NOFX were one of the headliners of this year’s Punk Rock Bowling festival, which was rescheduled to September, but they’ve dropped off the bill following controversy over their return to the festival, which they last played in 2018. On that occasion, they made comments onstage about the 2017 shooting at Las Vegas country festival Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, where 60 people were killed. “At least they were country fans and not punk rock fans,” Fat Mike said in 2018.

The band later issued an apology for their comments, calling them a “tasteless joke” and saying, “NOFX does not condone violence against ANY group of people, period!”

In a new statement about dropping off the fest this year, Fat Mike writes:

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! Decendents 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, and Descendents are replacing NOFX on the lineup.