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Smash Mouth performed for hundreds of people at a motorcycle rally over the weekend, and many guests weren't wearing masks

Kelly McLaughlin   

Smash Mouth performed for hundreds of people at a motorcycle rally over the weekend, and many guests weren't wearing masks
LifeInternational2 min read
  • Smash Mouth held a concert on Sunday during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an annual 10-day festival in South Dakota that was held despite the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  • Videos from the concert show large crowds with an apparent lack of social distancing and very few people wearing masks.
  • At one point in the video, Smash Mouth front man Steve Harwell can be heard saying: "F--- that COVID s---."

Smash Mouth became the latest band to hold a concert amid the coronavirus this weekend, and video of the event shows hundreds of attendees not wearing masks.

The concert was held on Sunday during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, an annual 10-day festival in South Dakota that regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees.

This year's festival, which is one of the largest events held in the US since the pandemic began, according to CNN, still drew thousands of people despite the novel coronavirus pandemic, and photos and videos of Smash Mouth's concert showed hundreds of fans gathering with little social distancing.

In one video from the festival, Smash Mouth front man Steve Harwell can vibe heard saying to the crowd: "F--- that COVID s---."

The concert was held at the Buffalo Chip campground, which sits about three miles outside Sturgis and has a long list of bands scheduled to perform during the festival.

Christina Steele, a spokesperson for the City of Sturgis, said the campground is a privately held, and she didn't have any further information about the event. Buffalo Chip campground did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Smash Mouth isn't the first band to hold a concert during the pandemic. The Chainsmokers held a concert in the Hamptons in July, and in June, country singer Chase Rice performed in front of a crowd of 800 guests in Tennessee.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally started on Friday, and the local Department of Public Safety told the Argus Leader in a story published Sunday that police had already arrested 84 people for driving under the influence or drug-related offenses. Police also issued 226 other tickets and reported 17 crashes.

Experts told CNN that rally could become a super-spreader event if safety measures aren't put in place. There is no face covering requirement in place in South Dakota, but festival organizers have encouraged attendees to social distance, wear masks, and wash their hands.

According to CBS News, vendors at the festival are selling shirts that say "I survived corona" and "God, guns and Trump."

South Dakota has seen 9,663 people test positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. There have been 146 deaths from the virus.

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