Video shows unmasked, large crowds at Spire Nightclub during rap concert
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As Houston and the entire country deals with the increase in COVID-19 cases, videos are surfacing of Houston venues attracting large crowds.
An attendee of a Thanksgiving Eve concert at Spire Nightclub shared a video with ABC13. The video shows partygoers shoulder-to-shoulder while inside the nightclub.
"It's very disturbing," said Mayor Sylvester Turner, who is very concerned about large gatherings that continue to go on throughout the city of Houston. "The way I look at it, it's quite selfish on their part."
Like all of its events, the Wednesday night concert was advertised on Spire's Instagram page. There's also a full line up of events happening at the nightclub all weekend.
The attendee who shared the video said the majority of the people at the nightclub were unmasked.
Mayor Turner said it's obvious situations like these are not helping to stop the spread of COVID-19.
"There are many businesses and managers that are doing the right thing, and I commend them. But there are some who are simply ignoring the healthcare precautions and the protocols," Turner said.
An operator of Spire, whose sister properties include Cle and Bisou, among other night life hotspots, responded to ABC13 via text.
"We were below our legal occupancy," read the text message. "Every night we deal with keeping people socially distant. Once Lil Baby (Wednesday night's headliner) started to perform, people got out of their seats and rush towards the front area, so we had to cut the concert short."
Spire, and its sister venues, have made headlines before.
Back in June, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commissioner (TABC) suspended its liquor license for about a week.
SEE MORE: TABC suspends Houston nightclub after video of large crowd sparks backlash
Club management said at that time, Spire was listed as a venue and not a bar, which means they can now operate under different regulations. Since then, the nightclub has remained open.
Gov. Greg Abbott has maintained his stand on not shutting down the state.
"If you lock people down, and try to prevent movement whatsoever, there are now known medical consequences, emotion, mental consequences, as well as, the devastating financial consequences," the governor said last week during an event in Lubbock.
Abbott has also insisted that even with a light touch from the state officials, there are other tools local officials can use.
San Antonio imposed a partial curfew ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday. Mayor Turner says he would prefer not to do that, but has not ruled it out.
"I don't rule anything out. I have asked bars now operating as restaurants to monitor and regulate their own behavior and to make sure people are not crowded. We're all in this together."
