Did Weird Al get permission or face legal issues covering 'Killing in the Name'?
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Executive summary
Weird Al joined Portugal. The Man (and Jorma Taccone) onstage to perform Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” at a recent Brooklyn show; coverage of the event is reported by Rolling Stone and other outlets [1] [2]. Available sources describe the live performance and note Yankovic previously sampled the song on a 2006 track, but none of the provided reporting says he sought permission for this specific onstage cover or faced any legal action over it [2] [1].
1. Onstage stunt turned news: what actually happened
Multiple outlets and fan posts report that Portugal. The Man closed a Brooklyn show with “Killing in the Name,” bringing Weird Al and Jorma Taccone onstage for the set-closing chaos; video and social posts captured the moment and Rolling Stone ran a write-up of the performance [1] [2] [3].
2. Weird Al’s prior relationship to the song: a sampled aside
Reporting notes that Yankovic previously sampled “Killing in the Name” in his 2006 track “I’ll Sue Ya,” which observers pointed out while discussing the recent cover — a detail that frames the onstage appearance as part of a longer, if incidental, connection to Rage Against the Machine’s work [2].
3. Permission and law: what the available sources do — and do not — say
None of the items in the supplied reporting say Weird Al obtained explicit permission from Rage Against the Machine or their publishers for the Brooklyn performance, nor do they report any subsequent legal complaint tied to this live cover [1] [2] [3]. Available sources do not mention any lawsuits or legal threats arising from the performance [1] [2].
4. Why explicit permission often isn’t headline news for live covers
Journalistic accounts focus on the spectacle and the unexpected juxtaposition of Yankovic’s comedic persona with RATM’s angry anthem; they do not delve into licensing mechanics. Live covers at concerts are commonly performed under venue- or promoter-level blanket licenses through performing-rights organizations — but the articles supplied do not discuss licensing arrangements for this show, so those mechanics are not documented in the current reporting [1] [2].
5. Past legal friction in Yankovic’s career — not about this song
Weird Al has been involved in other legal and contractual matters in his career (for example, settlement reporting about a separate 2013 lawsuit over record-label accounting), which the sources mention as part of his broader history; that coverage is unrelated to this onstage cover and does not imply controversy over “Killing in the Name” [4].
6. Interpretations and competing angles in coverage
Some comment threads and social posts framed the sight of “the nice guy” screaming RATM’s lyrics as culturally significant or striking, suggesting a political or tonal contrast to Yankovic’s usual work [5]. Music press coverage treated the moment chiefly as an amusing or chaotic live-rock highlight rather than a provocation that would spark legal fallout [1] [2].
7. What we cannot verify from these sources — and why that matters
The supplied sources do not include statements from Rage Against the Machine, their publishers, Portugal. The Man’s management, venue licensing documents, or Weird Al’s camp about permission. Therefore: available sources do not mention whether formal permission was sought, granted, or unnecessary in this instance, and they do not report any legal action related to the performance [1] [2].
8. Bottom line for readers
Reporting supplied here documents the live cover as a surprising concert moment and notes Yankovic’s earlier sampling of the song, but it contains no evidence of permission disputes or lawsuits tied to this particular onstage rendition [1] [2]. If you need confirmatory legal details — for example, publisher statements or venue licensing records — those documents and quotes are not present in the current reporting and would be the next sources to seek.