With no end to the Coronavirus insight, venues and artists have begun to try new ways to host concerts following guidelines laid out by the CDC. We have all been hearing the safety precautions laid out by the CDC and World Health Organization for months now; wearing face masks, maintaining a safe distance from one another, and sanitizing hands as often as possible. With all of these practices being necessary to stop the spread and eventually eliminate the virus, it seems like concerts (the way we were used to) may not happen again for some time. Rather than waiting for the virus to go away, or performing more disheartening live streams on Facebook, artists and venues are attempting to host “Drive-In” concerts hosted by LiveNation.
LiveNation’s website boasts that the Drive-in series is a way to “reimagine the live music experience during the time of social distancing.” The idea is to have attendees purchase 1 ticket, where they are allowed to have up to 4 people in the car. Each car is then filed into the stadium and once parked the attendees have 9 feet of “tailgate space.” Fans were encouraged to “bring food, drinks, and chairs” and to “view the performers from the stage and also from the large LED screens” that were brought in for the concerts. So far Live Nation has hosted the Live From The Drive-In series in Nashville, St. Louis, and Indianapolis. All of the drive-in concerts occurred during the second week of July and it is unclear whether or not LiveNation will continue the series.
A similar approach is being attempted in the U.K. where England’s Virgin Money Unity Arena aims to be the world’s “first dedicated socially distant music venue.” The idea is very similar to the Drive-In concert series that LiveNation hosted, but instead of cars and tailgating space, the venue will have socially distant platforms where concert-goers can enjoy the show. The director of SSD Concerts claims he considered the car option, but felt as though concert goers lose out on part of the experience being in or around their vehicle and believes that the platform idea will capture more of a “gig atmosphere.” The arena will only be able to hold around 2,500 of its 20,000 person capacity with the platform arrangement, therefore projecting to earn artists 25% of what they normally receive for playing this particular venue. The shows are scheduled to begin in August if everything goes according to plan.
