Several bands have dropped out of Florida’s Shell Shock II metal music festival after it was announced that Kyle Rittenhouse would be a guest at the event.

The music festival, set to take place in Orlando on October 19, raises funds for victims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in support of military veterans and first responders.

Shell Shock II faced backlash last week after announcing that Kyle Rittenhouse would be invited to the festival. Rittenhouse gained attention in August 2020 when he fatally shot two men and injured a third during a protest against racial injustice in Kenosha, Wisconsin. 

The shooter was found not guilty in a legal case that divided the nation. As a result of the case, he became a popular figure in the Republican Party and was embraced by gun rights supporters.

A number of bands have withdrawn from the Shell Shock festival in Florida after shooter Kyle Rittenhouse was reportedly invited as a guest

Image credits: shellshockfest

Festival headliners Evergreen Terrace issued a statement on Sunday (September 29), citing the controversial figure’s attendance as a reason to withdraw from the event.

“Evergreen Terrace has always supported and continues to support philanthropic events for veterans, PTSD awareness, child poverty, and many more, but we will not align with an event promoting a perceived murderer such as Kyle Rittenhouse capitalizing off of their pseudo-celebrity,” the metalcore band wrote on Facebook.

“Unfortunately, we did not do our due diligence with this particular event. Even after they offered to pull Kyle from the event, we discovered several associated entities that we simply do not agree with.” 

Rittenhouse shot two people and injured a third during a protest against racial injustice in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in August 2020

Image credits: Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

They continued: “As advocates for free speech, we are respectfully canceling the Shell Shock festival. 

“We will be personally contributing to a veterans charity and urge you to do the same. The promoters have been nothing less than understanding.”

The Florida-based group concluded the statement with the phrase “Lines we draw in the sand…depend on where we stand” and promised to see their Orlando fans soon.

Headliners Evergreen Terrace canceled their performance, stating that they “will not align with an event promoting a perceived murderer such as Kyle Rittenhouse capitalizing off of their pseudo-celebrity”

Image credits: evergreenterraceofficial

Image credits: evergreenterraceofficial

Similarly, Southpaw, who also decided to withdraw, stated that they “knew nothing of a particular individual being a main focus of support for the show until after accepting it.”

“This simply is not what we signed up for, period. Southpaw does not and will not get involved in politics, therefore we will not align ourselves with it.”

Let Me Bleed opted to step away from the festival “after realizing that there were going to be a number of high profile individuals in attendance as invited VIP guests whom LMB did not align with or be associated with in any sense.”

“It wasn’t until we agreed to play the festival that these problematic and potentially alienating entities were being used to market the show and that is something we simply cannot condone.”

“Even after they offered to pull Kyle from the event, we discovered several associated entities that we simply do not agree with,” the Florida-based band wrote

Image credits: evergreenterraceofficial

Meanwhile, American Hollow wrote that they had decided to “respectfully step away” and that the band “does not align with” or “associate [themselves] with any politics.”

According to a Reddit post, Shell Shock announced in a since-deleted Instagram reel that they had booked Rittenhouse to appear at the festival.

The promotional image features a photo of the shooter holding a gun with one of his arms held up and the words, “Raise your hand if you’ll be at Shell Shock.”

After the withdrawal of the bands, the festival reportedly booked SiC, a Slipknot tribute band, as the new headliners of the event.

Festival CEO Tyler Hoover responded to the criticism, saying that the “lynch mob” can’t “kill Shell Shock”

 

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A post shared by Tyler (@sucka_free_sundae)

Image credits: Sean Krajacic-Pool/Getty Images

Shell Shock CEO and founder Tyler Hoover responded to the criticism in an Instagram video, stating, “I’m going to tell you you’re not punk. You’re not hardcore.

“You people—the people that are trolling and the people that are talking sh*t — you guys are the mentally ill portion of society.

“You guys are the ones that are manipulated.”

Hoover added that the “lynch mob” can’t “kill Shell Shock.”

American Hollow also canceled their show, stating that the band “does not align with” or “associate [themselves] with any politics”

 

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A post shared by American Hollow (@americanhollowofficial)

The Antihero Podcast, which promotes the event, also addressed the controversy, standing behind Rittenhouse.

“We have been silent. But we are prepping. The liberal mob attempted to destroy Shell Shock. But we will not allow it,” the podcast wrote in an Instagram post.

“This is now about more than a concert. This is a war of ideology.”

Eventbrite describes Shell Shock as a festival that “believes in a united front among our brothers and sisters who continue to fight the battles even after having served their country. This includes not only our veterans but also the first responders who stand alongside them, confronting the challenges and struggles that persist long after their service.”

Let Me Bleed claimed that they only learned that “problematic and potentially alienating entities were being used to market the show” after agreeing to play at the festival

 

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A post shared by Let Me Bleed (@letmebleedofficial)

Southpaw wrote that the band wishes not to “get involved” or “align themselves” with politics

 

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A post shared by @southpaw.flhc

In August 2020, the then 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse took an AR-15-style rifle to a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Wisconsin and fired it, killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz. 

The protest against racial injustice had been triggered by the shooting of 29-year-old Jacob Blake by a local police officer.

Amid looting and riots in the city, Rittenhouse arrived at the scene armed, stating he was there to protect a business from rioters. 

Rittenhouse was charged by Kenosha County prosecutors with multiple counts, including intentional homicide and reckless endangerment, but was found not guilty at his trial in November 2021 after claiming self-defense.

The 21-year-old has since published a book about the trial titled Acquitted and organized a series of college speaking events dubbed the Rittenhouse Recap.

Bored Panda has contacted Tyler Hoover, Evergreen Terrace, and Kyle Rittenhouse for comment.

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