Public Enemy, Rage bring social conscience to stage

Michael J. Mishak

Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

In its third year, Vegoose may have offered its most eclectic lineup yet.

Newer acts such as the Shins lived up to the hype while older artists such as Iggy & the Stooges proved they still matter.

More importantly, with the Iraq war now in its fifth year and a crucial election just around the corner, the messages of Public Enemy and Rage Against the Machine got a well-deserved listen from a new generation.

A few highlights:

In between microphone tosses, Chuck D and Flavor Flav cranked up the volume, bouncing around the stage as they led the crowd in anti-Bush chants and called for revolution. Clearly encouraged, an impassioned Chuck D took it one step further: He lamented how the euro and the pound are kicking the American dollar's butt. Sounding a bit like Republican presidential underdog Ron Paul, he lost most of the audience with that one. Still, it was a noble effort.

Then Flavor Flav ruined everything by thanking the audience for making his mind-numbing reality TV show on VH1 so popular. At least he treated us to a decent drum solo.

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