POWERMAN 5000 Frontman Calls Out 'Peers' And 'Friends' For Playing Next Month's HERD IMMUNITY FEST

POWERMAN 5000 frontman Spider One has called out the artists who are participating in next month's Herd Immunity Fest. The three-day event, set to take place July 16-18, 2020 in Ringle, Wisconsin, will feature performances by STATIC-X, DOPE, BOBAFLEX, ROYAL BLISS, and more. The "mini-fest" will only host a total of 15 bands spread out over the three days, and will take place on an outdoor stage at the Q&Z Expo Center.

A posting from the festival's promoter on the Q&Z Expo Center Facebook page reads: "When the lock down first happened my first thought was OK we can all do 2 weeks, then it went on and on, things were getting cancelled, I started to worry about people not only for this Covid but mental, physical, financial. As humans we NEED other human contact."

The statement continues: "MUSIC in itself is great, but the live streams as I am sure you all know is just not the same we need LIVE , feel it to the bones, run shivers up your spine MUSIC with people around us. Takes us all away on a trip that unless you have felt it you won't understand. So it is OUR honor to bring you this mini fest. Let's make it a fun , safe weekend, and let's be kind to each other. Spread the word by sharing the event and invite your friends."

Several of the bands listed on the festival's poster have confirmed their participation in the event, including STATIC-X, DOPE and ROYAL BLISS. Also scheduled to appear are BLACKTOP MOJO, FLAW, KALEIDO, SAUL, VERSUS ME, THUNDERSTRUCK (AC/DC tribute),and ONE (METALLICA tribute).

Late Tuesday night (June 23),Spider One took to his Twitter to write: "A bunch of bands that I consider peers and some friends are partaking in a show called 'herd immunity fest', which by that title is basically saying to their fans, come see us and we hope you get sick. What the actual fuck??"

NONPOINT, which was originally scheduled to take part in Herd Immunity Fest, reacted to Spider One's tweet, writing: "Hey brother. NONPOINT is not playing because of the way the festival is named. We have dropped off."

Three-day passes for Herd Immunity Fest cost $105.50.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands of concerts and festivals have either been postponed or canceled, as social distancing and self-quarantining make performing live music and attending live shows all but impossible.

More than 9.2 million coronavirus cases have been reported worldwide and more than 478,000 deaths so far, putting public health systems and emergency services under immense pressure.

U.S. officials have repeatedly urged Americans to heed what federal, state and local officials are asking of them in order to curtail the spread and dampen the impact of the virus on the population.

Hey brother. Nonpoint is not playing because of the way the festival is named. We have dropped off.

— Nonpoint (@nonpoint) June 24, 2020