Rockers Rage Against The Machine mocked music mogul Simon Cowell with an animated skit at their free concert in London on Sunday (06Jun10), which was arranged to celebrate their chart victory over the reality TV show judge last year (09).
The band's 1992 hit Killing In The Name snatched Britain's coveted Christmas number one spot from Joe MCElderry, the winner of Cowell's talent show The X Factor, following an internet campaign to stop a four-year run of reality stars ruling the festive charts.
Rage Against The MAChine scheduled a free concert at the British capital's Finsbury Park to thank fans for driving the single to the top of the charts, and the rockers couldn't resist poking fun at Cowell during the show.
The crowd giggled and booed as a cartoon Cowell was beamed onto the overhead screens at the concert, welcoming the band onstage with the words: "I am the supernova! If Rage had entered X Factor, they wouldn't have got past boot camp."
The message then added, "I give you the world's greatest rock and roll band ever... Rage Against The MAChine."
The show was stopped midway through when frontman Zack De la Rocha welcomed the organisers of the internet campaign, Jon and Tracy Morter, on to the stage and presented them with a cheque for homeless charity Shelter - the cause which benefited from the re-released single's proceeds.
De la Rocha said, "It's my distinct pleasure to bring out a couple of people who had a good idea," while guitarist Tom Morello added, "They were the David to The X Factor Goliath."
At the end of the set, the musicians left the stage and pumped MCElderry's song over the loudspeakers, much to the chagrin of the crowd, before the rockers stormed back on to complete the show with Killing In The Name.