Rage Against the Machine Are Breaking Up

2024-01-04

Tom Morello at Louder than Life festival

Rage Against the Machine are reportedly breaking up – Author Cat Badra, Photo via Anne Erickson

Say it isn’t so. I was so excited to see Rage Against the Machine back together. I’ve seen Prophets of Rage again, with many of Rage’s members, but never the actual, original lineup performing live. Now, it’s not happening. The band has announced that, in essence, they’re done. Yes, Rage Against the Machine are breaking up, and here’s the scoop.

Rage Against the Machine “will not be touring or playing live again,” drummer Brad Wilk said in a new statement released Wednesday night (Jan. 3). “Bottom of my heart. Thank you to every person who has ever supported us,” he added. That sounds like a true goodbye.

Wilk’s full statement reads, “I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows. I don’t want to string people or myself along any further. So, while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again. I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was…”

What’s weird about this announcement is that the news comes from Wilk only. The band’s social pages are silent. Plus, none of the other band members have commented on the breakup. Rage includes Tim Commerford, Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello.

Rage Against the Machine first announced their much-celebrated reunion in November of 2019, making their fist gigs in the books since 2011. Then, the pandemic it. The band had to hold those reunion shows, and then, in 2022, they finally performed together live again. Sadly, the group only played 18 shows, and during their second reunion show, de la Rocha suffered an Achilles tear, which forced them to postpone their remaining tour dates.

Rage Against the Machine stayed on tour, and de la Rocha performed seated onstage, much like Dave Grohl and Axl Rose did when they broke bones on tour. But, the singer’s injury forced Rage to postpone and cancel the rest of their gigs. Moreover, bass player Tim Commerford was also dealing with a prostate cancer diagnosis before the band reunited. He didn’t go public with it until late 2022.

While makeup dates for the canceled Rage shows hadn’t been announced, it was expected that the band would eventually announced replacement shows. That said, this news is fairly shocking. That’s especially true for fans who thought they’d finally get to see Rage live in concert. At the time, de la Rocha said his Achilles tendon injury was severe, “and only eight percent of my tendon was left intact.” He added that he was worried about not just performing again but also the “basic functionality going forward.”

This story is developing and will be updated with the latest news if and when other members of Rage comment. At least fans can savor the fact that Rage Against the Machine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year.

Cat Badra
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Posted by Cat Badra | Alternative, Music, Rock, Rock News

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