Finally Working on a New Album and Fans Are So Ready

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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