Some things in life just can’t wait. Even as the line in the sand for live events continues to push further back in the United States, the show simply must go on for some. That includes the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota where thousands of maskless, non-distanced fans gathered for a Smash Mouth concert.
The 80th annual motorcycle rally in South Dakota has seen an estimated 250,000 bikers travel to the city of Sturgis, a city with a population under 7,000, to join in a 10-day celebration of motorcycle culture, which is scheduled to continue through the 16th. As part of the festivities, the Sturgis Buffalo Chip is holding a 10-day music festival featuring performances by Smash Mouth, Buckcherry, Night Ranger, Quiet Riot, .38 Special, and many more.
On Sunday the rally concluded its first weekend in grand fashion as the one-hit-wonders behind “All Star” performed for a packed, open-air audience. On the website for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, organizers encouraged attendees to adhere to all CDC guidelines, promising that hand sanitizer would be available throughout the gathering and masks would be required in public places. However, in the pictures and videos from the concert that have since poured in online, a packed audience of leather-clad, maskless fans appears to ignore that guidance.
Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell did little to remedy the situation, as he is heard onstage saying, “We’re all here together tonight. F*ck that COVID sh*t!”
Here is a brighter video to see all the people (credit KOTATV) pic.twitter.com/P7XW46BLiS
— Connor Matteson (@mattesontv) August 10, 2020
According to CNN, more than 60 percent of people in Sturgis voted against holding the rally this year, yet the city council approved the event anyway, with city manager Daniel Ainslie saying, “So we kept hearing from people saying it doesn’t matter, they are coming to Sturgis. So with that, ultimately the council decided that it was really vital for the community to be prepared for the additional people that we’re going to end up having.”
[H/T Consequence of Sound]