Tom Morello Pushes Back Against Claims That Rage Against The Machine Required Fans To Be Vaccinated To Attend Their 2022 Reunion Tour

Despite a career of freely expressing incendiary political views and engaging in multiple controversial forms of protest, Rage Against The Machine‘s abbreviated 2022 reunion tour remains one of the group’s primary sources of contention these days — particularly among their right-wing detractors. Originally booked for 2020, that highly anticipated trek was met with several delays amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As touring eventually did begin to open up, many live artists found themselves at the mercy of regional mandates regarding proof of vaccinations and the usage of masks in public gatherings and live events. It was amid this time that Rage Against The Machine found themselves facing backlash, given that the rescheduled dates for that trek in 2022 initially faced restrictions from those mandates.

Long viewed as being staunchly anti-authority, misconceptions about the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame-inducted band’s involvement in these health restrictions ran rampant. It became common to see critics of the outfit claiming that they were now ‘raging FOR the machine.’ Even Slipknot guitarist Jim Root even took to voicing that concern, stating in the fall of 2022:

“Everything is so bizarre and so bananas I don’t even know what’s going on with the world right now. I couldn’t even tell you what is going on with the culture, because, being locked up for two years, and then you come out and everything’s upside down, it’s really… I don’t get it.

I thought rock ’n’ roll, and punk and metal, and all that stuff was meant to be anti-establishment and against the man, and now it seems more and more like, ‘Obey!’ and do as you’re told sorta shit, and that seems backwards to me. I don’t know if I am the only one that feels that way. I haven’t really talked to anyone in the band about it, ‘cos we’re just trying to get through these tours, through the protocol and the COVID shit, and all that.

We haven’t really checked in with one another to see how we’re doing, how we’re feeling about the state of the world and all that, but when I hear a band that’s saying ‘Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me’ telling me to do what the government tells me to do, that seems backwards to me.”

Amid some heated exchanges on X this week, Rage Against The Machine‘s guitarist Tom Morello took to once again delivering some fiery responses to those claiming the band had willfully enforced COVID-19 protocols among their fans. Some of those posts can be seen below.

In reply to a since-deleted post criticizing the band over allegedly enforcing COVID-19 protocols at their live shows, Morello stated:

“No offense but you’re a fucking idiot. RATM has played 19 shows in the last 13 years and ZERO of those shows have required vax. Pass this along to your idiots friends por fa vor. Also, while you’re mewling about Big Pharma, how about Big Oil and Big Tobacco and Big Landlords and Big Military and Big Elon? It’s called Big Capitalism vs human beings and the our planet. So I accept your apology and let’s aim at the right target bubba”

In response to an individual claiming that Rage Against The Machine played a July 11th, 2022 show at the United Center in Chicago, IL that required proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test, Morello responded:

“100% incorrect. When we booked the tour and sold the tickets it was pre-pandemic, so naturally no vax requirement. When venues opened during covid some had the below stipulations on concerts held during that period. We played ZERO shows during this time. Zero.

In part because we wanted to protect our fans and their families. When we eventually played these shows, including the United Center, ALL restrictions at ALL the venues we played had been lifted. While I am a big supporter of science, hear my words: NO Rage fan was EVER required to present anything other than a ticket to see the band. Read that again, Charlie.”