HORRIBLE NEWS: Rage Against The Machine Announced They'll Never Tour Again
I don't know if it's shocking news, but certainly significant. I meant to report on it last week but have been suffering from a hernia, I think. That or my spleen is bleeding into my balls and I can't get out of bed. Either way I should be fine.
Rage Against The Machine on the other hand is dead. Officially.
From Drummer Brad Wilk on IG:
“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.
Significant for a number of reasons. Notably, they're the hardest rock band of our lives and generationally influential. They put on the most unreal shows and many would argue that guitarist Tom Morello is a living, breathing musical God sent to Earth to reinforce the understanding that we are just mere mortals lucky to be alive:
Politics aside, there's no arguing or doubting Rage's brilliance. Truly the most awe inspiring performers as well documented in Robbie Fox's blog from their 2022 brief tour.
I was also lucky enough to see them in Chicago and I'll take it one step further. It was the #1 concert I've witnessed and it sucks the run is officially over.
Working backwards, Rage originally planned a global tour that was delayed by COVID approximately 50 fuckin times. They were supposed to go from USA to Europe to Australia to Asia then back to US and finishing in South America, all in 7 months and that was after a 12-ish year break from performing live. So basically the only chance most people under 35 would ever get to see them.
Obviously the tour got kicked around a couple times. Then finally it started and right away Zack de la Rocha tore his achilles jumping around stage. Then bass player Tim Commerford got diagnosed with prostate cancer. Then probably a bunch of shit behind the scenes, you'd imagine. Injury, tragedy, global pandemic. There's only so many blows a 7-month international tour can take, and this one was no different.
So they cancelled forcing a silly sense of cautious optimism. Maybe things would come together. Maybe we get a miracle and they reignite the tour when things are good. But alas that day is explicitly not coming.
That fuckin blows.
The people reading this that know what I'm talking about… you guys feel this deeply. Outsiders probably think it's equally stupid. Whatever.
I consider myself lucky to know their music and I consider myself unhappy that it will no longer be played live. To that, Tom Morello talked in some interview with Rolling Stone about the quality of their songs. There's only a couple dozen originals, and every song exists for a reason. They've been flawlessly recorded and will exist indefinitely. There may never be another show, but the music will live on forever.
Or something like that.
~~ Don't be sad it's over, but happy that it happened ~~
With that, I'd like to leave you guys with their 1st performance ever from late 1991 at Cal State Northridge. It's hilarious and awesome and a real classic taste of the 90's. If you like their music and have never seen this, you're in for a treat.
Legends. Absolute fuckin LEGENDS.
PS - if you don't know anything, which I find impossible, just start here: