10 Greatest Hard Rock Moments On Live TV
2. Rage Against the Machine on SNL
And now we return to the loveable rapscallions in Rage Against the Machine. Based off of the name alone, you knew that any of the mainstream cable networks probably were taking a gamble by even suggesting having them on a show like SNL. If you had to put them on the air though, you probably should have picked a different night than the one you chose.
When Rage were promoting their latest record, the host that night was billionaire Steve Forbes, who's political ideologies radically clashed with everything that Rage stood for. Looking to cause a bit of a stir, the band performed their rehearsal set with upside down American flags over their amplifiers, indicating a sign of distress. Though they were asked politely to remove by the time the cameras were rolling, Rage decided to go on anyway with the stunt.
As the band tells it now, the backstage area afterwards was pretty hectic, with roadies fighting with some of the producers of the show and having everything almost escalate to violence by the time the night was out. If you were part of the SNL crew though, you got what you paid for. The band's called Rage Against the Machine...that's not going to go over the same way that someone like Mariah Carey would.