Punk-rock star in trouble over Vegas shooting massacre jokes

NoFX, the popular punk-rock act led by San Francisco’s Michael John Burkett, aka Fat Mike, has apologized for jokes made by band members about the mass shooting in Las Vegas last year. The remarks were made during a recent concert in Las Vegas.

The comments caused a social media uproar and prompted Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego to drop its sponsorship of the annual Punk in Drublic music and beer festival in Southern California, which NoFX founded. The festival said NoFX would no longer be a headliner of the event.

The group posted an apology on its Twitter page on Thursday.

“I can’t sleep; no one in my band can,” the tweet said. “What we said in Vegas was (expletive) and insensitive and we are all embarrassed by our remarks. So we decided we will all get together to discuss and write an an in depth, sincere, and honest apology because that’s what the people we offended and hurt deserve.”

The band was performing at the Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival on Tuesday when Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin made the comments about the shooting that killed 59 people and left hundreds injured at October’s Route 91 Harvest Festival, according to Billboard.

The exchange went like this, according to Billboard:

“We played a song about Muslims and we didn’t get shot. Hooray,” Fat Mike said, to which Melvin responds, “I guess you only get shot in Vegas if you are in a country band.”

“At least they were country fans and not punk rock fans,” Fat Mike announced, much to the disdain of the audience. “You were all thinking it!”

The moment was caught on video and later tweeted by Dave Farra and Jason Mahoney of Las Vegas radio station radio station X1075.

“This is disgusting and callous,” the tweet said. “We will never support anything involving this band ever again.”