Full History Of Rage Against the Machine In Timeline From 1963

1963: Thích Quảng Đức Self-Immolation

In 1963, Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burned himself to death in Saigon, an image that would be used as the cover of Rage Against the Machine's debut album.

1989: Coining of "Rage Against the Machine" Phrase

In 1989, Kent McClard coined the phrase "rage against the machine" in an article in his zine "No Answers."

1991: Rage Against the Machine Formation

In 1991, Rage Against the Machine was formed in Los Angeles, California.

1991: Formation of Rage Against the Machine

In 1991, Tim Commerford and Zack de la Rocha jammed with Tom Morello, leading to the formation of Rage Against the Machine with Brad Wilk joining later.

November 1992: Release of Debut Album

In November 1992, Rage Against the Machine released their debut album, featuring a controversial cover photo.

1992: Debut Album Release

In 1992, Rage Against the Machine released their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim.

February 21, 1993: "Fuck You" Version Played on BBC Radio 1

On February 21, 1993, the uncensored "Fuck You" version of "Killing in the Name" was accidentally played on BBC Radio 1.

1993: Lollapalooza Performance and Increased Popularity

Following their performances at the 1993 Lollapalooza festival, Rage Against the Machine achieved commercial success.

November 1994: Band Hiatus and Recording

In November 1994, Rage Against the Machine took a hiatus from touring and recorded 23 tracks with producer Brendan O'Brien in Atlanta.

1994: "Darkness" on The Crow Soundtrack

In 1994, Rage Against the Machine re-recorded the song "Darkness" from their original demo for the soundtrack of "The Crow".

June 1995: Regrouping for KROQ Weenie Roast

In June 1995, after a brief breakup due to violent infighting, Rage Against the Machine regrouped for the KROQ Weenie Roast.

December 1995: Recording "Evil Empire"

In November and December 1995, Rage Against the Machine recorded their long-awaited follow-up album, "Evil Empire", with O'Brien.

1995: "Year of tha Boomerang" on Higher Learning Soundtrack

In 1995, Rage Against the Machine's song "Year of tha Boomerang" appeared on the soundtrack for the film "Higher Learning".

April 1996: Debut Album Sales Exceed One Million Copies

By April 1996, Rage Against the Machine's debut album had sold over 1 million copies in the United States and 3 million copies worldwide.

April 1996: SNL Performance and Protest

In April 1996, Rage Against the Machine performed "Bulls on Parade" on Saturday Night Live and protested Steve Forbes by hanging inverted American flags.

April 16, 1996: "Evil Empire" Release

On April 16, 1996, Rage Against the Machine released "Evil Empire", which entered the Billboard 200 chart at number one.

1996: "Evil Empire" Topped Billboard 200 Chart

In 1996, Rage Against the Machine's album "Evil Empire" topped the Billboard 200 chart.

1997: Opening for U2 on PopMart Tour

In 1997, Rage Against the Machine opened for U2 on the PopMart Tour, donating their profits to various organizations.

June 1998: Release of Live & Rare in Japan

In June 1998, Sony Records released "Live & Rare", compiling B-sides and live performances, in Japan.

1998: "No Shelter" on Godzilla Soundtrack

In 1998, Rage Against the Machine's song "No Shelter" appeared on the "Godzilla" soundtrack.

1999: Woodstock '99 Performance and "The Battle of Los Angeles" Release

In 1999, Rage Against the Machine played at Woodstock '99, and their third album, "The Battle of Los Angeles", debuted at number one.

1999: "The Battle of Los Angeles" Topped Billboard 200 Chart

In 1999, Rage Against the Machine's album "The Battle of Los Angeles" topped the Billboard 200 chart.

January 26, 2000: Filming "Sleep Now in the Fire" Video

On January 26, 2000, during filming of the video for "Sleep Now in the Fire", Rage Against the Machine caused the New York Stock Exchange to temporarily close.

May 2000: Debut Album Certified Triple Platinum

In May 2000, Rage Against the Machine's debut album was certified triple platinum by the RIAA.

September 7, 2000: MTV Video Music Awards Performance and Protest

On September 7, 2000, Rage Against the Machine performed "Testify" at the MTV Video Music Awards, and Tim Commerford protested Limp Bizkit's win by climbing onto the set scaffolding.

October 18, 2000: Zack de la Rocha Leaves the Band

On October 18, 2000, Zack de la Rocha announced his departure from Rage Against the Machine due to decision-making process failures.

2000: Cancelled Tour with Beastie Boys

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine planned to support the Beastie Boys on the "Rhyme and Reason" tour, but the tour was cancelled due to Mike D's injury.

2000: Final Concerts at the Grand Olympic Auditorium

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine played their final concerts on September 12 and 13, at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

2000: Release of "Renegades" and First Disbandment

In 2000, Rage Against the Machine released the cover album "Renegades" and disbanded due to growing creative differences.

2001: Clear Channel Memorandum Listing of RATM Songs

In 2001, following the September 11 attacks, the Clear Channel memorandum listed all of Rage Against the Machine's songs as "lyrically questionable" for radio play.

November 2002: Audioslave's First Single Release

In November 2002, Audioslave, formed by former Rage Against the Machine members, released their first single, "Cochise".

2003: "The Battle of Los Angeles" Ranked in Rolling Stone

In 2003, "The Battle of Los Angeles" was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

2003: "Rage Against the Machine" Ranked in Rolling Stone

In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked "Rage Against the Machine" number 368 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

2003: Morello Begins Playing as The Nightwatchman

In 2003, Tom Morello began playing acoustic folk music as The Nightwatchman.

2003: Release of "March of Death"

In 2003, Zack de la Rocha and DJ Shadow collaborated on the song "March of Death," which was released for free online as a protest against the impending invasion of Iraq.

2003: Release of "Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium"

In 2003, the live album "Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium" was released, capturing Rage Against the Machine's final concerts.

2004: Release of "We Want It All"

In 2004, a collaboration between Zack de la Rocha and Trent Reznor titled "We Want It All" was included on the soundtrack for the film Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11.

2005: Audioslave's "Out of Exile" Debuts at Number One

In 2005, Audioslave's second album, "Out of Exile," debuted at the number one position on the Billboard charts.

2005: Morello and De la Rocha met at protest

In 2005, Tom Morello stated that he and Zack de la Rocha communicated by phone, and had met at a protest in support of the South Central Farm.

2005: Performance with Son de Madera

In late 2005, Zack de la Rocha performed with the son jarocho band Son de Madera, singing and playing the jarana huasteca.

September 4, 2006: Audioslave Releases Revelations

On September 4, 2006, Audioslave released their third album, Revelations.

February 15, 2007: Audioslave Disbands

On February 15, 2007, Audioslave disbanded due to personality conflicts and musical differences.

April 14, 2007: Morello and De la Rocha Reunite

On April 14, 2007, Tom Morello and Zack de la Rocha reunited to perform a brief acoustic set at a Coalition of Immokalee Workers rally in downtown Chicago.

April 2007: Release of "One Man Revolution"

In April 2007, Tom Morello released his album, "One Man Revolution", as The Nightwatchman.

2007: Reunion at Coachella

In 2007, Rage Against the Machine reunited to perform at Coachella.

July 2008: One Day as a Lion EP Release

In July 2008, Zack de la Rocha and drummer Jon Theodore released an EP as One Day as a Lion.

August 2008: Rage headlines Tent State Music Festival

In August 2008, Rage Against the Machine headlined the Tent State Music Festival to End the War during the Democratic National Convention in Denver and led a march to Invesco Field.

September 2008: Rage Performs at Republican National Convention

In September 2008, Rage Against the Machine performed at the Target Center in Minneapolis during the Republican National Convention. The previous day they attempted to play a surprise set but were prevented by the police.

September 30, 2008: Release of "The Fabled City"

On September 30, 2008, Tom Morello released his album, "The Fabled City", as The Nightwatchman.

December 2008: Morello Focuses on Nightwatchman Project

In December 2008, Tom Morello stated that his Nightwatchman project would be his principal musical focus for the remainder of his life.

2008: Rage Against the Machine Tours Internationally

In 2008, Rage Against the Machine toured in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Europe, performing at various festivals including Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, and Lollapalooza.

June 2009: Street Sweeper Social Club Album Release

In June 2009, Street Sweeper Social Club, formed by Tom Morello and Boots Riley, released their debut self-titled album.

December 2009: "Killing in the Name" Christmas Number One Campaign

In December 2009, a Facebook campaign successfully propelled "Killing in the Name" to the Christmas number one spot in the UK Singles Chart, breaking the X Factor's four-year streak.

December 20, 2009: "Killing in the Name" Achieves Christmas Number One

On December 20, 2009, "Killing in the Name" was officially announced as the number-one single in the UK for Christmas 2009, after a successful Facebook campaign.

June 6, 2010: "The Rage Factor" Concert at Finsbury Park

On June 6, 2010, Rage Against the Machine performed a free concert at Finsbury Park in London, dubbed "The Rage Factor," as promised after the successful campaign to get "Killing in the Name" to number one.

June 2010: Rage headlines European festivals

In June 2010, Rage Against the Machine headlined European festivals including Download Festival, Rock am Ring, Rock in Rio Madrid, and performed in Ireland and the Netherlands.

July 23, 2010: Rage Performs First US Show in Two Years

On July 23, 2010, Rage Against the Machine returned to Los Angeles for their first U.S. show in two years and their first hometown show in 10 years, benefiting Arizona organizations fighting the SB1070 immigration law.

October 2010: De la Rocha Claims New Album in the Works

In October 2010, Zack de la Rocha allegedly confirmed in an interview that Rage Against the Machine was working on a new album, with a possible release in 2011.

2010: Sales Exceed 16 Million

By 2010, Rage Against the Machine had sold over 16 million records worldwide.

May 2011: Morello Denies New Album

In early May 2011, Tom Morello stated that Rage Against the Machine was not working on a new album but did not rule out future studio work.

July 30, 2011: Performance at L.A. Rising Festival

On July 30, 2011, Rage Against the Machine performed at the L.A. Rising festival, which the band created, with El Gran Silencio, Immortal Technique, Lauryn Hill, Rise Against and Muse. Commerford stated new material was being written, contradicting Morello's comments.

2011: Band Goes On Hiatus

In 2011, after playing live venues and festivals around the world for four years, Rage Against the Machine went on hiatus.

October 2012: Commerford Teases New Album

In October 2012, Tim Commerford responded "maybe" when asked if Rage Against the Machine was working on a new album.

November 2012: Morello Denies New Material

In November 2012, despite Commerford's earlier tease, Tom Morello denied that Rage Against the Machine was working on new material and stated they had no plans beyond reissuing their debut album.

April 2014: Wilk Indicates L.A. Rising Was Final Show

In April 2014, Brad Wilk indicated that Rage Against the Machine's 2011 performance at L.A. Rising was their final show, as far as he knew.

February 2015: Commerford Comments on Band's Future

In February 2015, Tim Commerford said that uncertainty over when Rage Against the Machine might play again was typical of the band's functioning, speculating that it could be "tomorrow; it could be 10 years from now."

May 2016: Formation of Prophets of Rage

In May 2016, it was announced that Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford had formed a supergroup, Prophets of Rage, with Chuck D of Public Enemy and B-Real of Cypress Hill.

May 2018: Wilk on Rage Reunion

In May 2018, Brad Wilk said a Rage Against the Machine reunion would make him happy, and that it's just a matter of getting everyone on the same page.

November 1, 2019: Rage Against the Machine Reunion Reported

On November 1, 2019, it was reported that Rage Against the Machine were reuniting for their first shows in nine years in the spring of 2020.

November 2019: Prophets of Rage Disbands

In November 2019, Chuck D and B-Real confirmed that Prophets of Rage had disbanded.

November 25, 2019: Leaked Tour Poster Debunked

On November 25, 2019, an alleged leaked tour poster made its way online indicating the band would be going on a world tour throughout 2020, but it was later debunked as a prank.

2019: World Tour Announcement

In 2019, Rage Against the Machine announced a world tour that was later delayed.

2022: World Tour Cut Short

In 2022, the Rage Against the Machine world tour, previously delayed due to COVID-19, was cut short after Zack de la Rocha suffered a leg injury.

2023: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction

In 2023, Rage Against the Machine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2024: Band Disbands for Third Time

In 2024, Brad Wilk confirmed that Rage Against the Machine had disbanded for the third time.

History of Rage Against the Machine in Timeline