Smash Mouth Plays Big Concert During Sturgis, Thousands Attend

Late ’90s rock band Smash Mouth recently played a big concert during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and it’s reported that thousands of people attended. The annual rally — which is held in Sturgis, South Dakota — also features a 10-day festival of concerts, tattoos, and a roller derby. In addition to Smash Mouth, the festival also featured other past rock and metal bands like Trapt, Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, and Quiet Riot.

Consequence of Sound reports that, even though Buffalo Chip organizers attempted to encourage attendees to follow CDC guidelines for social distancing, thousands of people showed up to see Smash Mouth. The bands singer, Steve Harwell, was quoted as saying to the crowd, “We’re all here together tonight! F— that COVID s—!” Consequence of Sound also noted that the crowd for Smash Mouth’s set was not necessarily an average, as some of the other bands had significantly less turnouts. The outlet referred to a couple photos of Trapt’s set that have been shared, which show a much smaller audience. There is no word the approximate number of attendees for either concert.

The festival made headlines back in July, when it was revealed that the organizers would not be requiring masks to be worn, nor would the expect attendees to follow proper social distancing guidelines, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Instead, they simply encouraged these measures. The organizers even stated that they would have festival workers handing out masks at the entrance, for anyone who wanted to wear one. Spin noted that the amphitheater hosting the festival was said be having its capacity reduced to 50 percent, but it is unclear if that took place, based on the photos and video that have surfaced.

“We are going to have quite a few people here, not nearly as many as everybody would have expected but we are going to have a lot of people here,” Buffalo Chip owner Rod Woodruff told Newscenter1. “And they’re all coming to have a good time and to see friends that they haven’t seen probably for a year.” Wearing a mask and following social distance guidelines have grown increasingly political, but health experts say that they simply to help limit the spread of COVID-19, which continues to infect Americans all over the country. The nation recently climbed over five million cases of the potentially deadly illness.