Smash Mouth performed at the South Dakota Motorcycle festival, involving 460,000 vehicles
With the ongoing pandemic and recent days still seeing 15,000 new cases per day in the U.S., Smash Mouth chose to perform at South Dakota’s Sturgis Rally on August 9. During the set they proudly shouted: “Fuck that COVID shit!”. Following the festival, however, more than 100 new coronavirus cases have been traced to the Rally. As a result, the band are now bombarded with hate mail for playing in the event.
About 460,000 vehicles took part in the 10-day event, where people didn’t social distance or wear masks. The local city council had voted in support of the Sturgis Rally, expecting PPE guidelines to be followed. Hand sanitizers were promised to be widely available and masks were required when entering the amphitheater, reports Alternative Press. Nevertheless, the event’s guidelines didn’t enforce social distancing and wearing masks.
Moreover, as Smash Mouth came on stage, the band’s frontman Steve Harwell was amazed by the amount of fans and said:
“We’re all here together tonight! Fuck that COVID shit!”
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The other acts participating at the motorcycle rally were Trapt, Buckcherry, Drowning Pool and the Guess Who. The videos and pics which popped up soon showed the majority of the crowd without masks and not sticking to social distance rules.
No surprise, Smash Mouth are now getting hate mail, including this highly outraged fan’s letter, to which a smashed Smash Mouth CD was attached.
Following the 10-day event, at least 103 linked cases spread out to Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming, writes Associated Press.
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