The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello, returned to Madison once more in an effort to help Wisconsinites recall Governor Scott Walker [3]. While the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity group rallied the Tea Party crowd [4] down the street at the Alliant Energy Center, Morello rallied labor and the grassroots for the final "get out the vote" push.

Morello, who is best known as the lead guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, first performed in Madison on the steps of the Wisconsin Capitol on February 25, 2011. As a bitter wind blew off the lake, Morello joked about the "Frostbite and Freedom Tour" and spoke of recalling Walker. Now on a beautiful Friday summer's evening, he was back with a band of brothers for the final days of the Wisconsin struggle.

Performing with Morello was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Jackson Browne who has sold over 17 million albums. Also returning were artists Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, hip-hop artist Brother Ali, Mike McColgan lead singer of the Dropkick Murphys, and the local team of Sean Michael Dargan and the Solidarity Singers. A kite with Bucky Badger and "Vote June 5" flew over the crowd of thousands.

• Crutches did not prevent Madison's Sean Michael Dargan from kicking off the show with his new song "The Day Scott Walker is Recalled." [5]
• Mike McColgan's performed the same song he performed on the steps of the Capitol in February 2011, a rocking union song -- "Up the Union" and Billy Bragg's "There is Power in the Union." [6]
• Tim McIlrath performed Rise Against's "Prayer of the Refugee" and Neil Young's "Ohio" [7] by stating, "My generation has a lot to learn from the protest culture from the 70s."
• Jackson Browne performed the moving Steve Van Zandt song "I Am a Patriot" with the lyrics "the river opens for the righteous." He was visibly moved when the crowd chanted "Thank You" to him after his set.
• Morello performed [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz8xjLiferA "Union Town,"] which he wrote in honor of the Wisconsin struggle and dedicated the music's proceeds to Wisconsin labor.

All participants returned to the stage to perform Patti Smith's "People Have the Power" and Woody Guthrie's original version of "This Land is Your Land." The concert wrapped up with the crowd jumping to Morello's "World Wide Rebel Song."

"The Wheel of History is in Our Hands"

In between sets, Morello spoke to the crowd, reminding them why he, and hundreds of thousands of other people came to the Wisconsin State Capitol in February and March of 2011. "The wheel of history is in our hands and what we do or don't do with it is up to us," Morello said.

As he has done in the past, he read messages of solidarity from activists in Greece, and students in Chile and Quebec. The message from Greece read "It's time for us to all say 'enough is enough.' It's time for us to all join the movement of resistance to social and economic injustice."

The concert and rally was planned by the labor group We Are Wisconsin to inspire and thank volunteers who would be knocking on doors across the state over the weekend. The mood was a combination of festive, exhausted, and anxiously optimistic.

The recall election between Governor Scott Walker [3] and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barret is Tuesday, June 5th.