Former Misfits Lead Singer Michale Graves Claims Pittsburgh Show Canceled Due to Online Backlash

Former Misfits lead singer Michale Graves has claimed that his upcoming performance in Pittsburgh has been canceled by a third venue due to online criticism and backlash. Graves, whose real name is Michael Emanuel, was the frontman for the legendary horror punk band The Misfits from 1995 to 2000. He had planned to perform an acoustic set in Pittsburgh as part of his Spring Tour.

On February 14, Graves took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce that the venue Sidequest had canceled his performance after receiving calls and negative comments about his scheduled appearance. Despite this, he encouraged his supporters to continue supporting the venue, indicating that an alternative location would be announced soon.

This cancellation marks the third Pittsburgh venue to drop Graves from its lineup. Another venue, The Smiling Moose, initially promoted an event page for his show but deleted it within 24 hours.

Graves expressed frustration over the situation, stating, “And so the show in Pittsburgh, PA has been pulled from the 3rd venue now because of the ‘attacks’ that have come online. I received an email to ‘stay out of town.’ How the hell am I supposed to fight this?”

The backlash against Graves stems from his past affiliations and political statements. In 2020, he publicly endorsed the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, in an Instagram post that was later deleted. Additionally, his social media activity around the events of January 6, 2021, has fueled further controversy.

On January 5, 2021, Graves posted a cryptic message stating, “The next two days changes everything. We are ready. We are awake. We are ****** pissed!” The following day, he shared an image appearing to show members of Congress lying on the floor during the Capitol riot, accompanied by the statement: “When the people fear the government, there is tyranny… When the government fears the people… There is liberty.” Later, he posted, “R. I. P. America 1776-2021.”

These past statements and affiliations have led to significant public scrutiny and have seemingly influenced the decisions of multiple venues to cancel his scheduled performances. Graves has yet to announce a replacement venue for his Pittsburgh stop but continues to voice his frustration over the situation on social media.