10 Times Rock Musicians Stopped Their Own Shows

If there's any band that aren't going to take something lying down, its Rage Against the Machine.

The rap-rock legends have made a career out of fighting the establishment, promoting anti-government agendas, and encouraging others to think for themselves. Their name literally has the word "Rage" in it, for crying out loud.

So it should come as no surprise that, when frontman Zack de la Rocha spotted something he didn't like in the crowd of a 1997 Rage show, he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

After noticing a woman being mishandled by a man in the crowd, de la Rocha goes silent, with the rest of the band eventually following suit. He then gets back on the mic, giving a powerful speech about the state of women's rights in America.

"Women are forced to live in fear in their schools, and in their communities," he said. "[they] shouldn't have to come to a Rage Against the Machine show and be afraid of that s**t right there."

Incredibly powerful words and ones that, unfortunately, are just as relevant today as they were back in 1997.