SALT LAKE CITY — As large concert venues and arenas remain shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, a creative solution to fill the live music void has emerged: drive-in concerts.
It started with country superstar Garth Brooks, who last month brought a special filmed concert to 300 drive-in theaters across North America.
Tickets for the event were $100 and covered vehicles of up to six people. When tickets went on sale a week before the concert, fans were waiting in line anywhere from two to four hours — a good indication that people are craving some form of entertainment.
Now, country singer Blake Shelton, his girlfriend Gwen Stefani, and friend Trace Adkins are joining the drive-in trend with their own special concert that will run for one-night only at a series of drive-in theaters on July 25. This time, tickets are $114.99 a vehicle.
Inspired by the success of Brooks’ event, Shelton’s upcoming concert, produced by Encore Live!, launches a concert series — a summer-long event that features “all-new performances” and “cinematic interviews and storytelling,” according to a news release.
Tickets for Shelton’s concert go on sale July 14 at ticketmaster.com. The event will run at three drive-in theaters in Utah: West Valley City’s Redwood Drive-in; the Motor-Vu Theater in Tooele; and the Basin Drive-in in Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete County.
“This is such a great way to enjoy music with your family and friends and stay safe,” Shelton said in a news release sent out Wednesday. “I’m excited we’re getting the chance to perform a concert for fans, and we’re going to go back and play old hits like ‘Austin,’ newer songs like ‘God’s Country’ and we might even introduce something brand new! So fill up those popcorn tubs and get ready for some country music!”
It’s an exclusive concert experience — something that’s starting to feel foreign amid the pandemic — but is it worth the price of admission? Here are five takeaways, based on last month’s Brooks show.
- It’s safe. The event adheres to state and local health guidelines, according to a news release. At the Brooks concert, vehicles were parked roughly 10 feet apart. The ticketing system was contactless. At Shelton’s concert, staff will wear “personal protective equipment” and capacity in restrooms will be limited, according to the release.
- It’s fun. Since you’re enjoying the show from a car or truck, you can bring snacks, games, bean bags, lawn chairs and set up in your area however you please. It’s a lot more laid back than the regular concert experience. And depending on the size of your family, it’s relatively cheap (I had four people in my car for the Brooks show, making it $25 a person).
- But it’s not live. The concert is pre-recorded. While the quality is great, it does not come close to matching a live show, making the price feel a little steep. The musicians can’t hear you singing along, and because of social distancing measures and fuzzy battery-operated radios and car stereos, it’s hard to tell if people are even clapping or responding to the musicians in any way.
- There’s a disconnect. Even though you may be able to see Shelton better on a drive-in movie theater screen than you would in an arena, there’s a palpable disconnect. With the Brooks show, one of the screens was slightly out of sync with the audio. As great as Brooks and his band sounded, the whole thing just kind of felt off.
- It’s temporary. The drive-in concert is a safe and creative way to get people out of the house, celebrating the music they love. The eventual return to arenas will likely look different than it did before the pandemic, but there’s one thing the pandemic has only reinforced: Live music cannot be replaced.