Smash Mouth plays huge concert, video shows little social distancing

Aug. 10, 2020Updated: Aug. 10, 2020 2:54 p.m.

Steve Harwell, lead singer for Smash Mouth, performs during Alive@Five in Columbus Park in Stamford, Conn., on Thursday, July 24, 2014. Hearst Connecticut Media Group is a sponsor of the event.Jason Rearick

The legendary Sturgis Motorcyle rally in South Dakota expected 250,000 guests this weekend, only a third of its all-time high of 739,000 in 2015, but still enough to raise serious concerns about the potential spread of the coronavirus.

Bay Area legends Smash Mouth performed at the event’s yearly concert series to a large outdoor crowd of excited bikers Sunday night. The venue was at 50% of its typical capacity, but videos from the event show few in the crowd wore masks or appeared to be social distancing.

The group defended the concert in a statement supplied to Billboard, with band manager Robert Hayes stating that “the promoter did a fantastic job with their Covid protocol. They had a very strict social distancing and mask policy in place for all workers.” He went on the stress the “endless hours” spent to ensure the concert happened as safely as possible. SFGATE reached out to Smash Mouth for comment, and were referred to the statement given to Billboard.

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Unfortunately, content circulating on social media showed a different story when it came to the crowd. The City of Sturgis spokesman stated that masks were not mandatory, despite state recommendations for them. Social distancing and mask signage was posted throughout the park along with hand sanitizer stations, but the message seems not to have made it to the fans, who gathered in close proximity and appeared to be mostly without face coverings.

Watch videos of the scene below:

Dan Gentile is a culture editor at SFGATE. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com | Twitter: @Dannosphere