Granger Smith Catching Heat for Recent Concert Amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic

Chase Rice is not the only country music artist to resume performing, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Granger Smith performed for fans in Tyler, Texas, on June 12, performing his hits “When The Good Guys Win,” “Backroad Song” and “If the Boot Fits.” Smith posted about the show on Instagram, but his posts celebrating his return to the stage have both since been deleted.

After the show, Smith shared a photo of the crowd on social media, reminding everyone that the picture was not six months old or taken before the coronavirus shutdown. “It was last night in East Texas. There were rules, and everyone followed them,” Smith wrote in the now-deleted post, reports iHeart. “It felt normal and normal feels really good. I’m posting this to try and spread some good news to those that might be searching for it…normal is making a comeback! And we’ll be seeing YOU soon!” Earl Diggles Jr. also performed, joining Smith for “Don’t Tread On Me,” “The Country Boy Song” and” ‘Merica.”

When the coronavirus shutdown orders began, Smith said in a YouTube show he was already feeling “useless” because he could not tour. He noted how hard it is for musicians to make money when most of that comes from touring, not from music sales. “Every time we put out songs, every time we put out music, every time we get streams or plays on the radio, that’s all really just an advertisement so that you guys can buy tickets to our concerts,” Smith explained on his YouTube channel. “And we are just not set up to skip out on that, we’re not set up to say we can go a few months and just not tour and just sell records, it’s not that way, I mean it’s called there’s no more money left after that.”

Smith is next scheduled to perform on Independence Day. He is the headlining act at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, where capacity will be capped at 50 percent. The show will end with a fireworks display.

Smith’s show came under the microscope on social media after Chase Rice and Chris Janson performed Saturday night. Video from Rice’s show at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee, showed fans ignoring social distancing guidelines and not wearing masks while they crowded around the stage. Janson performed for a packed crowd at the Hwy 30 Fest in Filer, Idaho. He shared a video on Instagram, but the footage was deleted late Sunday, reports Variety.