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It looks like Rage Against the Machine are done for good as a live band and probably as a band period, after drummer Brad Wilk wrote Wednesday on Instagram that "RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again."
The complete statement reads as follows:
It comes as no great surprise after what guitarist Tom Morello said at the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in November, which he was the only member to attend. Morello hinted at today's announcement by Wilk when he told fans, "if you’re bummed you didn’t get see Rage Against the Machine, go out and start your own band.”
The remainder of the band's 2022 tour was canceled after singer Zack de la Rocha injured his Achilles tendon onstage in Chicago on July 11th, 2022. At the time, he called it a "severe tear" that left him with just eight percent of his Achilles intact. Later in the year, they canceled the 19 dates they'd booked in early 2023, bringing the number of canceled dates to nearly 40.
In a March, 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Morello couldn't speak definitively about the band's future plans. When asked if they were on hiatus, he responded, "Rage Against the Machine is like the ring in Lord of the Rings. It drives men mad. It drives journalists mad. It drives record industry people mad. They want it. They want the thing, and they’re driven mad. If there are Rage shows, if there are not Rage shows, you’ll hear from the band. I do not know. When there is news, it will come from a collective statement from the band. There is no news."
De La Rocha made his only appearance on stage since his injury at L.A.'s Hollywood Palladium in October when he joined Run the Jewels on "Close Your Eyes."
In his statement today, Wilk only mentioned that Rage is done as a touring and performing act. We don't know whether his not mentioning recordings at all was simply an oversight or if there's a possibility that they will continue to release more recordings, but not perform behind them.
Audio file
Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction - Tom Morello talks about creating change. OC:...have to say. :38
Wednesday, January 3, 2024 - 10:06 PM
Publish Date Timestamp
Wed, 01/03/2024 - 22:06