“Fuck That COVID Shit!”: Smash Mouth Just Performed At A Very Packed Motorcycle Rally
They ain't the sharpest tools in the shed.
We regret to inform you that Smash Mouth have performed at an obviously not COVID-safe concert — making them another member of the club of artists who are risking her fans health in order to play sets, following The ‘Goldman Sachs CEO and DJ’ and The Chainsmokers.
The ‘All Star’ band performed this weekend at South Dakota’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which is estimated to reach 250,000 visitors over its 10-day span.
In addition to Smash Mouth, visitors will be treated to performances by the likes of Trapt, Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, Night Ranger, Reverend Horton Heat, Lit, 38 Special, Quiet Riot, and Big Skillet.
On Sunday night, Smash Mouth took to the stage, and while the event promised it’d follow social distancing guidelines and other COVID-19 preventative measures, it’s pretty clear from video footage that’s not what happened. No face-coverings, no distance: just motorcycle enthusiasts enjoying meme-rock.
In a video posted by local TV station KOTA journalist Connor Matteson, you can hear the band’s frontman Steve Harwell address the size of the crowd, saying “We’re all here together tonight! Fuck that COVID shit!”.
Here is a brighter video to see all the people (credit KOTATV) pic.twitter.com/P7XW46BLiS
— Connor Matteson (@mattesontv) August 10, 2020
In a 24-hour period, police made 84 arrests at the festival this weekend for punters driving under the influence or other drug-related charges. So far, there have been 18 crashes.
The festival is held in Meade County, which to-date has only had one death related to COVID-19. Critics fear the event may not only be a superspreader event as motorcycle enthusiasts travel state-lines to attend, but also balloon local cases. According to CBS News, there are “I survived corona” t-shirts on sale at the festival.
The USA recently surpassed the 5 million mark for COVID-19 cases, with 163,000 deaths.
As of writing, neither Smash Mouth or the rally have responded to the footage and subsequent criticism.