Static-X will headline one of the few music festivals of 2020 not to be canceled or delayed due to COVID-19. They will perform outside the Q and Z Expo Center in Ringle, Wisconsin, Saturday. Other acts scheduled for the festival include Sponge, Flaw, Saving Abel, Dope, Bobaflex and Thunderstruck.
The festival, originally titled the Herd Immunity Fest, was changed to July Mini-Fest after the group received online backlash. The three-day festival, which started Thursday, will continue through Saturday, but there will be several safety measures in place.
Static-X said in an announcement that the promoter advised the group to hold the event outside and to cap the 10,000-person capacity to 2,000 tickets sold. There will be no moshing, and the band said to keep social distancing in mind even when patrons are in line for food or the bathroom. Hand-sanitizing stations will also be available.
Shows will wrap up by 10 p.m. and organizers only allowed attendees to purchase three-day passes at $105.50 each.
“We are excited to return to the stage this weekend for what will be our first show since March,” the group said in a statement. “Obviously, over the last few months a lot has changed in the world, so it is of the utmost importance that we EACH do our part to make this as safe as possible for everyone.”
Their motto for the event is “mask up and back up.” They will be wearing masks and encouraging attendees to do the same.
“This is a simple request and it will help to ensure your safety, the safety of those around you, and also those at home,” they said in a statement. “Wearing a mask demonstrates that you respect yourself, and it also demonstrates that you respect others.”
While the limited-capacity outdoor festival is not a full return to normal, saying in the statement, “This is a baby step and in many ways this is also a test.”
The group’s appearance at the festival follows the release of the music video “Bring You Down,” which features vocals from the late former frontman Wayne Static, who died in 2014. It follows recent controversy surrounding former bandmate and convicted sex offender Tripp Eisen, who accused the band of stealing his work and not giving him credit.