Rage Against the Machine, Nas Unite for 'Rock' in L.A.

The camaraderie among peformers backstage at L.A.'s Rock the Bells stop -- one of three featuring Rage Against the Machine -- was very much in evidence. "You got rock -- all kinds of s*** out here -- all under one type of drive," Nas told Spinner backstage. "Everybody's got something to say, and the artists that are on the bill excite me."

That unity carried over into multiple performances, including sets by the Wu-Tang Clan, who invited System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian on stage, and one by Nas, who joined the Roots' set after missing his scheduled slot due to a delayed flight. "I didn't want to just go home," Nas said. "I had to fit in somebody's set and I had worked with the Roots at Radio City, so they were kind of familiar with the live set."

With Rage Against the Machine, whose frontman Zach de la Rocha stopped for pictures backstage with anyone who asked, and Public Enemy on hand to celebrate their 20-year anniversary, the L.A. stop promised to be special from the outset.

Covering their whole career, from 'Fight the Power' to more surprising inclusions like the theme song to the Spike Lee joint 'He Got Game,' PE proved that they are as impassioned as ever, leading the fans in chants of *F*** George Bush, f*** Dick Cheney" and other members of the current administration. RATM let their music speak on their behalf, with politically potent tunes 'Testify,' 'Killing in the Name' and 'Bullet in the Head.'

"It's grown into a powerhouse festival tour primarily for hip hop," Cypress Hill's B-Real said of the jaunt, which features artists from all levels of hip-hop, including Murs -- who got a main stage slot due to Nas' delay -- Mos Def and Talib Kweli, the Coup and Sage Francis, among others. "I don't think there are any other ones unless an artist himself is going on a major tour -- like a Jay-Z."