Country music star Chase Rice held a large concert in east Tennessee on Saturday (June 27) at Petros’ Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.
While most stars like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson are turning to safe concert strategies like drive-in movie theaters with social distancing in place, Rice’s crowd was not social distancing or wearing face masks.
The 34-year-old shared videos from the concert on his Instagram Stories along with the caption, “We back.”
Whereas other outlets reported that attendance for the concert was at 4,000, the VP of Brushy Mountain Group, Brian May, reported to Variety that attendance was around 1,000 attendees. May told the outlet that “all local requirements were abided by for the recent concert, and numerous precautions were taken.”
May said that they provided “ample space” for fans to “spread out to their own comfort level.” All guests were reportedly given temperature checks prior to entrance and that staff and vendors were advised to wear gloves and masks.
“We were unable to further enforce the physical distancing recommended in the signage posted across the property and are looking into future alternative scenarios that further protect the attendees, artists and their crews and our employees,” he continued. “We are reevaluating the series from the top to bottom — from implementing further safety measures, to adding stanchions, to converting the space to drive-in style concerts, to postponing shows.”
See Country Stars’ Reactions to Chase Rice Concert
Kelsea Ballerini shared a video of the packed crowd with a message to Rice. “Imagine being selfish enough to put thousands of people’s health at risk,” she wrote. “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.”
Maren Morris also spoke out against the concert. “No masks,” she tweeted alongside the sad and mind-blown emojis. The “Girl” singer also shared an article concerning the impact the event can have on the spread of the disease.
Mickey Guyton also voiced her opinion on the matter. “This is happening in Tennessee where cases are spiking y’all,” she wrote. “Jesus help us.” Guyton added, “I’m shaking I’m so livid. He doesn’t give a s–t about anyone or anything but his pocket book and that is clear in this video.”
Watch a snippet from the concert, below.
