NYS Investigates Chainsmokers Concert in Hamptons

Posted on by Sophie Robinson

A charity concert in the Hamptons this weekend is under investigation after video footage shows concert attendees ignoring public health precautions such as social distancing.

What We Know:

  • The concert, which was called Safe & Sound, featured American music duo The Chainsmokers as the feature performance. There was an array of other performances including one from the CEO of Goldman Sachs David M. Solomon who is also known as D.J. D-Sol and another from Jay Schneiderman, the supervisor of the Town of Southampton, where the concert was located.
  • According to Billboard, tickets for the charity concert ranged from $1250 up to $25,000, with all profits going to local charities including No Kid Hungry, Children’s Medical Fund of NY, and Southampton Fresh Air Home.
  • Organizers described the event as a “drive-in music experience in the famous summer hot spot, the Hamptons”. The approved plan was that guests would be able to sit outside by their parked cars in spaced-out areas, following social distancing guidelines, to watch the performances. Unfortunately, video footage and pictures from the event show that some guidelines may have been ignored, with attendees crowding together close to the stage.
Both images are from the Safe & Sound Charity Concert in Southampton Saturday.

  • Prior to the event, organizers said, “Safe & Sound will set the bar for a new era of immersive experiences. This will be a safe and controlled environment, setting the bar for all events to come.” But by the following Monday, the concert had sparked conversation and outrage over social media and caught the attention of state officials like New York’s Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
  • Zucker wrote a letter to Schneiderman to address the concert event, saying he was greatly disturbed by the thousands of people who failed to adhere to social distancing guidelines. “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.”
  • Cuomo announced that he was launching an investigation with the Department of Health into the concert which he described as an “illegal & reckless endangerment of public health”. Cuomo later told reporters he was taking it very seriously because all the rules set in place were ignored, so “that has civil fines and the potential for criminal liability”. Cuomo also called the event a “gross violation” of public health rules and “common sense” and “grossly disrespectful” to New Yorkers.

  • At a news conference in Southhampton on Tuesday, Schneiderman told reporters that while no spectators gathered at the stage while he was performing with his band, they were later allowed to crowd in front of the stage, directly violating the permit for the event. Schneiderman also shared that the town is completing an investigation of its own.
  • In an emailed statement, the organizers said that they followed all safety protocols at the event, sharing that guests were repeatedly told they could not leave their designated areas which were spaced at least 6 feet apart. They also shared that guests’ temperatures were taken prior to entry and security guards monitored the area, encouraging attendees to wear masks and social distance. The organizers did not address any questions regarding their knowledge of attendees breaking the rules.
  • Criticism of the event engulfed social media, with many saying it was a representation of the attitude and disregard wealthy New Yorkers, the main demographic of vacationers in the Hamptons, have towards the dangers of the coronavirus, which has disproportionately hurt low-income populations.

The Department of Health has not yet released an update on the investigation.

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