Meanwhile in Music: Smash Mouth Singer Calls It Quits After Successfully Infecting Us With Enough Songs to Haunt a Lifetime

As far as hit-bands-from-the-’90s-you-wish-you-didn’t-know-about goes, no one takes the cake like Creed. But a very close second would have to be Smash Mouth (sorry, Sugar Ray), the San Jose ska-pop outfit whose string of hits culminated in 1999’s “All-Star.” Despite peaking in popularity 20 years ago, the band has carried on playing shows at local beer and wine festivals and upstate fairs up until last week, when frontman Steve Harwell suffered a mental break onstage that can only be described as full-fledged.

One audience member said it was “the most chaotic show I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” before posting a video of the concert to TikTok. The clip, which has been shared 54,000 times, was so shocking it caused Harwell to retire from music, and for good reason. Not only did the band sound like two half-eaten Big Macs being devoured by rats in a dumpster, but a drunken Harwell also threatened to kill an audience member’s entire family after throwing up not one, but several Nazi salutes.

Brace yourself, this footage is a doozy:

@doesthisfeelgood the most chaotic show I’ve ever been to #smashmouth #heynow #allstar #shrekisloveshrekislife ♬ original sound – Haley

Whether the video was a wake-up call for Harwell to focus on his mental health or simply a career killer for an already wobbly career, the 54-year-old is waving farewell to the all-star life. Somehow, the band plans to continue touring without Harwell, despite the only original member being bassist Paul De Lisle. Hmm.

In the end, if there’s one thing that brings people together and brightens their day, it’s knowing that no matter how bad things get, at least you’re not in the band currently known as Smash Mouth.

Cover Photo: Michael Tullberg (Getty Images)

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