While never a big Rage fan in their heyday, I at least appreciated the band’s gnarled funk-rock-rap hybrid and political stances. It was one of the smart bands in the 1990s, dedicated to educating through its art, just like Pearl Jam.

But the Rage I saw at Vegoose bore little resemblance to that time. For starters, their music was harsh and ugly. (Not that Rage’s music is meant to be pretty, but there were distinctly unsettling undertones, as if the earnestness of the band had been stripped away and replaced by something more sinister.) The volume was simply eardrum-bursting, even from far away. This lead to extremely distorted guitar and bass tones, which caused piercing squalls that made the set uncomfortable to listen to. And Zack de la Rocha’s vocals, while always an acquired taste, were even more nasally. (And how has it escaped notice that he sings like Mike Tyson talks? Am I alone on this?) While musically awe-inspiring — the time the Rage instrumentalists spent in Audioslave has certainly kept them tight — the shuddering riffs and rhythms were almost frightening in scope.

Even more disturbing, Rage’s message seemed completely forgotten. Its anger and passion back in the day were rooted in real issues, of a singular commitment to social justice, revolutionizing politics and protecting freedom of speech, for starters. (The band’s still causing controversy today, in fact, with inflammatory onstage comments against George W. Bush and his presidency.)

But because Rage popularized the modern version of rap-rock (a genre subsequently co-opted by countless other lunkheaded bands who diluted the style) people seem to forget that they were a different breed of band — and now respond accordingly.

The crowd at Vegoose oozed testosterone, of folks who were more interested in the aggressive, surface aspects of Rage’s music — and not really into why Rage’s music sounds so angry and in-your-face. Sure, back in the day many Rage fans likely didn’t consider its lyrics either; but the political aspect of the band seems to be much less of a concern and consideration now. The music of Rage lives on, but what made that music so revolutionary doesn’t.

Perhaps Rage was more of its time than anyone ever suspected.