Poppy missed her scheduled performance at Upheaval Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday, July 17, after wildfire smoke pushed air quality into hazardous territory.
Her backing band still took the stage, delivering an instrumental set without the singer. According to Loudwire, the musicians performed for nearly an hour while wearing respirators beneath their theatrical stage masks.
Poppy later addressed her absence in an Instagram Story, saying the Air Quality Index had climbed above 350 around the time she was due to perform and that she was unable to breathe in the conditions:
“Hi Upheaval, due to ‘hazardous’ AQI reaching 350+ around our set time I was unable to join my band on stage. I was unable to breathe in those conditions. You might’ve noticed our set was instrumental only. For those who braved the conditions- I applaud you.”
What Does An AQI Of 350 Mean?
An AQI reading above 300 is officially considered hazardous. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies readings between 301 and 500 in its highest standard risk category, with health warnings applying to the entire population rather than only people with existing respiratory conditions.
The conditions were caused by fine particulate pollution carried into Michigan by smoke from ongoing wildfires. On Thursday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy upgraded the entire state to hazardous air quality due to wildfire smoke.
A separate National Weather Service alert covering Grand Rapids warned of elevated fine-particle concentrations and reduced visibility, with smoke lingering across the region through the festival weekend.
Upheaval Festival Opened Despite The Smoke
Before doors opened, Upheaval Festival told attendees it was working with local officials to monitor the air-quality situation. Organisers said the information available at the time suggested conditions would improve throughout the day and confirmed that the festival would open as scheduled.
The air remained severe enough around Poppy’s set time that she decided she could not safely perform. Her band’s decision to continue instrumentally gave fans a version of the scheduled set, but the sight of the musicians performing in respirators made the conditions impossible to ignore.
Gojira headlined the festival’s Friday program, with Papa Roach leading the second day on Saturday. Poppy’s statement did not indicate whether the missed appearance would be rescheduled.
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