Band You've Literally Never Heard of Bans You From Their Concerts (Forever)
*But only if you voted for Trump
Not since Joni Mitchell and Neil Young dramatically yanked their music from Spotify because the platform refused to cancel [the far more popular and culturally relevant] Joe Rogan has a public temper tantrum garnered this level of cringe: This week, the frontman of barely-known band The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (which sounds less like a group of musicians and more like something your mom bought from QVC in 1997) arrogantly uninvited Trump supporters from his shows. Not just for this tour or this presidential term—but for the rest of eternity.
“I thought I was pretty clear about this stuff in 2020… Here it is again, in case somehow you missed it: Hi, I’m Ronnie Winter. I sing for The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and I actually follow what Jesus says. If you're a Christian and you're watching this and you voted for Donald Trump, shame on you,” the band’s screamer-in-chief chastised on Instagram in what he called a quick little PSA, wielding the weight of the band’s single 2006 hit (?) ‘Face Down’ like a flaming sword of sanctimony.
“You're not allowed to come to my shows. I don't want you there. Don’t come to my shows. It’s awesome that you love ‘Face Down,’ [but] it’s not for you. It’s not your song, okay? It is not your song.”
Aside: “Not allowed?” Is that a threat? Because it sort of sounds like a challenge. Also I love that Winter is fully aware of his one-sorta-hit-wonder status.
Winter’s one-minute video is a symphony of self-righteous scolding, promising fans that the band’s upcoming shows will include “woke propaganda” and “a lot of, like, harmony.” That’s right, folks: a man who is gatekeeping his live music like it’s the Kingdom of Heaven and he’s St. Peter is preaching to the masses about harmony.
“If you voted for Donald Trump, do not come to my shows, ever,” Winter continued his hypocritical little rant. “Not just, like, these four years. Don’t come to my shows because you’re going to hear a lot of woke propaganda, and you’re going to hear, like, the actual words of Jesus, you’re going to see lots of acceptance from all areas of life and races and you’re just going to see a lot of, like, harmony, ‘kay? That’s not what you’re about, ‘kay? Don’t come. Refunds are available. Forever, don’t come. Goodbye.”
His tirade, respectfully, implies a lot of things. Chief among them: that Jesus was, in fact, not a beacon of compassion and forgiveness but the judgmental Father of Finger-wagging… and also that people had actually bought tickets to his shows.
The backlash was swift—and glorious. Trump supporters flooded Winter’s post (which, naturally, had comments disabled—because free speech, but curated) and roasted him into oblivion, many laughing that they'd never heard of him or his has-been squad. One vowed to show up to a Florida concert with an “I VOTED FOR TRUMP” sign, raising the real question: is trolling forgotten rockers the newest form of political protest?
Winter, feeling “emotionally drained” (same, Ronnie), then doubled down with a follow-up post where he called Trump voters “a feisty bunch,” and clarified that “you don’t know what God is.”
Listen. If you need a dude wearing a bro-tank to explain theological nuance to you via Instagram, it might be time to reassess your idea of faith.
And now we get to the real gem. In a 2020 interview with Alternative Press, Winter declared:
“I don’t care what anybody thinks about me. The only person I want to look up to me is my son. And when he grows up, I want him to know that [hatred] is not what Jesus said. Not even in the realm of what he said.”
Which is beautiful and moving, until you remember that this is the same man who just said millions of people aren’t welcome at his shows—forever—because of who they voted for or how they identify religiously.
Apparently hatred is not what Jesus said, but public shaming and categorical exclusion are totally chill. “Love thy neighbor” is now a conditional clause, footnoted with “unless they swiped right on the Orange Man.”
I went to Catholic school for thirteen years (*and can still recite all of my prayers in Latin), but I guess I was absent the day they told the story of Jesus, standing at the gates of Galilee, arms folded, saying, “You had lunch with a Pharisee once? Take a hike, Jehoshaphat.”
Let’s be real: no one was begging to see The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus in 2025. The band isn’t even listed on Spotify’s algorithm unless you specifically search them and spell “Apparatus” correctly. And now they’ve decided to marginalize more than half the country under the trendy, ironic banner of “inclusion.” That’s not virtue signaling—it’s virtue grandstanding, complete with stadium lighting and a merch stand.
Note to Ronnie: If you want to sell your music, sell your music. If you want to deliver sermons, don the collar and take the vows. But don’t stand on a soapbox made of faded nostalgia and Don’t You Fake It guitar pick sets and expect the crowd to cheer while you preach to them about how to be Christlike.
In the end, Ronnie’s message basically boils down to this: “I’m emotionally exhausted and spiritually superior. (But please buy some logo Koozies®.)”
Cool. We'll be over here listening to musicians whose concerts don’t require a political litmus test for entry. Or, honestly, just bands we’ve heard of.
Don’t hold back! Tell Ronnie and the rest of the Apparati what you think of their holier-than-thou drama queening in the comments.
P.S. Speaking of shameless… My gorgeous, talented, wonderfully un-woke daughter is in town and has been adding to her one-of-a-kind accessory collection. She literally spends days on each piece and I’m not exaggerating, people stop me on the street to ask me where I got my custom cowhide bag. (I now carry her biz cards and hand them out like Tic-Tacs hahahahaha true story.) I’m so proud of the fact that instead of scrolling mindlessly on a screen all day, she is using her God-given talents to create beautiful and meaningful things. (Her “pocket shrines” are super popular.) Check out her shop if you’re so inclined. :)
I could be wrong, but I see this as a desperate attempt for attention. I believe it's called attention whoring. (I heard Jesus was okay with whores, the regular kind. Not sure about this kind.)
What a joke. How would they even know who anyone voted for. You’d have to come through the gate and be super honest if they asked you, I guess. I’m willing to bet their music sucks anyway.