With Halloween behind us, it’s time to transition to the next major holiday. Nope, not Thanksgiving: It’s Coachella rumor season. And all hell can’t stop the momentum behind this major tease: Rage Against the Machine are reportedly reuniting and playing Coachella 2020.
The news started with this Instagram post from @rageagainstthemachine, which simply listed a series of dates that would imply the band’s first live shows since 2011 (which was the massive L.A. Rising concert at the Coliseum): three in southern border cities, and two in Indio, April 10 and 17, 2020—the first and second Friday of Coachella.
Alright, now here’s where we need to put our Coachella detective hat on: The account posting is unverified (UPDATE: As of November 4 or earlier, the account is now verified.), with only this single post and no explicit mention that these suspected tour dates are indeed at Coachella. Plus, aside from Beyoncé’s rescheduled performance, early Coachella lineup announcements from headline-caliber artists are pretty unprecedented. Add in the fact that the account is simply reposting a photo that guitarist Tom Morello shared a few days ago, and that the news comes oh-so-conveniently a day before the 20th anniversary of the band’s landmark The Battle of Los Angeles, and it can start to feel like some elaborate fan wish fulfillment à la a suspect Daft Punk countdown a few years back.
But we have good reason to believe this is the real deal: Both Forbes and Rolling Stone quote a source close to the band (Forbes names him as “longtime associate” Wayne Kamemoto) as saying “The band’s social media is accurate.” Consequence of Sound offers similar evidence that “the posting is accurate, and that the band is planning to play more shows beyond these initial dates.” And then there’s fan account @war_within_a_breath, which shared a DM with actress Juliette Lewis—who’s dating drummer Brad Wilk—that also confirms the news.
“Confirmed” is a phrase loosely tossed around when it comes to Coachella acts. So yes, it sure sounds like you’ll be able to scream yourself hoarse to “Killing in the Name Of” come Coachella next year, but still—take it all with a grain of salt. Who knows, these two dates in a heated election year could end up being counter-Coachella shows held at a date farm in Indio. Hey, stranger things have happened.
