Jeff Hahne/Getty ImagesNonpoint has dropped off the lineup for the rock festival planned at the Q & Z Expo in Wisconsin next month, due to its name.
The three-day event, which is dubbed the July Mini Fest, was referred to as the “Herd Immunity Fest” on past flyers.
“Nonpoint is not playing because of the way the festival is named,” reads a tweet from the band. “We have dropped off.”
“Herd immunity” refers to the idea that if enough people become immune to a disease, via vaccine or natural infection, then the entire community the disease is affecting would become protected from infection. With COVID-19, the Mayo Clinic reported that an estimated 70 percent of the U.S. population would need to be infected to reach the herd immunity threshold.
Being that the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing and no vaccine is yet available, some found the name “Herd Immunity Fest” to be insensitive. In some quarters, herd immunity is also being used as an argument against wearing face masks.
In a Facebook post, the Q & Z expo clarified that “Herd Immunity” is not the festival’s name. “The name [is] no longer tied to any of our social media or promotion,” the post reads.
The July Mini Fest is set to take place July 16-18, and includes Static-X, Dope, Flaw, Bobaflex, Blacktop Mojo and Royal Bliss on the lineup, as well as Adelitas Way in place of Nonpoint.
By Josh Johnson
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