A few weeks ago, “All Star” purveyors Smash Mouth decided to perform at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Footage taken during their set at the ten-day festival showed thousands of people in the audience, packed closely together with very few masks in sight. Given the times we’re in, that concert and the rally overall were a recipe for disaster. Indeed, disaster is what’s been made, as recent reports regarding new coronavirus cases indicate: Over 100 cases of COVID-19 have been connected to the event.
Here is a brighter video to see all the people (credit KOTATV) pic.twitter.com/P7XW46BLiS
— Connor Matteson (@mattesontv) August 10, 2020
As Brooklyn Vegan notes, The North Dakota Department of Health identified seventeen in-state coronavirus cases that are related to the rally, while a South Dakota Health Department spokesperson found an additional 40 cases. The Associated Press also reports that at least 103 connected cases have also spread to Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell, by the way, was dismissive of the pandemic, as he said on stage, “We’re all here together tonight! F*ck that COVID sh*t!” Subsequently, the band’s inbox has not been a warm place for them. Earlier this week, the group shared some fan mail they received recently, which contained an expletive-laden letter and a broken Smash Mouth CD.