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Rage Against The Machine at Finsbury Park, 2010. Warning: NSFW!

Good times, bad times - we've all had our share. And if you're a musician, the same holds true for gigs. "I've had fantastic shows and a few that were truly pathetic," says Tom Morello, guitarist for Rage Against The Machine, Street Sweeper Social Club and a solo artist in his own right - he's The Nightwatchman. During a recent interview with MusicRadar, the axe star shared his highest of highs...and lowest of lows.

"My greatest gig ever would be a tie between two shows," says Morello. "The first one would have to be Rage Against The Machine last summer at Finsbury Park in London." The band, responding to a Facebook campaign to prevent 2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry from reaching the top spot at Christmas with his cover of Miley Cyrus' The Climb, pledged to play a free show in the UK if enough people downloaded their song Killing In The Name.

Rage prevailed and made good on their promise, staging the concert on their own and covering all costs "right down to the last Porta Potty," says Morello. "It was amazing. To say it was out of control would be such an understatement. If you've ever seen a crowd lose their minds – picture Queen at Live Aid or pick your moment – this audience was double that and then some. What a spectacle! Totally insane."

Musically, Morello feels that Rage performed powerfully, but he says that "the real star was the audience. It was their gig. They made Rage number one, and they came to celebrate their victory. All we did was provide the soundtrack. I think the field was licensed for 45,000 people, but something like 90,000 people or maybe more eventually got in – the kids outside toppled the fences near the end of the concert. Basically, if you lived in or near London and you were into rock music, you were there."

Recalling the view from the stage, Morello likens it to an "out-of-body experience. Every beat, every guitar chord...it was like pouring sugar on an ant hill. I never saw a crowd get that physical. Imagine watching your team win the World Series or the World Cup - but times it by 10."

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