Rage Against the Machine Will Not Perform Live Again, Says Drummer

Sorry to all of the Rage Against the Machine fans, but drummer Brad Wilk announced that the band will be parting ways yet again.

“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the canceled RATM shows,” Wilk, 55, wrote via Instagram on Wednesday, January 3. “I don’t want to string people or myself along any further.”

He added that while there has “been some communication that this may be happening in the future,” he wanted to let his followers know that the band “will not be touring or playing live again.”

“I’m sorry for those of you who have been waiting for this to happen,” he concluded. “I really wish it was …”

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In the caption, Wilk gave thanks to his fans, writing, “Bottom of my heart … Thank you to every person who has ever supported us.”

The decision comes over a year after the band reunited in 2022 following an 11-year hiatus. (The band previously split up in 2000 and again in 2011 but occasionally played together over the years.)

During the second stop of the tour in Chicago in July 2022, frontman Zack de la Rocha suffered an injury onstage and tore his left achilles tendon. The 53-year-old went on to finish the concert seated but has still been dealing with the repercussions from his injury.

Although the band continued to play shows that summer, Rage Against the Machine canceled the U.K. and European leg of the tour in August 2022. Two months later, the band announced the cancellation of its 2023 North American dates with a note from de la Rocha.

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“It’s been almost three months since Chicago, and I still look down at my leg in disbelief,” he wrote in a statement to Instagram. “Two years of waiting through the pandemic, hoping we would have an opening to be a band again and continue the work we started 30 some odd years ago.”

He added that the injury “felt like a sick joke the universe played” on him, but he has reminded himself that it’s “just bad circumstance” and “just a f–ked up moment.”

“Unfortunately, it is a moment that requires a lot of work and healing,” he continued. “I have a [severe] tear in my left Achilles tendon and only 8% of my tendon was left intact. And even that portion was severely compromised. It’s not simply a question of being able to perform again, but extends to basic functionality going forward.”

He concluded his statement by sending “love and respect” to his bandmates, including Wilk, bassist Tim Commerford and guitarist Tom Morello. “I hope to see you very soon.”