Tom Morello Is Proud Of Zack De La Rocha’s Resilience Despite Injury

Tom Morello, the famed guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, recently expressed his pride and admiration for the band’s frontman, Zack De La Rocha, in an interview with Rolling Stone. Morello shared how De La Rocha’s unwavering determination and powerful stage presence remained undiminished despite a severe injury that left him performing from a seated position.

In July 2022, RATM fans were ecstatic as the band played their first show in 11 years at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wisconsin. However, during a high-energy performance in Chicago, De La Rocha suffered a leg injury. Despite the pain, the vocalist continued the show, displaying his commitment to the fans and the music.

Unfortunately, the band had to cancel the UK and European legs of their tour in August to allow De La Rocha time to recover. For the remaining US dates, the frontman performed while seated. Later, he injured himself again on their second show back on the road. De La Rocha later revealed in an Instagram post that his second injury was more severe than the initial one, with only 8% of his tendon left intact. Consequently, the band decided to cancel their 2023 North American tour to allow him time to heal and recover properly.

Morello, who had just recovered from a ruptured Achilles himself, recognized the severity of De La Rocha’s injury. He recalled how the frontman soldiered on and managed to be a powerful and electric performer despite his limited mobility. Morello marveled at De La Rocha’s ability to captivate the audience from a seated position, a testament to his undeniable charisma and talent.

The guitarist did not recall any discussions about postponing the remaining shows, emphasizing that the priority was to ensure De La Rocha’s well-being. In his statements, Morello conveyed a sense of pride in his bandmate for persisting through adversity and delivering unforgettable performances. The guitarist highlighted De La Rocha’s resilience and ability to inspire, even while battling a painful injury.

The musician said the following about Zack’s injury:

“Well, 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 percent of the frontmen in the history of all time.

It was completely unexpected, but the fact that he soldiered on … and he didn’t just soldier on, but he was able to be that electric, compelling, powerful transmitter of truth that he is, while remaining fairly immobile, was fairly impressive. I didn’t hear from one fan that felt the show was diminished in power by one percent.”

When asked if they had thought of pushing back the dates due to injury, Morello replied:

“I don’t even recall. It was just making sure that he was alright. We didn’t know what the thing was. I didn’t want to diagnose it. But I had just gone through that. I was familiar with the severity of the injury. I was very proud of him that he soldiered on and completed the leg of the tour.”

As fans eagerly await RATM’s return to the stage, the story of Zack De La Rocha’s unwavering dedication and Tom Morello’s admiration for his friend and bandmate serves as a reminder of the power of music and the resilience of the human spirit. While the future remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: Rage Against the Machine’s passion and commitment to their craft remains unbroken, and their eventual return will undoubtedly be an event to remember.