Country singer Chase Rice sparked the wrath of the music industry and potentially put hundreds of his fans at risk when he performed at a concert in East Tennessee on Saturday. About 1,000 people attended, standing shoulder to shoulder, with no face mask in sight. Rice encouraged the audience to sing, and even marveled at the size of the crowd in a post-show Instagram video.
Understandably, many of his fellow musicians are angered by the footage and video from the concert, concerned that it may exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus and delay his own return to the tour (which is a major source of income for many artists). “The people in this audience, along with the presenters of this show, make sure that conscientious musicians will not be able to work on their jobs for a while, and that conscientious audiences will not be able to see shows for the foreseeable future, and be frank, that’s bullshit, ”John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats tweeted in response to the concert.
On Monday, Rice finally addressed the incident, but seemed relatively unfazed by criticism. In an Instagram video, Rice says: “I understand that there are many different opinions, many different opinions on COVID-19, how it works with crowds of live music and what all that looks like. My biggest thing is you. You are why I can write songs, that’s why I have the opportunity to tour the country, why I have to do live shows and sing these songs for you and you sing them again. You are everything to me, so your safety is a high priority. “
Rice may say security is a high priority for him, but he never apologizes for putting his fans at risk. He is also not canceling the upcoming tour dates he has scheduled. Instead, in the video, Rice proceeds to promote his Friday night concert in a Kentucky drive-in, while offering some lackluster pleas to maintain social distancing practices.
“You can take your trucks, take your cars. You have your own space, you can get out of your cars, you can get out of your trucks and have fun with me. Please sing the songs, but stay in your own space, stay with the people you came with, “says Rice.
Rice has never been one to take the coronavirus particularly seriously. When the pandemic first broke out in March, he responded with an ironic song called “Dear Crown,” apparently mocking the severity of the virus. Four months later, more than 130,000 Americans have died.
For the sake of music fans and touring musicians everywhere, don’t be Chase Rice. Buy a mask, practice social distancing, and follow the guidance of health professionals, so that we can all return to the well in the near future, without the threat of potentially infecting those around us.
