Zack de la Rocha Returned to Live Performance This Week

In late 2022, Rage Against the Machine canceled a planned 2023 tour of the United States for reasons that suggested that the band’s future touring might be severely constrained. At issue was vocalist Zack de la Rocha’s severely torn Achilles tendon.

“It’s not simply a question of being able to perform again, but extends to basic functionality going forward,” de la Rocha wrote at the time.

Just over a year after that announcement, de la Rocha made a surprise return to live performance — albeit in a context less arduous than a full Rage Against the Machine tour. As Consequence’s Jo Vito reports, de la Rocha joined Run the Jewels on stage at the Hollywood Palladium on the night of October 12 for the song “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck).”

In a video of de la Rocha’s appearance, the Rage Against the Machine vocalist looked energetic on stage with El-P and Killer Mike. He also, thankfully, showed no signs of a leg injury as he made his way around the stage. It was, as Vito notes, de la Rocha’s first onstage appearance since his band announced their tour’s cancellation.

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That doesn’t mean that de la Rocha hasn’t been busy since then — among other things, he contributed to the Atlanta band Algiers’s excellent album Shook, released earlier this year. Whether de la Rocha’s recent onstage appearance is a hint of bigger things to come or just a one-off with his frequent collaborators, it’s a welcome sight to see him back in the spotlight.