Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk has announced that the band “will not be touring or playing live again”.
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Today (January 3), Wilk took to his personal Instagram account to post a statement on behalf of Rage Against The Machine, where he addressed the band’s previously cancelled 2023 dates and whether replacement shows will be announced.
“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the cancelled RATM shows,” he wrote. “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.”
Wilk repeatedly expressed his regret over the band’s situation, concluding his statement with an apology: “I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen. I really wish it was…” In the caption attached to the post, Wilk added: “Bottom of my heart… Thank you to every person who has ever supported us.”
Neither Rage Against The Machine nor its other individual members have posted official statements announcing their retirement from live performances on social media.
The band was last scheduled to embark on the North American leg of their ‘Public Service Announcement Tour’ in February 2023, but in October 2022, the band published a statement announcing that they would be cancelling all 2023 dates of the tour due to an injury frontman Zach de la Rocha had sustained since a concert in 2022.
The ‘Public Service Announcement Tour’, which began in July 2022 and featured Run The Jewels as supporting act, saw de la Rocha injure his achilles tendon during its second date on July 11 in Chicago. The frontman continued to play 17 more shows while seated onstage, before the band eventually cancelled their UK and European dates for the rest of the year.
When the band announced cancelling their 2023 shows in October 2022, de la Rocha also commented on his injury. “As I write this, I remind myself it’s just bad circumstance,” he wrote. “Just a fucked up moment. Unfortunately it is a moment that requires a lot of work and healing.”
“I have a severe tear in my left Achilles tendon and only 8 per cent of my tendon was left intact. And even that portion was severely compromised,” he added at the time. “It’s not simply a question of being able to perform again, but extends to basic functionality going forward. That’s why I’ve made the painful and difficult decision to cancel the remaining shows on our 2023 North American leg.”
In November 2023, guitarist Tom Morello attended the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony alone, accepting Rage Against The Machine’s induction into the Hall on their behalf.