Making Waves Rage Against The Machine Takes Its Politics On The Road And To The Gorge Friday

The Wu-Tang Clan, the 10-man hip-hop powerhouse from Staten Island, N.Y., has officially dropped off its summer tour with Rage Against the Machine.

So Friday’s Gorge concert, which was billed as tantamount to a traveling revolution when it began on Aug. 8, may have lost half of its aggression.

No problem. Rage Against The Machine still has plenty to go around. This L.A. band consists of equal parts hard rock, rap and leftist political activism.

Ever since the band burst on the scene in 1992, it has been known for its incendiary live shows and its incendiary politics. They have played benefits for the Zapatista rebels in Mexico, among others. Guitarist Tom Morello is apparently putting his social studies degree from Harvard to good use.

Singer Zack De La Rocha has promised that this tour will be political in both intent and content.

“We’re not going to play to the (mainstream); we’re going to hijack it,” he recently told Rolling Stone magazine. “This tour is going to incorporate everything which the rich, wealthy classes in America fear and despise. Each of the 20,000 people in the audience will be reminded of their independent political power.”

In fact, he told Rolling Stone that he wouldn’t be surprised if the tour doesn’t “run into problems” somewhere in the conservative heartland.

“Honestly, part of me hopes we do,” he said.

At the Gorge, he has already gotten his wish.

The Grant County sheriff on Friday filed a motion to ban the show, because of the potential for a volatile situation. At press time for this section, no ruling had been made on that motion. Keep an eye out for developments.

Aside from that, the only real problem with the tour has been the loss of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Officials from the group’s label, Loud Records, are denying the abrupt cancellation was connected to the alleged assault on a promotions manager by four members of the Wu-Tang Clan.

The alleged beating happened backstage at the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park, Ill., the Wu’s last appearance on the tour. Members suspected of being involved include Method Man, Raekwon, the Genius and Inspektah Deck, according to police reports.

While the Wu-Tang Clan has seen blistering success with record sales, its record for concert etiquette is not so sterling.

The group’s tour in Europe was also cut short without clear reason. The Wu-Tang Killer Bees, as they sometimes call themselves, have a solid reputation for showing up to gigs a few bees short of the hive; members such as the infamous Ol’ Dirty Bastard are often AWOL.

The tour will continue through Sept. 18 without the Wu. In their stead, the Philadelphia-based rap group, The Roots, will share the stage with Rage.

With their two albums, “Do You Want More?!!!??!” (1995) and “illadelph halflife” (1996), The Roots planted themselves in the rap industry with their innovative sound of old-school fundamental hip hop meshed with a revolutionary approach. They are one of a handful of rap groups that rely heavily on live instrumentation, using a boundless combination of sounds from live drums to vocally generated drum beats to live bagpipes.

Several jazz artists as well as other free-lance musicians have performed with the Roots. And Vibe Magazine called the Roots one of the best live shows on earth.

If nothing else, all of their members can be expected to show up at the Gorge with Rage Against the Machine.

Atari Teenage Riot will open the show, followed by The Roots and then Rage.

Refunds will be available to fans who bought tickets to see the Wu-Tang Clan.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TICKET INFORMATION Rage Against the Machine will perform Friday at the Gorge. The Roots and Atari Teenage Riots open the show at 7 p.m. Tickets are $23.50, available through Ticketmaster. For locations call (509) 928-4700. To order by phone, call (206) 628-0888.