Country singer Chase Rice tells fans to 'go by the rules' after concert backlash
Singer was criticised after footage showed packed audience not wearing masks
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Country star Chase Rice did not apologise for his audience breaking social distancing guidelines, as he responded to criticism for playing a concert amid a new coronavirus spike in Tennessee.
The musician came under fire after performing to a crowd of 1,000 fans at Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary on Saturday 27 June, with footage shared by Rice on his Instagram showing a packed audience, many of whom were not wearing masks.
After being called “selfish” by fellow country music performer Kelsea Ballerini, Rice addressed the situation with a video shared to his Instagram on Monday in which he described having a “blast” but people online having a “problem” with it.
“I understand that there’s a lot of varying opinions, a lot of different opinions on Covid-19, how it works with live music crowds and what all that looks like,” he said.
“My biggest thing is y’all. Y’all are why I get to write songs, y’all are why I get to tour the country, why I get to do live shows and sing you songs and you guys sing them back. You guys are everything to me, so your safety is a huge, huge priority.”
Rice confirmed that his upcoming drive-in show in Kentucky on Friday would be going ahead, saying: “You have your own space, you can get out of your cars, you can get out of your trucks and party with me,” he said. “And the biggest thing for all of us is the safer we are now, the quicker we get to actual normal live shows, which I know we all want.”
“Thank you guys for understanding, please go by the rules, please go by the laws on this Friday show coming up and shows moving forward so we can get to regular shows soon enough.”
Over the last week, the US has seen a massive spike in its number of coronavirus cases, with experts warning that a “second wave” is coming after social distancing measures loosened.
Tennessee, where Rice’s gig took place, saw its highest ever infection count on Friday, with 1,410 new people testing positive for the disease.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments