Last month, Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zack de la Rocha injured his leg early into the band’s concert in Chicago — only the second date in their long-awaited reunion tour. While the band never shared an official diagnosis, de la Rocha’s friend, the photographer Glen E. Friedman, recently revealed that the rapper tore his Achilles.
“I went to see my good friend Zack (with his torn Achilles) perform last night at Madison Square Garden, one of the most hallowed venues in the modern world,” Friedman wrote on Instagram. Just as Rage Against the Machine finished that fateful Chicago concert with de la Rocha sitting down, the band completed the rest of their North American tour (wrapping up tonight, August 14th, with another show at the Garden) with their leader seated at the front of the stage. However, they were forced to cancel the UK/European leg of the tour, slated for August and September, “per medical guidance” for the injury.
Knowing de la Rocha has a torn Achilles explains why Rage would have to cancel the rest of this year’s tour. While it’s a pretty common injury that often occurs when one sustains heavy force on the lower leg, it’s also a painful affliction that takes months to heal, making it one of the most feared injuries in the sports world.
Even cut short, the 2022 leg of Rage Against the Machine’s “Public Service Announcement” tour has been eventful: Guy Fieri was seen rocking out at a couple shows, while a man rushed the stage at their concert in Toronto, causing a security guard to accidentally knock over guitarist Tom Morello in his pursuit.
de la Rocha will hopefully be healthy by the time RATM return to road for a new leg of North American shows in early 2023. Tickets are available here.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story, citing Friedman, said de la Rocha suffered a torn ACL. However, Friedman has since updated his Instagram post to say de la Rocha actually suffered a torn Achilles.
