mvm.

Upon discovering this recent news, I automatically assumed that it was a parody article. Boy, how wrong was I.

Shocked, I ventured to find out more information. Then I soon discovered the concert was based in South Dakota, America – then I wasn’t so shocked.

With the county seemingly being the only ones not adhering to COVID rules – because Americans do not have the brain capability to adhere to such complicated rules – it’s devastating to see events like these authorised to go ahead during a pandemic that has already taken thousands of lives across the world.

“Now, we’re all here together tonight … Fuck that COVID shit!”

Steve Harwell, Smash Mouth frontman

Top marks, lads.

Sturgis Buffalo Chip in South Dakota is a multi-day festival that attracts hundreds of thousands of people each year and offers attendees everything from bike and stunt shows, shopping, live music and various events. It’s estimated to attract 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts. I mean, it’s not estimated. That number seems to be present during this years’ festival on August 9th.

It seemed that some artists couldn’t bear to wait more months, so just were happy to get their concert pay and perform like nothing was going on.

Now, among Smash Mouth there were among other bands performing such as Drowning Pool and Quiet Riot, but released videos of the night soon amassed a gathering online for Smash Mouth and caused a viral sh_t-storm.

Photos and videos from the band’s performance indicated that most – if not all – of the attendees were not wearing masks or even adhering to social distancing guidelines with many strangers shoulder to shoulder in the audience.

According to the site themselves, they assured us that signs were posted to encourage the use of face masks and adhering social distancing within one another. Now, I don’t know how small these signs were, but it seems that that message was lost somewhere and that’s on the site for not actioning this as thoroughly as planned. You can argue that the audience should no better, but they were Americans. So, no – they don’t.

Funny thing is, this wasn’t the first occurrence of America putting on mass live music gatherings. Rapper Tech N9ne performed to a packed audience just the day before in Missouri.

It’s truly laughable to witness the downfall of the American society. Hopefully there will be a direct correlation of gig attendees and a rise of cases in the South Dakota area so something will manage to slot in place in those pea-sized brains of theirs to suggest that maybe just maybe being close to another spreads the disease quicker?

With such a sheer disregard to the global health crisis we have on our hands, how can these selfish events simply be continued without any sense of authority of regulating and adhering to the rules provided?

With so many others taking horrendous sacrifices across the UK and the world in live music and the industry itself, why is this justified and simply be allowed to continue across the pond?

How can a country move forward with, answers when they are not clearly making the situation worse with this utter madness?

Of course, with a president such as Donald Trump in charge – who has been known to disregard the pandemic entirely and blame China like a school child, mind – is it any wonder that the respective public under the power of a man like him are going to events like this?

I wish I have the answers, but I don’t. It’s alright though because it seems that no one else does either.