Driving concerts can be the answer to the summer shows you’re missing

Drive-in concerts, with people socially estranged in their cars, are popping up in parts of Europe and across the United States as the coronavirus pandemic has ended large public gatherings.

Keith Urban and DJ D-Nice They are among the first major artists to perform drive-in shows. Earlier this month, Urban made a surprise concert at the Stardust Drive-In in Watertown, Tennessee as a thank you to the front line medical workers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

With concert goers in their cars, D-Nice, which has been helping people celebrate safely at home with sets on Instagram Live since March, said it found creative ways to connect with the audience.

“Usually, if I’m performing at a club or an event, you feel the energy of the people,” he said. “I noticed that people were honking their horns. Once I got the call and the answer was, ‘If you feel good, honk your horns!’ And the moment I felt that and it was strong, that was it. It just felt like a normal set. “

Entrances are also finding new ways to connect audiences, while maintaining patterns of social distancing.

Jimmy Vargas, managing partner of 1 / ST LIVE, the team that produced the D-Nice concert in Miami, said the vehicles were spaced 20 feet apart, the event was held for an hour and attendees were able to tune in to the music. through the radios of their cars.

“You have to keep it short and sweet,” said Vargas. “People don’t necessarily have to get up and use the restrooms. We distribute masks as cars drive in. We put signs along our LED wall screens that tell people to please stay in their car, and obviously we had the support from our security team to ensure people didn’t get out of the car. “

Vargas said it went so well that they are exploring more of these musical experiences in cities like Los Angeles, Baltimore, D.C. and San Francisco.

Adam Alpert, CEO of Sony’s Disrupter Records, is taking note.

“There is clearly a demand for live concerts,” Alpert told CNN. “People miss live music. They miss seeing their favorite artists. They miss the magic and energy that comes with watching live music.”

Alpert said that while many of the artists on his list are eager to go on tour, the concerts where people stand shoulder to shoulder again depend on a Covid-19 shot.

“[Musical artists] they’re eager to get out, but we have to wait until it’s safe, “he said.” I think artists, promoters and venues are resilient and will try to find new ways to make live music safe in these uncertain times. “

So for now, watching artists from the comfort of your car may be more common.

Eli Young Band of country music will perform at the “Concert in Your Car” event on June 4 in Texas. The next three nights will feature Pat Green, Josh Abbot Band, and Kevin Fowler.

“This is not going to go away anytime soon. Being able to adapt and continue to entertain and be able to continue doing our job gives us an avenue to do it safely and responsibly,” band member Mike Eli told CNN.

“We are not lowering our expectations for the show at all just because it’s totally different,” added Jon Jones, who plays bass in the band Eli Young. “We will be singing, they will honk and we will all sing our way.”