It seems that each hour that passes after the conclusion of the Chainsmoker’s Drive-In event held in the Hamptons this weekend, more information is released of how poorly run and reckless sit was.
The famous duo performed at a charity drive-in (for Kid Hungry, Southampton Fresh Air Home, and the Children’s Medical Fund of New York) that was thrown by Know Experience.
Safety Taken
Drive-in events around the US have been successful thus far. Requirements of the events are extremely similar to those that we have to follow, per the CDC, in our regular lives: masks must be worn, temperature checks, available sanitizer, and so on. During the drive-ins, cars must be parked in their designated spots that are 10 ft or more from the nearby cars. Those in the car must stay in the area unless heading to bathrooms (with a mask on). Security of these events, so far, have been heavily attentive on following these guidelines.
Videos
Unfortunately, this event is now under investigation by the state of New York. The duo performed for many of New York’s elite of South Hampton and surrounding areas. Since then, videos posted by attendees began circulating that night and into the morning. These show immense disorganization of the event. Particularly, almost no social distancing was done amongst the attendees.
It’s very easy to see attendees were not remaining in their car’s designated area and moving from car to car to congregate with friends. Along with that, masks are seen on very few.
The event allowed roughly 550 cars. With each car holding 4 people, the attendance of the show was up to at least 2,000. What is the MOST alarming thing that we see is crowd in front of the stage. In no way does this crowd look different from a crowd pre-COVID.
Investigation Details
Thankfully, the news traveled to New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo. He tweeted Monday morning, shown below, his disgust and that New York’s Department of Health will be investigating the event. The DOH has sent a letter to Southampton Town Supervisor, Jay Schneiderman, notifying him of an open investigation into the concert. Additionally, the letter states that the supervisor has 24 hours to provide permit for the event and what security measures were taken.
Statements Released So Far
As if that wasn’t enough already, Goldman Sachs CEO and DJ D-Sol performed at the event. He opened the event off with an hour-long set. and praised the event Monday morning. In his statement, he shows no sign of concern for how things went:
“Standing up there and watching the sunset, looking out over this huge field of cars and people on their cars, it was absolutely beautiful.”
The organizers released a statement late Monday expressing that they did indeed follow all guidelines:
The video that everyone is talking about was taken from an angle that doesn’t properly convey how careful we were to follow the guidelines created by the CDC. We did everything in our power to enforce New York’s social distancing guidelines and collaborated with all state and local health officials to keep everyone safe.
The Chainsmokers have yet to comment on the event.