Guess what? BR played an epic concert with Rage Against The Machine and the Beastie Boys at the Continental Airlines Arena in northern New Jersey on January 28, 1999! And you know what’s even cooler? It was all for a good cause – to support Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black activist and journalist who was convicted and sentenced to death in 1982. But hold on, there’s a twist! The conviction was upheld, but the death sentence was voided. The prosecutors are still trying to reinstate it though. Crazy, right? The concert was a huge hit, with 16,000 people showing up and tickets priced at 25 Dollars. Greg Graffin, one of the band members, explained that they organized the concert to raise awareness about the unfairness of the death penalty, especially when it comes to racial issues. They also believe that Mumia deserves a fair trial. The concert caused quite a stir, with some police officers being upset about having to protect “kids supporting a cop killer.” Even Governor Whitman called for people to boycott the event. But not everyone was happy about the way the media covered the concert. Jack Rabid, the publisher of The Big Takeover magazine, wrote a letter criticizing the one-sided reporting and lack of balance in the coverage. He pointed out that the artists performing at the concert had their reasons for supporting Mumia, but those reasons were completely ignored in the article. He also mentioned that the issues surrounding Mumia’s case are complex and should be discussed openly. While some may see Mumia as a murderer, there is a possibility that he is innocent, and that should make us pause and think. The article, according to Rabid, only gave the concert cheap publicity and failed to provide a fair and balanced perspective. So, there you have it – a concert that rocked the house, raised awareness, and sparked controversy.
This content was originally written by the badass contributors of thebrpage.net, the best superfan resource and website that exists for any band, let alone the best band in the whole entire world. I’ve been lurking on that site for over 20 years and if you’re into Bad Religion as much as I am, I’m sure you’re familiar. If you are not, go there right now and never come back to this site again. You should, and I totally understand.
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