BRAD WILK: live performance days of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE are over
04-01-2024
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk says that the iconic band will not play any more shows.
Yesterday (Wednesday, January 3), the 55-year-old musician took to his Instagram to write: “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.
“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 past November, Tom Morello was the sole member of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE who attended the band’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Pioneering rapper and BODY COUNT frontman Ice-T inducted Morello, singer Zack De La Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk into the Rock Hall, recalling how RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE opened for him during the band’s earliest days.
“Right out of the gate, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE was not a game,” Ice-T said. “In their their career, they did things that impress cats like me. You can’t impress me with normal stuff. You got to impress me with stuff like suing the U.S. State Department for using their music in Guantanamo Bay for torture. Who does that? RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE does that. Or how about 1993, pulling up at Lollapalooza butt naked with duct tape, protesting against the PRMC [Parents Music Resource Center]? Who does that? RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE does that. I respect the hell out of this band.
“If you want to go down in history, you have to make something or break something,” Ice-Tcontinued. “RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE broke every rule in the book just so they could let you know that they were in the building.”
In his acceptance speech, Morello said: “I am deeply grateful for the musical chemistry I’ve had the good fortune to share with Brad Wilk, Tim Commerford and Zach De La Rocha. Like most bands, we have differing perspectives on a lot of things, including about being inducted into the Rock Hall.
“The reason we are here and the best way to celebrate this music is for you to carry on that mission and that message. The lesson I’ve learned from RAGE fans is that music can change the world daily.”
The 59-year-old guitarist continued: “The job we set out to do is not over. Now you’re the ones that must testify. If you’ve got a boss, join a union. If you’re a student, start underground paper. If you’re an anarchist, throw a brick. If you’re a soldier or a cop, follow your conscience not your orders. If you’re bummed out that you didn’t get to see RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, then form your own band, and let’s hear what you have to say.
“When protest music is done right,” Morello added, “you can hear a new world emerging in the songs.”
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