Rage Against the Machine breaks up a third time, won’t ‘be touring or playing live again’
He can testify to that.
Rage Against the Machine fans won’t be seeing a reunion anytime soon, as the band has broken up — for a third time.
Drummer Brad Wilk made the announcement in a lengthy statement on Wednesday.
“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows,” Wilk, 55, wrote in an Instagram post. “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,” the musician concluded.
Alongside the photo, Wilk added the caption: “Bottom of my heart … Thank you to every person who has ever supported us.”
The news comes after the group reunited briefly in 2022, following the COVID-19 pandemic delaying their worldwide reunion tour that was slated to take place in 2020.
However, after only a handful of shows, the group was forced to reschedule several shows when lead singer Zack de la Rocha, 53, tore his Achilles tendon.
In December 2022, bassist Tim Commerford would go on to reveal he was secretly battling prostate cancer.
“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious s – – t,” Commerford, 55, said to Spin. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.”
According to the musician, only his bandmates, close friends and girlfriend knew about his health issues before the interview.
“I was with my girlfriend and we were watching the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony on TV. Duran Duran was on and I was like, ‘Ah, f – – k, I used to learn those songs when I was a kid.’ I saw them on stage and wondered, where’s Andy Taylor and why do they have this other guy in here?! Then it was like, ‘Andy Taylor is suffering from Stage 4 prostate cancer and is unable to make it,’” Commerford explained.
“My life is sort of like that,” he continued. “There are a lot of people who have it. There are a lot of people who are like, ‘Where do you go?’ You can’t talk to a therapist. You can only really talk to someone who’s going through it.”
The band, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, also had to contend with guitarist Tom Morello, 59, coming under fire after he posted an anti-Nazi quote on X (formerly Twitter).
“German saying: If 9 people sit down at a table with 1 Nazi without protest, there are 10 Nazis at the table,” the post read.
“So do you think it’s impossible to politely converse with someone to change their mind,” one user asked.
“While that sounds principled, it isn’t,” a second person wrote.“It’s a mechanism to stop conversation. 9 people can sit down at a table with 1 Nazi and talk and educate said single Nazi on the issues and the truth with evidence and convert that Nazi. It’s called diplomacy.”
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