There’s been some confusion lately about whether or not Rage Against The Machine will ever perform again, and it turns out that the band’s bassist Tim Commerford knows about as much as the rest of us. Asked about the possibilities of any future shows by the pioneering socially conscious rap-metal quartet, Tim told Rolling Stone, “I don’t know. I don’t get involved in that. I’m the bass player.”
This news comes after drummer Brad Wilk made headlines last month when he proclaimed that RATM—comprised of Commerford, Wilk, Tom Morello, and Zack de la Rocha—”will not be touring or playing live again.” In response to Wilk’s comments, Commerford said, “I just wait for someone to tell me what to do. Brad said what he said, but he’s one step above me. He’s in the number three spot. I am the low man on the totem pole. That’s all I can tell you. I’m the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that.”
Rage Against The Machine kicked off its long-awaited reunion tour in summer 2022, only for frontman de le Rocha to rupture his Achilles tendon on the second date of the tour. He proceeded to play the next 17 shows seated on a road case, with the band canceling international dates and another North American leg for him to heal.
Amid the prolonged silence and uncertainty, Rolling Stone tracked down Morello back in March 2023 for some answers. The guitarist responded to repeated grilling by consistently expressing that not even he knows what the band’s status is, saying, “If there is to be any more shows, we will announce it as a band. I don’t know. I know as much as you do, honestly.”
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That’s why it was so surprising when, seemingly out of nowhere, Wilk took to social media to declare, “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 [Commerford], Zack [de la Rocha], Tom [Morello], 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…”
Meanwhile, de la Rocha returned to the stage back in October when he made a surprise appearance with Run The Jewels in L.A. where he ambled around the stage while performing. Whatever happens with Rage Against The Machine, Commerford did say that he is ready to rock at a moment’s notice.
“When the Rage light gets shined up in the clouds, like the Bat-Signal that Batman would see and would know that he had to go do some shit…that’s how I live it,” he says. “And that feels the best for me. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been able to really remove myself from it and be like, ‘Yeah, I live off the grid.’ And that in itself is enough.”
Read the full interview with Tim Commerford in Rolling Stone here.
The post Rage Against The Machine’s Tim Commerford On Possibility Of Future Shows: “I Don’t Know…I’m The Bass Player” appeared first on L4LM.
