DaBaby show criticised as social distancing measures don’t appear to be enforced

Concert promoters have been criticised after footage from DaBaby’s Fourth Of July show appears to show social distancing measures weren’t enforced.

  • Read more: Live after lockdown: venues on the idea of gigs with social distancing

The star performed at Cosmopolitan Premier Lounge in Decatur, Georgia last night (July 4), despite coronavirus cases in the state rapidly increasing.

Ahead of the show, organiser MyDJDre told TMZ that the venue would only be filled to 40 percent of its usual 4,000-person capacity and there would be a no mask, no entry rule in place, with masks required to stay on for the duration of the event. Attendees would also be required to have a temperature check done and answer health screening questions at the door.

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DaBaby was also said to only be allowing three people on stage with him. However, video footage from the event shows a row of people stood at the back of the stage, albeit seemingly at a safe distance from the star (although not from each other).

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@dababy just hit the stage @cosmopolitanloungeatl

A post shared by iLoveMyPlug – C.E.O. (@djkuttthroat) on

In the crowd, meanwhile, many fans could be seen with no masks on or masks pulled down onto their chins and not adhering to social distancing measures.

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#AboutLastNight ? @dababy brought @stunna4vegas and the whole city came out 2️⃣ @cosmopolitanloungeatl ? TONIGHT WE BACK AT IT WITH @moneybaggyo @blacyoungsta @lilmarlo_1 ‼️

A post shared by iLoveMyPlug – C.E.O. (@djkuttthroat) on

 

Fans criticised the promoter of the show on social media, calling holding the event “irresponsible”. “I wouldn’t be bragging that “the whole city came out” in the middle of a pandemic,” commented on Instagram user on one of the promoter’s videos.

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Another added: “This is so irresponsible. You should be ashamed.”

On Twitter, more fans expressed their concerns over the show. “I absolutely love Dababy and his music but this is such an awful idea,” wrote one fan. “Risking thousands of lives for a silly ass concert is so foolish. Cancel this ridiculousness.”

Another gig is set to take place at the same venue tonight (July 5) with Moneybagg Yo, Blac Youngsta and Lil Marlo.

DaBaby’s show follows country star Chase Rice performing to a huge crowd of unmasked fans in Tennessee last month (June 27). The musician later responded to criticism in an Instagram video, saying: “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 told his fans: “My biggest thing is y’all. Y’all are why I get to write songs, 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.”

In the UK, only 13 percent of grassroots venues have said they could reopen with two-metre social distancing rules in place.

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