Tour rages for local causes

The almost four-hour concert at a sold-out Troubadour was a ragged assemblage of brilliance -- Steve Vai, whose electrifying guitar wizardry was so hot that he even blew on his guitar to cool it down; stoner rap-rock from Cypress Hill, whose B Real smoked what appeared to be a joint throughout the group's three-song, high-energy set; a mini Jane's Addiction reunion courtesy of Farrell and Dave Navarro; and esoterica in the form of Kramer's spoken-word, guitar-bending salute to poet Charles Bukowski, "So Long Hank."

There was even lighthearted absurdity in a mind-bending, lengthy closing jam that segued from Madonna's "4 Minutes" into MC5's classic "Kick Out the Jams" and then into Rihanna's "Umbrella" -- all with Kramer on guitar.

Morello handpicked the lineup, which, he said, consisted of "basically anybody in my BlackBerry who said yes." Revealing one's political affiliation was not required.

"There was no litmus test for artists performing on this tour," he said. "I'm not sure how Cypress Hill or Shooter Jennings are voting in this upcoming election, but I know for sure they're going to be rocking furiously on stage for some very good causes."