Earlier this month, Smash Mouth played a controversial gig at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lead singer Steve Hartwell was even recorded on video saying to the crowd, "we're all here together tonight. F*ck that COVID sh*t."
Now, the North Dakota Department of Health say that they have identified 17 cases of COVID-19 connected to the rally and at least 103 cases spread to other states in connection.
Smash Mouth has been getting a lot of hate online for playing to a crowd clearly not wearing masks or practicing the recommended social distancing guidelines. The band recently posted a photo of a piece of "fan mail" which was a CD broken into pieces and a letter calling the band "selfish f*ckers."
Night Ranger, Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band, Buckcherry, Lit, .38 Special, Quiet Riot, Revered Horton Heat and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony also played at the Rally. The event reportedly attracted "500,000 riders, concert fanatics, and street-food enjoyers."
Source: loudersound.com