song "Theme for Oakland" was used as the official after-game celebration song for the Oakland Athletics. The song was used again in 2017 in a series of commercials promoting the Athletics and the city. In February 2020, The Phenomenauts issued a statement on the band's Facebook page, announcing the firing of Angel Nova from the group, stating, "We recently learned that a member of our band has violated these principles. So as a band, we’ve made the decision to move forward without Angel Nova. We do not condone his actions and find them completely unacceptable. We respect the privacy of those involved – their stories are not ours to tell, so we would like to focus on what we can do moving forward. We are thankful to the brave people who have come forward to tell their stories and we’ll continue to support survivors of sexual and emotional abuse." While not specifically mentioning what allegations led to Nova's removal, the band encouraged fans to support anti-sexual abuse and anti-domestic violence support organizations. Commando performances The Phenomenauts earned a reputation for "staging commando performances" at venues where they were not booked, and were often unwelcome. They played "on the sidewalk in front of the venue" after a show at The Fillmore, and had shows "cut short by security guards" after sneaking backstage at the 2003 California Music Awards. "Security couldn’t figure out how to unplug us cause we brought our own power source. ... Eventually, between songs they asked us to stop but they were kind of powerless". The band frequently staged performances in front of other venues, where crowds had already gathered: Sneaking into the Warped Tour The band gained notoriety in 2002 and 2003 for sneaking onto the Warped Tour. In 2002 they "found an open gate in the back, hid behind a dumpster and then quickly set up in front of the stage and started playing". In San Francisco "a security guard told them to get a move on. However, while loading their gear—in full 'uniform'—into the group's 'space van', another security guard ... assumed they were supposed to be there ... [and] kindly directed them to the official artist entrance". In Portland 2003 they drove their tour van into the backstage area "and cooked breakfast for the technical crew", including "the people that actually make the passes". Once they had laminated all-access, photo-ID passes the Phenomenauts followed