With the rampant rise of coronavirus cases all over the United States, a majority of live concerts have had to be completely canceled. Stadium and large venue shows have completely disappeared, and may not return in full until late 2021 or 2022. Nevertheless, drive-in concerts have recently become one of the many sources of alternative entertainment for music lovers and musicians.
Similarly to 1930s drive-in movie theaters, “drive-in” concerts are live concerts where musicians get to play to audience members who all remain within their vehicles. Ideally, these concerts should be perfect for maintaining appropriate social distance from one another during the pandemic, although the vehicles all need to be properly spaced out. Some drive-in concerts have even had to be canceled in various locations where the coronavirus cases are high. For example, musician Chris Tomlin recently canceled his drive-in performance in Alabama for late July. His promoter said, “The health and safety of all attendees, artists, volunteers and crew are our top priority. Chris Tomlin was looking forward to worshipping live together again and can’t wait for the day when it’s safe to gather once more!”
Although drive-in concerts can definitely serve as an enjoyable alternative source of entertainment for musicians, they still might not be as sufficient as we’d like. In the article “Breaking Into The Close-Knit World Of Country Music,” Jewly Hight interestingly said, “But concerts aren’t the only career-furthering events that the Nashville industry has been going without. Another type of gathering routinely happens out of public view, its function to promote new acts and new music to industry gatekeepers, tastemakers and professional peers. It’s about getting face time, as opposed to FaceTime, so artists will work the room making friendly conversation.” Many may not realize the importance of making connections in the music industry, but it is truly essential to getting more gigs, money, and recognition. Without live and intimate shows at small and large venues, artists now lack the physical ability to meet other artists, publishers, booking agents, and music listeners. Although social networking can still be accomplished with the use of social media, it just doesn’t feel as personable as face-to-face interactions. Many prominent performing artists are also charging tickets for their drive-in concerts, making the concert seem in many ways more legitimate and positively “exclusive.”
Drive-in concerts have definitely become a popular and unique way of holding live shows. Some musicians have still been able to play small socially distanced live shows in the past couple of months. However, these drive-in concerts seem like a much safer and healthier alternative to an all in-person show, and even more satisfying than the alternative live streamed show.
Links –
https://www.masslive.com/music/2020/07/blake-shelton-headlining-drive-in-concert.html
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/concerts/9379646/drive-in-concerts-list-coronavirus
https://www.charlotteobserver.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article244216327.html
