Another TikTok video has spelled disaster for a musician after going viral. In recent days, a woman posted a clip to TikTok where she explained that she went to her town’s local wine and beer festival. The event hosted a performance by Smash Mouth, the late 1990s to early 2000s Rock-Pop band that gave us hits like “All Star” and Shrek‘s famed “I’m a Believer.”
The group’s classics have continued to be staples for DJs around the world, but this beer and wine festival was “chaotic,” according to the TikToker. In her video, Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell looked to be intoxicated and did not seem to be into the performance at all.
He stumbled around the stage, yelled expletives at the audience, threw around a few threats, at one point stopped performing altogether, and looked to give the Nazi salute. The video caused a wave of backlash and later, Harwell’s representative surfaced with an explanation. The singer was reportedly diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and acute Wernicke encephalopathy, affecting his speech, memory, and motor functions.
“Despite Steve’s best efforts to work through these ailments, he is heartbroken to share that it has become impossible for him to continue doing what he loves most, performing in front of the band’s millions of fans around the world,” his rep said. “Steve has been dealing with long-term medical issues over the last eight years and during his last performance at the Big Sip stage, he suffered numerous symptoms directly linked with his current medical situation.”
“As of today, Steve will be retiring from Smash Mouth to focus on his physical and mental health.” Watch the TikTok video below.
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