Rock legend Tom Morello performs at human rights museum for opening of new exhibit

The opening of an exhibit at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, which aims to show how music can inspire activism, featured one artist whose music, for many young listeners in the '90s, was the soundtrack of resistance.

Tom Morello, best known as the guitarist of new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Rage Against the Machine, took the stage at the museum Friday for a concert celebrating the opening of Beyond the Beat: Music of Resistance and Change.

The interactive exhibit shows visitors groundbreaking moments when music — from folk to hip-hop to punk — helped bring social transformation and political change in the world.

"Music can provide entertainment, it can provide salvation," Morello said. "Whether it's a communal gathering at a Rage Against the Machine show, sort of a celebration of resistance, or whether it's like the life-saving lyrics in an earbud when you're alone and feeling desperate, there's nothing like music that can affect the human soul."

Sections of the exhibit trace how Black communities used music to raise awareness about racial injustice, or how women, members of the LGBTQ+ community and working-class people used song to break down social barriers and call for equality.

"A lot of the stories are told through the artifacts," said Julia Peristerakis, the lead curator. "So [in the punk section] we've got concert posters here, we've got stage outfits, we've got instruments and so on [that show] some of those intersections between music, different human rights, different movements."

The exhibit features music and memorabilia from artists like Nina Simone, Sam Cooke, Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson, Sarah McLachlan, and Chuck D from Public Enemy.

WATCH | Curators talk about the exhibit:

A section celebrating Indigenous excellence in world music features artifacts from people like singer-songwriter Willie Dunn, and the band Redbone. That section was curated with the help of an Indigenous-led committee.

"We're working with the community, rather than just kind of saying this is what it is from an expert," said Felix Berry, who co-curated the exhibition. "I wanted people to see themselves represented in here and to be inspired."

Rage Against the Machine's first tour van is also on display.

Morello, an activist of his own right, said he feels "right at home" at the museum.

"The entire history of my recording and performing career has been about more than entertainment: It's about changing the world," Morello said. "The one question that I've been asked repeatedly throughout the years is how do I get involved, and the answer to that is everywhere in this museum."

Visitors will get a disc they can tap into sensors to hear interviews and performances from some of the artists featured. They have a QR code with a downloadable playlist so they can listen to the music at home.