Few musicians are better known for fusing activism into their craft than Tom Morello. One of the most innovative and influential guitarists of all time, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Harvard graduate, and passionate Cubs fan from Libertyville, Ill. pushed rock into uncharted territory with Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave, and Prophets of Rage. Known as much for his uncompromising political voice as for his groundbreaking guitar playing, he’s also long been one of rock’s great genre-crossing collaborators — teaming up with artists from Bruce Springsteen to Chris Stapleton to his teenage son, Roman, to reach new audiences.
This fall, Morello lends his unmistakable sound and spirit to Revolution(s) at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre (Oct. 4 – Nov. 16), where his iconic riffs and resistance are reimagined for the stage as part of the Goodman’s Centennial Season. I spoke with him as rehearsals were getting underway — at a time when the political climate makes the show’s message feel especially urgent.
“This is a time when works like this and people like me — people of a certain skin color or certain sexual orientation — are on the verge of being censored and erased,” Morello said. “The world is not going to change itself. It’s up to you — literally you, me, and whoever is reading this.”
Breaking the Musical Theater Mold
Revolution(s) follows Hampton Weems, a young soldier and aspiring musician who returns from Afghanistan to the South Side of Chicago and is drawn into a resistance movement. Written by Chicago playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, with music and lyrics by Morello, Revolution(s) charts a multigenerational struggle for justice in a production that, Morello said, defies musical theater stereotypes.
“This is a radical theater event. It is not a musical theater event,” Morello told the cast, reciting a mantra he’d also written across the rehearsal-room wall: “This is a punk rock event… a heavy metal show — we’re going to rock this room to the ground. It is a hip-hop show with maximum swagger, rhythm, flow, and cultural authority.”
“It is authentic, loud, defiant,” he added, likening the vibe less to Broadway and more to “an illegal Chicago rave — an edgy, underground event that might even land our patrons on a government list.”
Morello says the point isn’t just to shake up theatergoers’ expectations but to draw in people who don’t normally set foot in a theater.
“I want to make an awesome f—ing rock and roll show you’ll never forget — one that meets these times at a crossroads in our nation’s history,” he said, urging the cast to see themselves as “agents of history.”
“The people who have changed the world in progressive, radical, even revolutionary ways throughout history have had no more creativity, intelligence, power, or talent than any of us,” Morello told the cast. “It’s a matter of standing up in your time and weaving your convictions into your vocation.”
Made in Chicago
Morello’s partnership with playwright Zayd Ayers Dohrn grew out of his longtime friendship with Dohrn’s parents, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. “I’ve known Zayd since he was a child,” Morello said. “He grew up to be a great playwright, and I’d been a fan of his work.”
During the pandemic, Dohrn reached out after digging into Morello’s 20-album catalog, pitching a theatrical piece around the music. “He wrote such a brilliant and moving multigenerational Chicago story that resonated deeply with me — as a Chicagoan, as a parent, as a child of a radical parent, as a supporter of veterans’ rights, and as someone who loves rock and roll, punk, hip hop, and social justice. And I said, well, let’s try to do this.”
For Morello, there was only one place to stage it. “We connected with the only theater that could possibly host such a thing in Chicago — the Goodman Theatre,” he said. After early workshops, the show was added to Goodman’s Centennial Season. “They immediately saw in it what we hoped people would see in it.”
‘Courage Is Contagious’
Morello credits his mother, Mary Morello — a retired public school teacher, lifelong activist, and founder of the anti-censorship group Parents for Rock & Rap — with instilling his conviction to stand up for the poor and oppressed. That ethos was tested early in his career during what he now calls “a defining crossroads of failure.”
At a Los Angeles KFC, he stood silent while a white customer launched into a racist tirade against a cashier. “I didn’t say anything,” he admitted. “If I had stood up, I would have protected someone vulnerable and shown others it’s okay to stand up to a racist. I failed in that moment — and from that moment to this, that’s all I do. Courage is contagious.”
It’s the same lesson he hopes Revolution(s) drives home. “When you leave the theater, my hope is you understand you are part of the quilt of American history in the process of creating itself — not on the sidelines.”
Fatherhood Amplified
As forceful as he is onstage, Morello is equally committed to fatherhood and time with his two sons, including 14-year-old Roman, who has become an accomplished guitarist. Roman has started flipping the script, teaching his dad Judas Priest and Iron Maiden harmonies — and humbling the legendary guitarist in the process.
“Right now that kid’s better than me,” Morello said with a laugh. “It’s terrifying. But it’s so awesome to play with Roman.”
Roman’s guitar journey began during the pandemic, when his dad showed him the first three notes of Stairway to Heaven. The next day, Roman came back for more, and soon the Morello basement became home to Friday-night jam sessions for Roman and his friends. “I just open the studio and let them in,” Morello said. “It’s contagious.”
Making Heavy Metal History
Morello’s instinct to bring musicians together — whether teenagers in his basement or titans of metal — reached the global stage in Birmingham, England, earlier this year when he served as musical director for Back to the Beginning, a final farewell concert by Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, along with a legendary lineup of musicians.
“When Ozzy and Sharon reached out, I said if we’re going to do this, it has to be the greatest day in the history of heavy metal,” he recalled. “And it was. You had the band that created a genre being honored by the biggest musicians on the planet, with 40,000 fans less than a 20-minute walk from Ozzy’s childhood home. It became this global moment of love. To be part of that was an incredible honor.”
What’s Next
As rehearsals wrap, Morello heads into the studio to make his first true solo rock record — with backup from son Roman.
“I’ve made acoustic records, I’ve made EDM-influenced records, but Roman and I are making a big-ass rock record together, and it’s super fun,” he said. “I’ve always shied away from it because Rage Against the Machine was already a big rock band. But over the past few years my solo shows have carried the torch for Rage riffs, for my friend Chris Cornell, for the music of Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen, and my Nightwatchman stuff. I want to make a record that has all of that — the big riffs, the big solos, playing with Roman, and the Darkness on the Edge of Town version of myself too.”
Then comes the road. He’ll play an acoustic tour in Canada before kicking off an electric tour, Tom Morello & Friends, on Nov. 13 in Chicago. As for which friends might turn up, Morello isn’t sharing any spoilers.
“You don’t know what’s going to happen at those shows — because I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “When we do Toronto, it might be Alex Lifeson and we play Rush songs. When it’s LA, it could be Slash and RZA and Shavo. I go through my phone, see who’s in town, and you never know who will be at those shows.”
The Work Beyond the Stage
Whether it’s a new album, a star-studded concert, or a radical night at the theater, the throughline for Morello is the same: art is a vehicle for action.
“History is not something that happens. It’s something that we make,” he said.
If there’s one thing he hopes audiences carry out of Revolution(s), it’s clarity.
“The country is moving in a particular direction that’s not great, and there are three things you can do: One, push it further — speed us toward neo-fascism; two, resist and push back to slow, stop, or stem the tide; or sit on the sidelines. There are three choices, but only two outcomes.”
Revolution(s) runs Oct. 4 – Nov. 16, 2025, in Goodman’s Owen Theatre. Tickets at GoodmanTheatre.org.
How to Help
As Goodman Theatre celebrates 100 years of groundbreaking storytelling, its commitment to education and engagement remains as vital as ever. Through programs that bring young people into the theater and initiatives that make performances accessible to all, the Goodman is ensuring its next century is as impactful as its first.
You can support this work by attending Revolution(s), running through Nov. 16, 2025, in Goodman’s Owen Theatre. Another must-see show that won’t be around much longer is Ashland Avenue starring Jenna Fischer, running through Oct. 19, 2025, in Goodman’s Albert Theatre.
Help Goodman Theatre continue to bring to life stories that inspire, challenge, and connect diverse audiences by donating today.
Revolution(s): The Music
Want to make a pre- or post-show playlist? Check out the full Revolution(s) song list in order of appearance below.
REVOLUTION(S)
By Zayd Ayers Dohrn
Music by Tom Morello. Additional lyrics by Boots Riley, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Knife Party, Grandson, Ryan Harvey, Matt Shultz, Chris Stapleton and Anne Preven
Directed by Steve H. Broadnax III
SONG LIST (in order of appearance)
ACT I
- KEEP GOING………Tom Morello, The Bloody Beetroots, Carl Restivo
- LET’S GET THIS PARTY STARTED………Tom Morello
- BATTLE SIRENS………Gareth Thomas Stephenson McGrillen, Robert Swire Thompson, Thomas B. Morello
- PROMENADE………Tom Morello, Boots Riley
- FIGHT! SMASH! WIN!……Raymond Lawrence Riley, Tom Morello
- RAISING HELL………Sam Hollander, Tom Morello, Kevin Griffin
- HOLD THE LINE………Jordan Benjamin, Tom Morello, Kevin Hissink
- STRAY BULLETS………Tom Morello, Ryan Harvey
- EVERY STEP THAT I TAKE………Ethan Snorek, Matthew Shultz, Thomas B. Morello, Mathan Minister
- UNTETHERED………Tom Morello, Sam Harris
- RABBIT’S REVENGE………RENEGADE EL REY, Lorin G. Ashton, Antwan Pattan, Tom Morello, Michael Santiago Render
ACT II
- THE ROAD I MUST TRAVEL………Tom Morello
- RISE TO POWER………Tom Morello
- THE WAR INSIDE………Tom Morello, Christopher Alvin Stapleton
- VIGILANTE NOCTURNO………Tom Morello, Carl Restivo
- RISE TO POWER (Reprise)………Tom Morello
- THE OATH………Tom Morello, Boots Riley
- ALONE WITHOUT YOU………Tom Morello
- BATTLE SIRENS (Reprise)………Gareth Thomas Stephenson McGrillen, Robert Swire Thompson, Thomas B. Morello
- WHATEVER IT TAKES………Tom Morello, Anne Preven
- HOLD THE LINE………Jordan Benjamin, Tom Morello, Kevin Hissink
Brooke McDonald is the editor in chief of Better Magazine. She regularly reports on entertainment, theme parks, and travel and her work has appeared in Insider, The Points Guy, Parents, TravelPulse, Scripps News, and more. Her favorite nonprofits to support include SeaLegacy and the Vitalogy Foundation Follow her on Instagram @brookegmcdonald, Threads @brookegmcdonald, Bluesky, and X @BrookeGMcDonald.
