Mudvayne's Chad Gray Had COVID-19 Onstage at First Reunion Show

Last year, Mudvayne played their first reunion show at the Inkcarceration Music and Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio. Singer Chad Gray notably struggled onstage and, in a new interview, he revealed he actually had COVID-19 during the performance, but was unaware at the time despite experiencing numerous symptoms.

"I think on a level — it's so hard to say I think I had 'COVID Lite' but I think I had 'COVID Lite,'" Gray told Danny Wimmer Presents in an interview from last year's Welcome to Rockville festival that was just published (transcription via Blabbermouth). "But, dude, it fucking wiped me out," he said of the impact the virus had on him.

"I had it onstage," he continued, explaining, "The good thing is I didn't know I had it at [Inkcarceration]. [So] I wasn't stressing about it but I couldn't figure out what the fuck was going on with my body. That day, [I was] super short of breath. My voice didn't seem to wanna work when I warmed up. My throat was fucking super dry all day. I had some sinus shit going on that I didn't know."

Whether it was a "good thing" Gray was unaware he was actively infected with COVID-19 onstage is debatable. Ten days after the show, Mudvayne announced they had to withdraw from the Louder Than Life festival lineup because Gray and "a few staff members" had tested positive for the virus. In the press statement, it was noted that safety precautions adhering to CDC protocols were in place during rehearsals and the Inkcarceration festival appearance.

Speaking more about the toll the virus took on him, Gray detailed, "One day you might have sinus thing going on; the next day it's in your chest; the next day it's in your throat; the next day you're really lethargic and tired; and then it's back in your chest. You can't fucking wrap your head around it. The only thing you can do is feed your body good things."

"[My wife] went to [the supermarket chain] Sprouts, and apparently they have a fucking cornucopia of fucking feel-better stuff, shit for your immunity. So she went and cleaned them out of that shit. I was probably taking 30 pills a day — vitamins, all the vitamins, but probably 30 something or other in pill form," he said of the wellness treatments he sought.

Right now, Mudvayne do no have any additional performance dates on the books, so it remains to be seen in what capacity the band will remain active.