Joe Leonard / Fat Wreck ChordsNOFX stirred up major controversy last week when members of the punk band joked about the tragic massacre that killed 58 people and injured hundreds more at the Route 91 country music festival in Las Vegas last October.
To recap, while onstage at the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival in Vegas last Sunday, the band made callous jokes about the October tragedy, including frontman Fat Mike saying, “at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans.”
Afterward, NOFX was subsequently dropped by its beer sponsor and kicked off their own Camp Punk in Drublic music festival, which took place this past weekend.
On Thursday, NOFX wrote that they were “embarrassed” and that they would soon “write an in-depth, sincere and honest apology.”
That apology came Sunday, beginning, “What NOFX said in Vegas was shameful. We crossed the line of civility. We can’t write songs about how people in this world need to be more decent, when we were clearly being indecent. Las Vegas has always been a welcoming city to our band, and to make light of the tragedy that occurred there was egregious.”
The band continued, “All members of the band would like to sincerely apologize to anyone who experienced loss from the Vegas shooting 8 months ago, and to anyone who was at our show who lost a loved one or a friend, or who had to witness the incredibly senseless violence that night.”
NOFX concluded, “We didn’t plan or intend on saying anything so insensitive. It was off the cuff, but just as hurtful. We won’t blame it on drugs or alcohol or Ambien. That’s too easy. NOFX said it, and we own it. We made a tasteless joke. But to be clear, NOFX does not condone violence against ANY group of people, period!”
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