Punk band NOFX apologizes for their 'shameful' Las Vegas massacre joke
Veteran punk band NOFX took full responsibility for what they called a "shameful" and "indecent" joke about the Las Vegas massacre, which left 58 people dead.
The band, who made the remarks last week and later called them "insensitive," posted a lengthy apology on social media Sunday.
"There’s no place here to backpedal. What NOFX said in Vegas was shameful," the group wrote. "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."
During their May 27 performance at the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival in Las Vegas, NOFX frontman said, "You play a song about Muslims, you're going to get shot."
"Man, I'd say getting shot in Vegas, I mean if you're a country band," one of his bandmates, believed to be guitarist Eric Melvin, said, according to fan video.
To which Fat Mike replied, "I mean, that sucked, but at least they were country fans and not punk rock fans."
When the audience started to groan in disapproval, Fat Mike responded, "You were all thinking it."
Stone Brewing, the company that creates the band's beer, Punk in Drublic, and who sponsors its music festival of the same name, soon announced it was cutting ties with the band.
Last Thursday, the band took to Twitter admitting that their comments were "insensitive."
"I can't sleep, no one in my band can. What we said in Vegas was s---- and insensitive and we are all embarrassed by our remarks," the statement read. "So we decided we will all get together to discuss and write an in-depth, sincere and honest apology because that's what the people we offended and hurt deserve."
That apology came Sunday after the band said it had time to reflect "on the actual damage done."
"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," the band wrote.
"We didn’t plan or intend on saying anything so insensitive," the group continued, "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!"
The band signed it, "as sincere as we’ve ever been."
Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds of others were injured on October 1 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas. Country music artist Jason Aldean was performing on stage at the time.
ABC News' Spencer Kaufman and Joi-Marie McKenzie contributed to this report
