NOFX have pulled out of Punk Rock Bowling 2021 after receiving a barrage of ‘hate mail’ due to their controversial set at the 2018 festival.
The ‘pull no punches’ punk band have decided to drop out of the festival as a show of respect for the victims of the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festive massacre in Las Vegas. An event which NOFX randomly joked about onstage during their 2018 appearance at the popular Vegas gig.
NOFX has never been the band revered for its social or political correctness. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. The band has made a career out of its ‘non-pc’ and ‘gallows humour’. However, fans joined in with non-fans criticising the band for ‘going too far’ at the 2018 festival, joking about Muslims and the 2017 Las Vegas concert shooting. The attack claimed the lives of 58 people and left almost 500 people injured. It was the deadliest mass shooting in US history.
During their 2018 set frontman Fat Mike said to the crowd, “We played a song about Muslims and we didn’t get shot.” Guitarist Eric Melvin responded with “I guess you only get shot in Vegas if you are in a country band,” to which Fat Mike replies, “That sucked, but at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans.”
The band did publicly apologise after a mountain of backlash but it seems this wasn’t enough.
In a recent statement made about this years Punk Rock Bowling Festival Fat Mike wrote:
“I’ve been playing and bowling at ‘Punk Rock Bowling‘ since the very first one when there were only 22 teams. PRB is my favorite time of the year. Like so many of you, I not only get to see my favorite bands, but I also get to see my punk friends from high school.
“This event is my reunion, it’s my convention, and it’s my church… I was so fucking excited to play it this year… but sadly we are not going to.
“NOFX had a meeting this week and decided we shouldn’t play out of respect that wounds are still healing. There has been a lot of hate messages and threats because we are on the bill, It just feels wrong. We know we said shitty things that caused it, so we get it. Sorry to everyone that wanted to see us. It’ll have to be in a different city.
Hopefully, we can see you all in Vegas when the time’s right. But not Everything Sucks, I talked to Milo yesterday… And he’s comin’! Descendents are taking our spot! It’s pretty fucking cool that we are being replaced by a better band! I wish I could be there to see ’em.
Actually very sincere,
Fat Mike and NOFX”
Punk Rock Bowling is scheduled for September 24-26 in Downtown Las Vegas.
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