Chase Rice performs controversial show during spike in Covid-19 cases
Music fans were packed together...
Last updated 12th May 2021
On Saturday night Chase Rice performed to 1,000 people in Tennessee. He shared videos on his own Instagram story which caused controversy showing the audience appearing to ignore social distancing guidelines.
Rice performed at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, a former prison which has been converted into an event centre.
The office of the Governor of Tennessee has published Guidelines for Attractions, Large Venues & Large Community Events which 'strongly encourage guests to wear cloth face coverings' and that venues should 'maintain 6 feet of distance between non-household or non-associated persons'.
According to TMZ, the venue has a capacity of 10,000. However, the venue cut capacity to 4,000 (more than the Tennessee Governor suggests) to maintain social distancing. It is estimated that only 1,000 people attended the show.
But in Chase Rice's videos they appear to have bunched together in the crowd and were largely not wearing face coverings.
Kelsea Ballerini called out Chase Rice on Twitter:
Imagine being selfish enough to put thousands of people’s health at risk, not to mention the potential ripple effect, and play a NORMAL country concert right now. @ChaseRiceMusic , We all want (and need) to tour. We just care about our fans and their families enough to wait. 🤷🏼‍♀️
Tennessee reported its highest-ever Coronavirus infection count on Friday with 1,410.
On the same day as Chase's gig, the USA as a whole recorded their largest single-day increase in cases during the pandemic.
In the UK you can stay up to date with the latest government advice for staying safe here.