Carrie Underwood's Packed Festival Performance Sparks Concerns Amid Delta Variant Surge

Carrie Underwood performed to a massive crowd at the Barefoot Country Music Festival in New Jersey and the "Before He Cheats" singer shared some photos and videos from the event on Instagram. She showed off her famous, mile-long legs in some of the photos and also shared a video of herself performing in front of a huge crowd in the pouring rain. "I'm siiiiiiinging in the rain," she wrote. "Such a fun night in Jersey at the [Barefoot Country Music Festival] !!! I couldn't have hoped for a better crowd…or better weather! Thanks for the [love]!"

While many fans on Instagram praised her for her return to the stage, many others pointed out the rise in COVID-19 cases due to the extremely contagious delta variant, noting that there were very few (if any) masks being worn in the crowd. "Masks work, Carrie," wrote one fan in the comments. "And no masks....." wrote another follower. "This is why we still have high COVID numbers," quipped another follower.

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"Huge fan of her's but appreciate Garth [Brooks]'s decision to cancel concerts so much more. Praying people's health won't be negatively impacted by delta variant at this/these concerts," wrote another concerned fan. "Do you not worry when you look out to the crowd and say to yourself - how many are unvaccinated how many without a mask and how many will test positive thanks to my concert?" wrote another. "Look at all that COVID," wrote another.

Underwood recently came under fire for liking an anti-mask message from conservative commentator Matt Walsh. On Aug. 12, he posted a video of himself at a Nashville school board meeting, during which he spoke out against the use of a mask mandate for schools in the city. In the video, Walsh makes a series of false statements about both the pandemic itself and the use of masks. At one point, he said that COVID-19 poses "almost no threat to our kids at all" (NPR reported that COVID-19 cases amongst children are increasing amid the rise of the delta variant, which has led to an increase in child hospitalizations). Additionally, he said that making children wear masks in school was akin to "child abuse."

It's unclear when Underwood liked this tweet. But, it is still listed under the "likes" section on her Twitter account. While Underwood has not yet responded to the controversy, Walsh did issue a series of statements in which he downplayed the matter, per The Wrap. Many of Underwood's supporters have also spoken out about the situation, with several voicing their disappointment over the singer liking such a message. One individual wrote, "It's not just that Carrie Underwood liked an anti-mask tweet. It's that Carrie Underwood liked an anti-mask tweet from Matt Walsh, one of those most negligently histrionic voices on the topic of protecting kids from COVID."