My biggest question prior to seeing Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello--a.k.a. The Nightwatchman [ tickets ]--play a solo-acoustic set Saturday (3/17) at Austin's Central Presbyterian Church was: Will the pay-off be greater than simply experiencing the novelty of seeing Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello play a solo-acoustic set in a church?

Thankfully--and, I admit, somewhat surprisingly--the answer was "Yes."

Armed with an acoustic guitar (upon which the words "Whatever It Takes" had been written in black marker), Morello appeared on the stage--er, altar--to a round of applause, then told the hushed, pew-seated audience members to "talk among yourselves" while he ran through a quick soundcheck. (He later mused how proud his recently deceased aunt would have been that her nephew was playing to a packed church.)

Best known for his shredding, innovative, electric-guitar work with Rage Against the Machine and, more recently, Audioslave, Morello proved he can cut it unplugged and alone; his ability to flay his acoustic guitar with tremendous force while maintaining an expert degree of precision was impressive, and he used his deep, rich, powerful voice to hammer home lyrics that portrayed his Nightwatchman as a man ready to lead a full-on revolution against a corrupt government and its corrupt corporate counterparts. Think Che Guevara meets Johnny Cash.

In other words, the high-concept folk version of Rage Against the Machine--a picture Morello helped paint by serving up a retooled, acoustic version of the Rage hit "Guerilla Radio," which resembled the original only for its lyrics. The congregation responded by praising him with a standing ovation.