Jason Myers Chase Rice and Chris Janson both got to do what they love most this past weekend: play live music in front of their fans. They've paid something of a price for it though, catching criticism for performing for crowds of people when proper social distancing didn't seem to be in place.

Prior to Saturday night's concert in Tennessee, Chase talked about the strain of not being able to do shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, having committed early on to keep paying his employees.

"Financially, it's pretty crushing," Chase told ABC Audio. "It's not fun, I'll say that. But at the same time... you're the boss. I mean, you've got to set an example."

"And for me, I've lived with these guys for seven years, some of 'em, and I'm not just gonna cut it off," he added. "You know, at some point, I'll run out of money, though."

The "Lonely If You Are" hitmaker says that would leave him with few options.

"I mean, at some point, I'll have to start cutting pay if this continues," Chase predicts. "And that's gonna be a terrible day when that happens. But hopefully we'll get back to touring here and I won't have to."

"But eventually, once I run out of money, what do you do, you know?" Chase says. "Hopefully this B.S. ends and we can get back to music, and that's all I can really hope for."

Right now, it doesn't look like Chase plans to slow down much. He's next set to play a socially-distanced outdoor concert Friday night at Paramount Arts Center in Ashland, Kentucky, followed by quite a few dates at drive-in theaters.

By Stephen Hubbard
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