Anil SharmaThe first time Street Sweeper Social Club played in Seattle, it was during the night of the infamous Tadgarden reunion. Their show that night at the Crocodile was naturally upstaged by the near unification of Soundgarden…but it also had plenty of glitches. The band headed by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave fame and Boots Riley of the Coup were still forming their sound that night…that gig was basically a time to work out the kinks and gear up for the summer. Having just watched them perform 30 minutes ago, I can tell you they’re finally kicking ass the way you’d expect them to. Boots sounds invigorated again (The Coup is a little long in the tooth and he needed a new group) and his rapping style mixed with Rage Against the Machine style rock makes him sound much fresher than he has in years. Morello didn’t take long to show off why he’s a guitar god: he played three separate guitars with his face, upside down, one handed, and was a consummate showman throughout the set. He also showed a lot of humility by thanking the crowd for spending money to come see them, thanking the venue, the security, the drivers, the food handlers, and just proving why he’s one of the nicest guys in rock. After the set, I caught up with both Boots and Morello and they were all smiles. They killed it today and they knew it. Look for the debut Street Sweeper Social Club record June 16.