Smash Mouth singer announces retirement after chaotic Upstate NY show, cites health issues

Smash Mouth

This file photo shows Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell performing at the Taste of Syracuse on June 2, 2018, in Syracuse, N.Y. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell announced his retirement Tuesday, days after video from a chaotic concert in Upstate New York went viral.

Harwell, 54, told TMZ that he’s retiring because his health issues have become too much to handle.

“Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a Rockstar performing in front of sold-out arenas and have been so fortunate to live out that dream. To my bandmates, it’s been an honor performing with you all these years and I can’t think of anyone else I would have rather gone on this wild journey with,” Harwell said in a statement.

Harwell was seen slurring his words, threatening a fan, and even appearing to give a Nazi salute during a performance at The Big Sip beer festival in Bethel, N.Y., on Saturday. Video clips shared by TikTok user @doesthisfeelgood showed a number of technical issues, including feedback and blown-out speakers as Harwell appeared to grow increasingly frustrated on stage.

“F--- you bitches,” Harwell said while raising two middle fingers.

“I’ll f---ing kill your whole family, I swear to God,” he later told one audience member.

Smash Mouth

These video stills by TikTok user @doesthisfeelgood show Smash Mouth singer Steve Harwell performing at The Big Sip beer and wine festival in Bethel, N.Y., on Oct. 9, 2021.

Harwell, the voice of Smash Mouth hits like “All Star,” “Walking on the Sun” and the “Shrek” soundtrack cover of the Monkees’ “I’m a Believer,” was also seen dropping a drink and swaying on stage at Bethel’s two-day beer and wine festival, previously known as Wine Festival and Craft: Beer, Spirits and Food Festival.

Smash Mouth, which performed at the Taste of Syracuse in 2018 and Oswego Harborfest in 2019, has struggled with a number of issues in recent years. The band was criticized last year for performing at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota despite widespread Covid-19 concerns.

Harwell was also briefly replaced by an unidentified friend of the band during a hiatus last month due to health concerns, including cardiomyopathy and heart failure. A rep for the group told TMZ last week that he was taking medication to manage his condition and could resume performing, but Saturday’s show appears to have been his last.

“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,” the rep told the New York Post in a statement. “As of today, Steve will be retiring from Smash Mouth to focus on his physical and mental health.”

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