Poppy‘s set at the annual ‘Upheaval Festival‘ in Grand Rapids, MI today, July 17th left many fans in attendance confused. While the singer herself didn’t take to the stage, her masked bandmates did, performing an instrumental set with a little added respiratory protection in the form of breathing masks.
While her band performed the scheduled set instrumentally, it was later revealed on social media by Poppy herself that her no-show came about due to poor air quality in the city. Grand Rappids has been hit particularly hard by the smoke wafting over the border from the raging wildfires in Southeastern Canada.
In a statement shared on her Instagram story today, Poppy stated:
“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.”
Poppy standing up @UpheavalFest pic.twitter.com/iqoUFBzCID
— Hillydoe (@michiganjamomma) July 17, 2026
