The Sturgis Buffalo Chip in South Dakota is one of the largest events to take place in the U.S. ever since the coronavirus pandemic started earlier this year. The event is so large that Smash Mouth drew a crowd of thousands of people — Trapt, however, did not.
The multi-day festival takes place at the Black Hills and Badlands, which have listed their safety precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 on their website.
Among the methods listed are signs located at each entry point “reminding guests to remain socially distant, encouraging the use of face coverings and explaining recommendations from the CDC to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.” Hand sanitizer and masks would also be readily available for use and purchase, respectively.
When Trapt took the stage on Aug. 9 the crowd seemed quite small, and thus “socially distanced,” in a photo posted on Twitter by Consequence of Sound. Trapt, in turn, fired back at the publication with another photo from the stage view.
“The nerds in Consequence find the moment with least amount of people front of stage, like the first song of an opening set, to prove no one showed up to this,” the band wrote as the caption. See both tweets below.
Smash Mouth, on the other hand, played a later set, which drew thousands in. As one can see from some videos from the performance, hardly any of the attendees in the crowd were wearing facial coverings. In one of the clips, frontman Steve Harwell can be heard saying, “Now, we’re all here together tonight… Fuck that COVID shit!”
Watch below.
Also set to play the festival throughout the week are Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, Night Ranger, Lit, .38 Special, Quiet Riot, Adelitas Way and more.
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