The Chainsmokers decided to host a charity concert in the Hamptons over the weekend. The band touted the event as a “Safe & Sound” event where people needed to “follow all social distancing guidelines.”
The event sold 600 tickets. People were asked to enjoy a “tailgate experience” within a 20-foot area. Guests were asked to stay in that area unless they needed to use a restroom. Masks were required.
But social media footage showed a different event — one packed with people grouped tightly together, singing wildly together, leading to heavy backlash against the Chainsmokers from hosting such a concert, USA Today reports.
“This irresponsibility of the Chainsmokers having any sort of event in the current climate is absolutely appalling,” tweeted @positivesteven. “I am not ok with you risking everyone’s lives just so they can watch you press a space bar all night.”
New York Health Commissioner Howard Zucker wrote in a letter to the supervisor of the town of Southampton that he was “greatly disturbed” by the event, The New York Times reports.
“I am at a loss as to how the town of Southampton could have issued a permit for such an event, how they believed it was legal and not an obvious public health threat,” Dr. Zucker wrote.
The event’s organizers, In The Know Experiences and Invisible Noise, said they followed all the “proper and current protocols,” telling guests to not leave their area, according to The New York Times.
The organizers said guests temperatures werechecked. “Security guards regularly patrolled the area to encourage mask wearing and promote social-distancing guidelines,” the organizers said.
Guests who attended the event said the concert was safe and worthwhile, per BuzzFeed News.
“There were a ton of security guards making sure people weren’t leaving their designated areas,” added Sierra Smith, another concertgoer. “(I) felt very safe and it was a ton of fun.”