Rock band Avenge Sevenfold is up for “Best Rock Song” at Sunday’s Grammy Awards from Madison Square Garden, but don’t expect them to be there to accept it.
The California band was nominated for their hit song “The Stage” off their 2016 album of the same name. However, the band announced earlier in the week on Twitter they they would not be attending the ceremony since the award has been pulled from the show’s television broadcast.
Videos by PopCulture.com
Honored. Unfortunately they have taken “Best Rock Song” off the telecast this year so we won’t be attending. Maybe next time. https://t.co/GIotEyLCuK
— Avenged Sevenfold (@TheOfficialA7X) January 23, 2018
“Honored. Unfortunately they have taken “Best Rock Song” off the telecast this year so we won’t be attending. Maybe next time,” the band tweeted.
Frontman M. Shawdows went into greater detail about the decision with rock news site Blabbermouth, where he called attending the show “waste of time and money.”
Shawdows wrote in a text message that the decision “was not really a protest per se” but that making the trip would cost around $150,000 in travel costs given the band is currently on tour in South Dakota.
Shawdows also said the rock genre gets no respect from the Grammy organization.
“And then they go and pull the ‘Rock Song Of The Year’ award from TV and put us in some side venue no one gives a f— about? F— that waste of time and money,” Shawdows said. I mean, how marginalized has rock become when ‘Rock Song’ of the year can’t get two minutes?”
Avenge Sevenfold is going up against Metallica, K.Flay, Nothing More and Foo Fighters for the Best Rock Song Award.
The Grammy Awards begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS live from Madison Square Garden.
