They may be crazy but they’re not stupid.
Controversial rap duo Insane Clown Posse showed they aren’t clowning around when it comes to the coronavirus epidemic — as they canceled their wild yearly fan festival called the Gathering of the Juggalos.
“Bottom line is simply that we REFUSE to risk even ONE Juggalo life by hosting a Gathering during these troubling times,” the group wrote in a Twitter statement posted Thursday.
The raucous music festival is a 20-year-old annual rite for the band’s loyal fan base — known as Juggalos — and was scheduled for Aug. 5 through Aug. 8, Rolling Stone magazine said.
“With tens of thousands of deaths due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we can’t possibly in good conscience even consider trying to put on a Gathering during these difficult times,” the group said in the post. “Aside from the serious health concerns, there are numerous other factors that have destroyed any possibility of the Gathering taking place this year.
“The entire music industry is at a dead halt due to the quarantine, and this, along with the uncertainty of how things will eventually pan out, has made it impossible to move forward with a 2020 GOTJ,” the group said.
The musical duo, Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler — Violent J and Shaddy 2 Dope to the Juggalos — are known for their rowdy performances in clown face make-up.
In 2017, more than 1,000 Juggalos descended on Washington, DC, to protest the FBI’s designation of the group as a gang. The group has sued the FBI in federal court over the designation.
The band’s annual event is just the latest music festival to be killed by the deadly global pandemic.
Last month, organizers of the Governor’s Ball, scheduled for New York’s Randall’s Island in June, was also canceled for the first time in 10 years. California’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was also put on hold and is now tentatively scheduled to kick off in October.