Smash Mouth says they've received hate mail from fans after taking part in a concert during an event that's since been linked to the spread of more than 100 cases of COVID-19.
The band performed an Aug. 9 concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in front of a closely-grouped crowd. Many of those in attendance were not wearing masks. During the performance, lead singer Steve Harwell was heard saying, "f*** that Covid s***."
In the weeks since the event, at least 103 cases of COVID-19 have been linked directly to the Sturgis rally. And while it's unclear how many of those cases (if any) are linked directly to the Smash Mouth concert, the band has faced criticism since its performance.
Earlier this week, the band posted a video of "recent fan mail" that they've received. It included an expletive-filled note calling the group "selfish," along with a smashed CD.
Note: The Instagram post below contains explicit language.
At the time of their performance, Smash Mouth band manager Robert Hayes said that the promoter of the concert "did a fantastic job with their COVID protocol. They had a very strict social distancing and mask policy in place for all workers."
The New York Post reports that several other musical acts performed at the concert, including Quiet Riot, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Kenny Wayne Shepard, Buckcherry and Trapt.
