Great White Singer Will ‘Never’ Apologize for Controversial Show

Great White singer Mitch Malloy is essentially removing his name from the band’s apology for a concert they played a couple weeks ago.

Great White performed at First on First: Dickinson Summer Nights in Dickinson, N.D., where Malloy lives, on July 9. Footage from the event showed that many attendees weren’t following COVID-19 protocols for gatherings, including social distancing and the wearing of facial coverings.

The show prompted an apology from the band at the time, but Malloy recently posted a photo of three women at the event who were wearing masks. “Front row, Great White show … in my home town of Dickinson, N.D.,” he wrote on Facebook. “Fake news said no masks, no social distancing. I keep saying otherwise, and this pic proves my point. I never apologized. And never will. It was an awesome gig at my good buddies’ festival for my hometown crowd.”

April Getz, who coordinated First on First, said, when the series was announced, that promoters were not going to enforce social distancing and mask guidelines recommended by the CDC and other public health organizations around the world.

“It’s one of those things where, if people feel comfortable coming down and mixing and mingling, that’s their personal choice,” she said. “We’re leaving it up to everybody that chooses to attend.”

Great White’s original statement noted that they “understand that there are some people who are upset that we performed this show during this trying time. We assure you that we worked with the promoter. North Dakota’s government recommends masks be worn. However, we are not in a position to enforce the laws.

“We have had the luxury of hindsight, and we would like to apologize to those who disagree with our decision to fulfill our contractual agreement.”

The band explained that the “promoter and staff were nothing but professional and assured us of the safety precautions. Our intent was simply to perform our gig, outside, in a welcoming, small town. We value the health and safety of each and every one of our fans, as well as our American and global community. We are far from perfect.”