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NOFX’s Fat Mike makes a dumb, unforgivable joke in Las Vegas – UPDATE: The band has apologized

We still don’t know why Stephen Paddock decided to massacre 58 people at last year’s Route 91 country festival in Las Vegas last year. Another 851 people were injured in the panic. The pain is still very, very intense.

You’d think that the guys in NOFX would understand this.

Sunday afternoon at the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival in Vegas, Fat Mike NOFX were going through their set when this exchange occurred.

“We played a song about Muslims and we didn’t get shot. Hooray!” said Mike.

“You only get shot in Vegas if you’re in a country band,” responded guitarist Eric Melvin.

[Crowd groans]

Mike: “That sucked, but at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans.”

Ugh.

The exchange has lost NOFX a beer sponsorship. Stone Brewing, which has a NOFX beer called Punk in Drublic, released this statement.

We at Stone Brewing are aware of NOFX’s insensitive and indefensible statements this past weekend. As a result, we are severing all our ties with NOFX, including festival sponsorship and the production of our collaboration beer.

We respect punk rock, and the DIY ethos for which it stands. To us, it means standing up for things you believe in, and fearlessly committing to what’s right. And it is for that reason that Stone Brewing is immediately disassociating ourselves from the band NOFX. Stone had a sponsorship deal for this summer’s Punk In Drublic festivals. Emphasis ‘had’. That sponsorship is now cancelled,

Stone Brewing also said that they will donate all profit from the sales of NOFX beer to the Las Vegas Metro Police Foundation. Once the current batch is gone, no more will be brewed.

Meanwhile, the founders of the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival said this:

In light of NOFX’s comments during their performance at the Punk Rock Bowling and Music Festival, we would like to offer a formal apology to those in attendance, the City of Las Vegas, the victims and the families of 10/1.

Las Vegas is home to the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival, and we do not condone the statements made from our stage on Sunday night. We take the safety of our festival goers seriously and want to relay that, there is nothing funny about people being shot and murdered, ever.

UPDATE: NOFX has apologized. Here’s their statement:

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38019 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

One thought on “NOFX’s Fat Mike makes a dumb, unforgivable joke in Las Vegas – UPDATE: The band has apologized

  • They sort of responded on twitter… saying they will make a bigger response later.

    Reply

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