Why is Rage Against the Machine disbanding again? Controversies explored as drummer Brad Wilk calls it quits

Rock band Rage Against the Machine has reportedly disbanded for a third and final time, much to the dismay of many fans.

Quashing any dreams of the band reuniting, their drummer Brad Wilk took to his official Instagram account to post a lengthy statement announcing their break up on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. The 55-year-old musician stated:

“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."

Wilk concluded by apologizing to Rage fans who were eagerly anticipating the band reunion, wishing that it could happen too.

The drummer also added a caption to the post, thanking fans for their support:

"Bottom of my heart.. Thank you to every person who has ever supported us."

The North American leg of Rage Against the Machine's highly-anticipated reunion tour has been previously postponed due to frontman Zach de la Rocha suffering an injury on their second show. So this statement by Brad Wilk seems to mark the end of their Public Service Announcement reunion tour and their live performances in general.

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Rage Against the Machine's volatile history and performances

The band has had a track record of being quite inconsistent in their touring. Founded in 1991, Rage Against the Machine originally disbanded in 2000, soon after releasing their cover album Renegades in December 2000. Back then, the reason given for their split was creative differences which led to Zach de la Rocha leaving.

They would reunite for the first time in 2007 with a performance at Coachella. The reunion tour saw the band perform sporadically over the next four years before they took another hiatus in 2011.

It took another eight years for Rage Against the Machine to announce a world tour titled Public Service Announcement. This reunion tour began on July 9, 2022, at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin, and concluded early on August 14, 2022, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It marked the band's first live performance in eleven years, and their first full-length tour in 22 years.

The tour was originally scheduled to start in March 2020, but it was pushed back to the summer of 2021, and then to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The band used their official Instagram account to announce the postponement of their planned North 2023 American tour on October 4, 2022. This was due to lead singer Zack de la Rocha suffering a torn Achilles tendon on stage in July.

The band's guitarist Tom Morello explained further in an interview with Rolling Stone:

"The irony is that I had just recovered from a ruptured Achilles. I was in rehearsals on crutches. I recognized the gait. But Zack toughed it out that night. And for the next 17 shows, he was more compelling as a frontman sitting on a box in the middle of the stage than 99% of the frontmen in the history of all time."

With Rage Against the Machine's 2023 live shows now permanently cancelled, the last public appearance by the members of the band will likely be guitarist Tom Morello's acceptance speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2023. The band were inducted into the Hall of Fame on November 3, 2023, but only Morello appeared at the ceremony due to differing perspectives about being inducted.

Despite being disappointing, most of their devoted followers aren't shocked by Brad Wilk's statement from earlier this week considering their turbulent past. The tour hasn't just been postponed but cancelled entirely with no plans for any shows in the foreseeable future.

As they say, the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long. A band as politically charged as Rage Against the Machine was bound to have tensions flare among its band members. After a career of over three decades, it seems like the sun has finally set on this revolutionary band.