Country singer Chase Rice has responded to criticism of a concert packed with no appearances of social distance or masks by saying that his next scheduled appearance will be a drive-in show.
Rice posted a video to Instagram on Monday in which she addressed the controversy over a video she posted about a show in East Tennessee on Saturday night saying her next show would take more precautions.
“You are everything to me, so your safety is a high priority,” he said. “So in the future I have a show in Ashland, Kentucky, on Friday, and it’s a drive-in show.” Take your trucks, take your cars, you have your own space. Sing the songs, but stay in your own space, stay with the people you came with. “
Country superstars Keith Urban and Garth Brooks have recently performed in theater shows to help maintain social distance.
Rice did not apologize for the scene at the previous show, which organizers said about 1,000 people attended at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, an outdoor concert venue in a former prison.
“Literally nothing of substance in that video,” wrote one commenter on Instagram. “You didn’t even mean to apologize.”
“I love you Chase, but you didn’t apologize,” wrote another. ” Covid is not a matter of opinion, it is dangerous. You put lives in danger. It is selfish “.
Brian May, vice president of the Brushy Mountain Group, told Variety that the crowd was dramatically reduced at the site, which can hold 10,000 people, and that guests and employees received temperature controls and vendors and staff received masks.
Courtney Harris, a fan who said she was next to the stage at one point in the show, told Kristen Dahlgren Tuesday TODAY that she was not wearing a mask and that “everyone was around” but it was “at her own discretion” . about how close you wanted to reach other fans.
Harris recalled seeing a Rice guitarist as the only one wearing a mask.
“It’s just that everyone will finally get it at some point, whether you wear a mask, or you know it,” he said.
The initial video released by Rice also generated criticism from one of her fellow singers, Kelsea Ballerini.
“Imagine being selfish enough to risk the health of thousands of people, not to mention the possible domino effect, and playing a NORMAL concert in the country right now. @ChaseRiceMusic, We all want (and need) to tour. We only care about our fans and their families enough to wait, “Ballerini tweeted to his million followers.
Tennessee has had more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases reported since Saturday, although there has been no direct connection between the surge in cases and Rice’s concert.
“The most important thing for all of us is the safer we are now, the faster we get to real and normal live shows, which I know we all want,” Rice said in her video Monday.
Rice was not the only country singer to provoke a backlash when Chris Janson removed the footage he posted of a live show in Filer, Idaho, on Saturday night. Idaho has had more coronavirus cases reported in the past week than in the entire month of May.
