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In a message shared to his Instagram page on Wednesday, Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk seemingly dropped some significant news that the groundbreaking Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band “will not be touring or playing live again.”
The message:
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…
This statement from Wilk comes after a lengthy silence from Rage Against the Machine following the cancellation of planned 2023 tour dates due to front man Zack De La Rocha’s torn Achilles.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in late 2023, with only guitarist Tom Morello appearing at the ceremony on the band’s behalf.
Shortly after the tour cancellation, bassist Tim Commerford revealed that he is currently dealing with prostate cancer, and even had his prostate removed prior to the iconic hard-rock band’s long-delayed reunion tour.
“I’ve been dealing with some pretty serious shit,” Commerford tells me. “Right before I was about to go on tour with Rage, I had my prostate removed, and I have prostate cancer.” With the support of his girlfriend and two sons, the 54-year-old musician, who is the embodiment of a chiseled rock star, suddenly faced the toughest battle of his life.
“I’ve been someone that’s taken a lot of pride in being in shape and taking care of myself,” he says. “But it’s something where either you’re either lucky or not.”
If this truly is the end for the band, it’s a shame — as the group had significant reunion tour plans upended in recent years due to de la Rocha’s injury and, it would stand to reason, Commerford’s cancer battle.
Rage had been scheduled as a headliner for Coachella in 2020, before the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ’21 Coachella was also cancelled, and though the band was in talks to return for ’22, that did not end up happening either.
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