Poppy missed her Upheaval Festival set due to “hazardous” air quality, with her band playing without her while wearing masks.
The singer had been due to perform at the festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan yesterday (July 17), shortly before Friday night headliners Gojira.
However, when the scheduled set began, Poppy was absent and her masked backing band took to the stage without her. The musicians proceeded to perform the set instrumentally, wearing N95 respirators beneath their customary stage masks.
Poppy later explained on her Instagram Stories that smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires had caused the Air Quality Index around the festival to exceed 350 near the time of her performance.
She said she did not join the band because she “was unable to breathe in those conditions”, and applauded the fans who had endured the hazardous air.
“Hola Upheaval.
Debido al ICA llegando a 350+ alrededor de nuestra hora de set no he podido unirme a mi banda en el escenario. No podía respirar en esas condiciones. Podrán haber notado que nuestro set fue solo instrumental. A quienes desafiaron esas condiciones, les aplaudo.” pic.twitter.com/a7upfLwDuW— Poppy Argentina P⃤ (@poppy_arg) July 18, 2026
What a statement made by Poppy right now
Her entire band is on stage wearing N-95 masks and she’s nowhere to be found
Protecting her money maker that is her voice from the smoke
People may be mad but I totally understand and respect it#Upheavel pic.twitter.com/70K1LH4S5d
— Brandon Cooke (@brandongrhockey) July 17, 2026
POPPY no pudo presentarse ayer (17 de Julio) en el Upheaval Festival #Michigan 🇺🇸 debido a condiciones de calidad del aire peligrosas.
Su banda interpretó todo el set completo instrumental mientras usaban máscaras N95. pic.twitter.com/C8fTkqI1DP
— µzq (@AcostaMzk) July 18, 2026
La performance instrumental de la banda de Poppy durante el Upheaval Festival pic.twitter.com/g4YXvcV7h6
— Poppy Argentina P⃤ (@poppy_arg) July 18, 2026
to the people who are hating on poppy for not performing because of the awful weather conditions, please grow up. if singing in those conditions was a risk to her health, she has the RIGHT to decide not to perform. you can be upset, but don’t throw hate at her.
— maria 𝜗𝜚⋆₊˚ cbus ⊬ (@kingdomofmalice) July 18, 2026
Under the US Air Quality Index, any reading above 300 is classified as “hazardous”, meaning everyone is at risk of experiencing health effects.
Before the festival opened, Upheaval organisers told attendees that the event would go ahead as planned and that they were monitoring the conditions with local officials. “Your safety is our number one concern,” the festival wrote. “We encourage you all to pace yourselves today and look out for each other.”
It added: “We are still working with our local officials to monitor the ongoing Air Quality situation that is passing through. Current information shows the Air Quality will improve throughout the day.”
The second day of Upheaval Festival is due to take place today (July 18), with Papa Roach topping the bill.
It is the second time this summer that extreme conditions have prevented Poppy from completing a festival performance. Her set at Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida was cut short after less than a minute in May when severe weather and lightning protocols came into effect.
A series of major festivals and outdoor concerts have also faced disruption from extreme weather this summer.
The opening day of Primavera Sound in Barcelona was thrown into chaos last month by heavy rainfall and winds reaching speeds of up to 80km per hour. Sets from Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Alex G and Mac DeMarco were among those cancelled, with organisers saying it had not been possible to guarantee the safety of audiences, artists and staff.
Massive Attack said they were “devastated” not to perform after creating a new version of their live show specifically for the festival, but acknowledged that “no one can control severe weather” and that safety had to remain paramount.
Elsewhere, Defqon.1 in the Netherlands was cancelled after authorities issued a “code red” warning for extreme heat, while thunderstorms forced the cancellation of Katy Perry’s headline performance at Werchter Boutique in Belgium.
Speaking to NME about the disruption, Association Of Independent Festivals CEO John Rostron said festivals were increasingly having to account for extreme conditions when planning events.
“This is a new thing we have to learn from and plan for in the future because it’s here to stay,” he said. “This is the new normal.”
Poppy released her seventh studio album, ‘Empty Hands’, in January. The record followed 2024’s ‘Negative Spaces’ and saw her reunite with former Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist and producer Jordan Fish and House Of Protection’s Stephen Harrison.
Speaking to NME ahead of its release, Poppy said continuing her creative partnership with Fish felt like “the right choice”.
“There’s a really nice point of consistency where you no longer have to explain yourself or your reasoning, and it’s understood and accepted,” she explained.
