Approximately 500 people attended the show at Aftermath in Columbus, Ohio, NBC News reports, and many of them—including members of the venue’s staff—were reportedly not wearing a mask or practicing social distancing during the performance.
On Monday, the Ohio Investigative Unit revealed that Aftermath would receive a citation for violating coronavirus health guidelines, and noted that the venue made no real effort to keep people at a distance. It’s unclear what the precise fallout will be for Aftermath, as the department said that the Ohio Liquor Control Commission will have to determine citation fees and whether or not to suspend, or revoke, the establishment’s liquor license.
“Basically, it was just a concert environment,” Ohio Investigative Unit enforcement commander Eric Wolf told WCMH, a local NBC News affiliate. “If you had taken that event and put it in 2019, it would have been pretty much the same concert, same event that was taking place last night.”
While the future of the club may be in jeopardy, some people on social media were astonished that so many people would be willing to put their own lives at risk to attend a concert in the middle of a pandemic. Twitter was flooded with comments from folks who had a mouthful to say about the event, and how it could potentially further the spread of coronavirus across the area. Some were also just stunned that people were willing to take such a risk to see Songz, of all artists.
“Not only did yall risk your lives to go to a club in Ohio of all places, but yall risked your lives to see Trey Songz?” one person wrote on Twitter on Monday.
“Y’all really risking your lives and health for… a Trey Songz concert?” wrote another.
Some people thought that Songz should be the one to bear most of the blame over the event, considering the fact that he is a celebrity with a large following of fans, many of whom come from areas and communities that have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.
“Black people willing to die for a Trey Songz is a full indictment on celeb culture. Imagine being a Black celeb and throwing a concert without people wearing masks during a pandemic that’s killing Black people at higher rates compared to anyone else. Trey should be canceled,” one Twitter user wrote.
One Twitter user thought Songz should be more than just canceled; rather, they said that the “Back Home” singer should be the one paying a fine for even agreeing to perform.
“How was this allowed to be booked? Clubs and bars are supposed to be closed. Trey Songz should be fined! Openly disregarding the rules..law…and possibly becoming a super spreader.. this is disgusting. People will get sick..some will die .and family members..” the user tweeted.
More than 484,000 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed across the state of Ohio. Another 9,273 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Ohio on Monday, marking the sixth-highest number of daily reported cases in the state.
