Chainsmokers Hamptons Coronavirus Concert

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Part of a series on COVID-19 Pandemic. [View Related Entries]

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Overview

The Chainsmokers Hamptons Coronavirus Concert refers to a charity outdoor performance by the dance music duo The Chainsmokers in Southhampton, New York, on July 25th, 2020. Despite being advertised as a safe event that would abide by social distancing and safety measures to stop the spread of the coronvirus, videos of the concert became the subject of criticism, with many saying the event was unsafe. Many health and government officials denounced the concert, and online, the concert inspired a series of memes and jokes about who would attend such a gathering during a pandemic.

Background

On July 25th, 2020, The Chainsmokers and the CEO of Goldman Sachs, David M. Solomon, under the alias DJ D-Sol, performed at the "Safe & Sound" concert. Organizers of "Safe & Sound" said that the event would be a "safe and controlled environment," advertising the event as "drive-in music experience in the famous summer hot spot, the Hamptons.^[1] Tickets ranged from $850 to $10,000. The website Guest of a Guest^[4] writes:

Gold packages starting at $850 are still available, although high-rollers may opt for the $10,000 option which includes a stay at the Capri Hotel. As for the super-VIP "JAJA Like A Rockstar" package, which comes complete with your own RV for a cool $25,000? You'll have to put your name on the waitlist. But remember folks, it's all for a good cause! All profits from the celebration will be donated to national and local charities including No Kid Hungry, Southampton Fresh Air Home, and the Children’s Medical Fund of New York.

That day, Adam Alpert, the CEO of the Chainsmokers record label, Disruptor Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music, published a video of the concert. While the original video is no longer available, the following day, Twitter user @FirenzeMike tweeted the video with the caption, "The Chainsmokers had a 'Drive-in' concert in the Hamptons last night…looks like social distancing was strongly enforced 🤦🏻‍♂️….when NY gets the inevitable spike just blame these rich selfish white people Via IG:adamalpert." The post received more than 7.1 million views, 13,000 likes and 8,900 retweets in less than two days (shown below).

Developments

Government Response

Days later, on July 27th, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared the video and tweeted,^[2] "Videos from a concert held in Southampton on Saturday show egregious social distancing violations. I am appalled. The Department of Health will conduct an investigation. We have no tolerance for the illegal & reckless endangerment of public health." The post received more than 36,000 likes and 11,000 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below).

That day, New York's Health Commissioner Howard Zucker wrote a letter to Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, denouncing the concert.^[3] He wrote:

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.

Online Reaction

The concert inspired several conversations on Reddit, including posts on the /r/electronicmusic,^[5] /r/Coronavirus,^[6] /r/EDM,^[7] /r/CorporateFacepalm^[8] and more.

It also inspired numerous memes and jokes on Twitter. For example, on July 27th, Twitter^[9] user @itsKRILLA posted a text-based version of the Epic Handshake meme, stating the concert attendees and real chainsmokers both have "critical lung issues." The post received more than 1,900 likes and 385 retweets in less than 24 hours (shown below, left). Twitter^[10] user @chisanashi tweeted, "y’all risked corona………for the ….. chainsmokers……." The tweet received more than 485,000 likes and 79,000 retweets in less than two days (shown below, center). Throughout the day, others shared jokes and criticisms of the concert (example below, right).