Tom Morello

YUNGBLUD Lands “Changes” Slot at Sabbath Farewell—With 48 Hours to Spare

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE’s Tom Morello, acting as curator for BLACK SABBATH’s “Back To The Beginning” farewell event, lifts the curtain on a last-minute artistic shuffle. The show, which also doubles as Ozzy Osbourne’s swan song, nearly featured an entirely different vocalist for the iconic “Changes.”

According to Morello, only 48 hours before curtain time, YUNGBLUD wasn’t even slated to perform it. A behind-the-scenes pivot turned the spotlight his way—seemingly timed with the chaos such gigs inevitably promise.

Springsteen crashes Morello’s midday protest set with ‘Streets of Minneapolis’

Tom Morello ignites First Avenue in Minneapolis with a midday protest concert, channeling familiar fire from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, while tipping his hat to Woody Guthrie and John Lennon. Springsteen emerges unannounced, delivering his debut performance of “Streets of Minneapolis”—a barely veiled jab at border enforcement policies.

Morello grins through clenched teeth, declaring the crowd “outside agitators” as they chant “ICE Out now.” A litany of protest staples follows: “Killing in the Name,” “Cochise,” “This Land Is Your Land.”

Guitars protest ICE as Morello, Di Meola, Reilly, Rise Against hit Minnesota stage

Tom Morello, Al Di Meola, Ike Reilly, and Rise Against trade riffs for resistance in Minnesota on January 30. Framing guitars as weapons and chords as statements, they gather to perform a benefit concert dubbed “Solidarity & Resistance.”

All proceeds go to the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were killed by ICE agents. The event aligns music with protest, offering less spectacle and more statement on a frigid political backdrop.

Tom Morello revives mutant guitar with cartoon hippos—and a £1,699 price tag

Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello joins forces with Fender to resurrect his ‘Arm The Homeless’ guitar, a Frankensteinian contraption of misfit design elements that’s been his sonic partner across 22 albums. From its cartoonish blue hippos to a quirky “hockey-stick” headstock, each detail is reissued with surgical precision.

Retailing at £1,699, the guitar comes with pseudo-political flair and an ice blue finish. A portion of proceeds grudgingly trickles toward Midnight Mission and Covenant House, two charities picked by Morello himself.

Ozzy Thanks Tom Morello, Then Politely Tells Him to Get Lost—Rock’s Perfect Farewell

Tom Morello recounts his final meeting with Ozzy Osbourne at the afterparty following Black Sabbath’s last show, where he served as musical director. In the midst of a pinball game, he's summoned by Ozzy’s son Jack for a goodbye.

Ozzy, ever laconic, thanks Morello for the music before bluntly asking if he can "get the fuck out." Calling it “the perfect coda,” Morello reflects on the lifelong personal and artistic debt he owes to Ozzy and guitarist Randy Rhoads, after whom he named his son.