An angry Kid Rock canceled two concerts in Texas over the weekend after more than half of his band contracted COVID-19 following a jam-packed performance earlier this month during the motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, that has been linked to almost 200 infections.
“I am pissed,” Kid Rock — whose real name is Bob Ritchie — tweeted Thursday. “Over half the band has fucking covid (not me), and before u shit for brains bloggers and media trolls run your mouths, many of them, like me, have been vaccinated.”
Band members’ COVID-19 cases, including the vaccination breakthroughs, could be linked to their performance early this month in Sturgis where some 700,000 bikers gathered to show off, party and pack concerts. Masks, social distancing and vaccinations were not required.
Kid Rock’s concert was part of a lineup of performances organized by the rally. It was two days after the Aug. 6-15 biker festival began.
The rally contributed to an already growing rate of coronavirus cases in the state. South Dakota COVID-19 cases soared 456% from the start of the rally to last week, CBS News reported.
Meade County, where Sturgis is located, has become “red-hot” with new cases, reaching a per capita rate similar to the hardest-hit Southern states, according to The Associated Press. The county reported the highest rate of cases in the state over the last two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.
But the bikers also carried cases back to their communities, with 178 cases in five states so far linked to the event, the AP reported.
Conservative GOP South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem endorsed the event, even participating in a rally charity ride. Her support for the bash was all about “personal choices,” she told Fox News.
But infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci warned of the potentially deadly health consequences of the rally.
“It’s understandable that people want to do the ... things they want to do; they want their freedom to do that,” Fauci said in the early days of the event. “But there comes a time when you’re dealing with a public health crisis that could involve you, your family and everyone else that ... supersedes that need to do exactly what you want to do.”
Followers on Twitter didn’t cut Kid Rock a whole lot of slack.