Just as we were once told, the world continues to roll us, but according to the bands and attendees at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip, part of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in (you guessed it) Sturgis, South Dakota, it didn’t make sense not to live for fun, despite the still very real risk of coronavirus infection. Videos of the band Smash Mouth playing to a packed crowd, most of them singing along sans mask and approximately none of them practicing social distancing effectively, emerged on Sunday evening. “Now we’re all here together tonight, and we’re being human once again,†front man Steve Harwell can be heard telling the crowd in tweets posted by KOTA-TV reporter Connor Matteson, which you can see below. “Fuck that COVID shit!â€
This week, Buffalo Chip attendees can also treat themselves to bands like Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, Night Ranger, Reverend Horton Heat, Lit, Quiet Riot, and .38 Special. Organizers reportedly expect 250,000 visitors over the festival’s ten-day run, which kicked off on August 7. While the Buffalo Chip has health and safety guidelines posted to their website, including mandatory mask usage when guests enter the amphitheater, well, you can see the videos yourself. Or, as a very prophetic man once sang, “My world’s on fire. How ‘bout yours? / That’s the way I like it, and I’ll never get bored.â€