Rage Against the Machine — 'Sleep Now in the Fire' Video, Wall Street

In January 2000, Rage Against the Machine filmed the music video for 'Sleep Now in the Fire' on the steps of Federal Hall on Wall Street, directed by Michael Moore. The guerrilla shoot — performed without full permits — caused the New York Stock Exchange to briefly close its doors as the band played on the street outside and crowds gathered. Moore and the band were eventually removed by police, and the footage of the confrontation was incorporated into the final video.

'Sleep Now in the Fire' appeared on The Battle of Los Angeles (1999), the band's third and final studio album before their initial breakup. The song's lyrics attacked American imperialism and economic inequality, and Moore's video depicted a game show satire of wealth worship filmed against the backdrop of the world's most powerful financial district. At one point in the video, a man in the crowd holds up a sign reading 'Donald Trump for President' — a detail that would take on a very different significance years later.

Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street is a National Memorial operated by the National Park Service, and the site where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President. The New York Stock Exchange stands directly across the intersection at 11 Wall Street. The location's historical weight — the birthplace of American government and the centre of American finance — made it the ideal stage for the band's anti-capitalist message.