Wildfire Smoke Forces Poppy to Sit Out Upheaval Festival As Masked Band Plays Instrumental Set

Poppy was unable to perform her scheduled set at Upheaval Festival after air quality plunged to hazardous levels, leaving her masked backing band to play instrumentally in her absence.

The artist had been set to take the stage in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 17, just before Friday night headliners Gojira.

When the slot opened, Poppy was not present. Her backing musicians appeared without her and delivered the set without vocals, wearing N95 respirators underneath their usual stage masks.

In a later Instagram Stories update, Poppy said smoke from active Canadian wildfires had driven the local Air Quality Index above 350 around her performance time.

She explained she could not join the band because breathing was impossible under those conditions, and praised fans who stayed through the dangerous air.

“Hola Upheaval.
Due to the AQI reaching 350+ around our set time I have not been able to join my band on stage. I couldn’t breathe in those conditions. You may have noticed that our set was instrumental only. To those who defied those conditions, I applaud you.” 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 was unable to perform yesterday (July 17) at the Upheaval Festival #Michigan due to hazardous air quality conditions.

His band performed the entire instrumental set while wearing N95 masks. pic.twitter.com/C8fTkqI1DP

— µzq (@AcostaMzk) July 18, 2026

Poppy’s band’s instrumental performance during the 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

On the US Air Quality Index, any reading over 300 is rated “hazardous,” signaling health risks for the entire population.

Before gates opened, Upheaval organizers assured attendees the event would proceed and said they were tracking conditions with local agencies. “Your safety is our number one concern,” the festival stated. “We encourage you all to pace yourselves today and look out for each other.”

They 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 festival’s second day is scheduled for July 18, with Papa Roach as the headline act.

This marks the second time this summer that severe conditions have stopped Poppy from finishing a festival appearance. At Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida, her set ended less than a minute in this May when lightning and severe weather protocols activated.

Numerous large festivals and outdoor concerts have been disrupted by extreme weather this season.

Primavera Sound’s opening day in Barcelona was thrown into disarray last month by heavy rain and winds nearing 80km per hour. Performances by Massive Attack, Doja Cat, Bad Gyal, Alex G and Mac DeMarco were among those cancelled, with organizers citing inability to ensure safety for crowds, artists and crew.

Massive Attack said they were “devastated” to miss the show after building a new live format for the festival, but recognized that “no one can control severe weather” and safety had to come first.

Similarly, Defqon.1 in the Netherlands was called off after a “code red” extreme heat alert, while storms cancelled Katy Perry’s headline set at Werchter Boutique in Belgium.

In conversation with NME, Association Of Independent Festivals CEO John Rostron said events must increasingly factor extreme conditions into planning.

“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 issued her seventh studio album, ‘Empty Hands’, in January. The follow-up to 2024’s ‘Negative Spaces’ reunited her with ex–Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist and producer Jordan Fish and House Of Protection’s Stephen Harrison.

Ahead of the release, Poppy told NME that continuing 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 said.

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