Rage Against The Machine will reunite after seven years for a headlining performance at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The news, first rumored over the weekend, was confirmed by press representatives for the festival. The political rap-rock act, which was one of the biggest acts of the '90s, played Coachella's main stage during the festival's first edition in 1999. The group broke up in 2000 after three studio albums, one collection of covers and one live set. Guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk went on to form Audioslave with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, while frontman Zack de la Rocha worked on a still-unreleased solo album.
The Rage performance at this year's Coachella is being promoted as a "one-off," and there is no indication whether the group plans to tour or record again beyond this.
While the split between de la Rocha and his former bandmates was reportedly on bad terms, the vocalist and Morello appeared together at a 2005 rally to save a Los Angeles community garden, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Rage will be joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bjork as headliners at the eighth annual Coachella outing, scheduled for April 27th, 28th and 29th at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (January 27th). This is the first year that the event has expanded to three days.
Other acts slated to appear on the bill include the Arcade Fire, Interpol, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Arctic Monkeys, Sonic Youth, the Satellite Party, Kings Of Leon, Fountains Of Wayne and dozens more. Exact dates and times for each act will be announced in the next few days.
Tom Morello will also perform during the event as his political folk alter ego, the Nightwatchman. Morello will release his first Nightwatchman album, called One Man Revolution, on April 24th. Although he was initially hesitant to record as the Nightwatchman, Morello told us his position has gradually changed: "I've got a catalog of about 50 songs, and it's really been the kind of thing where I've looked at the Nightwatchman stuff as, you know, the black Robin Hood of folk music, where I just show up when needed, for this particular benefit or that particular protest, or this tour to rail against authority. But I think it's important to record those songs, because I believe in them."
Audioslave released its third studio album, Revelations, last fall, but has been on a hiatus while Cornell records a new solo effort.
