Country singer Chase Rice criticised for playing ‘packed’ Tennessee show during coronavirus spike

Audience members were reportedly given temperature checks and hand sanitiser before entering the venue

Country star Chase Rice has come under fire for hosting a concert with seemingly no social distancing measures in place amid a new coronavirus spike.

The “Eyes on You” singer, who has worked with Florida Georgia Line over the years, performed at the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee on Saturday (27 June) night.

As reported by TMZ, the venue’s capacity was cut from 10,000 to 4,000 ahead of the concert, with only around 1,000 people actually showing up and all audience members reportedly given temperature checks and hand sanitiser before entering the venue.

However, footage of the shared on social media by Rice suggested little or no social distancing was in place at the concert, while very few members of the audience wore masks.

Responding to the clip, which was taken from Rice’s Instagram Story, fellow country music performer Kelsea Ballerini tweeted: “Imagine being selfish enough to put thousands of people’s health at risk, not to mention the potential ripple effect, and play a NORMAL country concert right now.”

She continued: “@ChaseRiceMusic, We all want (and need) to tour. We just care about our fans and their families enough to wait.”

Rice intends to continue his tour at a number of socially distanced venues across the United States throughout the summer.

Over the last week, the US has seen a massive spike in its number of coronavirus cases, with experts warning that a “second wave” is coming after social distancing measures loosened.

Tennessee, where Rice’s gig took place, saw its highest ever infection count on Friday, with 1,410 new people testing positive for the disease.