We’re not gonna take it

By Deanna Rilling

Thursday, Jan. 29, 2009 | midnight

Forget acoustic guitars and hippies singing “Kumbaya.” A Vegas rally needs dance music! At last Thursday’s outdoor UNLV peaceful protest against proposed higher-education budget cuts, DJ Michael Toast—an honorary Rebel—volunteered to energize the crowd of approximately 2,000 as the rally began. “Everything I played has something to do with anger and frustration,” said Toast, whose set spanned from James Brown to Nirvana. When a sprinkling of rain threatened to cancel his post-rally set, Toast yanked his vinyl off the tables faster than people throw back drinks at an open bar. But maybe God is a DJ, because the skies cleared, and Toast easily hyped the crowd up again by spinning the UNLV fight song, followed by more lighthearted tunes for those who stayed to dance.