If You’re Horny for Live Music, Drive-In Concerts Are The Way To Go

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2020 has been a rough year for live music.

What was shaping up to be a hell of a concert season was pretty much brought to a halt back in March because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Eric Church said that he doesn’t expect to be touring again until the summer or fall of 2021. Some artists recently decided to hold live concerts packed with fans, and quickly got shit on by fans and fellow artists alike.

Like Kenny Chesney said, the fans are horny for live music. And artists are ready to get back out on the road playing music – and paying their bands and crews. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like the “traditional” concerts are going to be coming back any time soon with the virus still surging around the country and states putting restrictions back in place. But that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to see a live show, because drive-in concerts could be the answer to our problems (for now, at least).

When the idea of drive-in concerts first popped up, I’ll admit I was skeptical (ok, not just skeptical, I thought it was a fucking terrible idea). Who wants to sit in their car and watch a concert? How do you drink or dance if you’re stuck in your car? Would you even be able to see the stage?

Well, I went to my first drive-in concert this weekend and I’m man enough to admit that I was wrong…

It. Was. Awesome.

This past weekend, Live Nation held a series of “Live From the Drive-In” shows in multiple cities, featuring artists like Jon Pardi, Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker. So when I saw that Jon Pardi would be playing in Nashville, I decided to give it a try. I mean, worst case scenario I get to sit in my car and hear Jon Pardi play live for an hour and a half, right?

And by the way, we’re not talking about that pre-recorded Garth Brooks bullshit where you pay over $100 bucks a car to watch a glorified concert special on DVD, we’re talking real deal, live music.

Tickets were sold by the car, with a maximum of four people per car. There were three different price levels available based on distance from the stage, ranging from $200 – $300 per car (after Live Nation’s bullshit fees) – so $50 – $75 per person if you have four people in a car. Not bad, especially for Live Nation ticket prices.

When we got to the concert (which was in the parking lot of Nissan Stadium), we were directed to our parking spot – or, more accurately, three spots. The lot was broken up so that each car was assigned a space made up of three parking spots: One in the middle to park your car, one to the right for tailgating and watching the concert, and one to the left that was taped off and empty to allow for social distancing. We brought lawn chairs, but others had tables set up in their tailgating spot for food and drinks, and some just used the space for dancing during the show.

Now we get to the best part: BYOB. Instead of waiting in line to pay $15 for a warm draft beer, you can just load up your cooler in your trunk and black out on a budget (unless you’re the driver, of course). We filled up our cooler with Jack Daniels (and White Claws for the ladies), picked up some pizzas on our way to the concert, and didn’t have to spend a dime once we got to the show. There were limited concessions available that you could order through your phone and have them delivered directly to your parking spot – but why would you order an overpriced beer and burger when you could just bring your own?

The atmosphere was just like one big tailgate. (I mean, who doesn’t love tailgating?) And the best part was we didn’t even have to leave the parking lot to watch the concert.

Once the show started, some people chose to watch from their cars (or the bed of their trucks, or standing out of their sunroof), but most were standing in their tailgate spot dancing, singing, and drinking along just like they would be at any other concert. The only difference is that we were six feet away from everybody around us. And if you hate the crowds around you at concerts, this might just be the answer to your prayers.

Obviously Jon Pardi put on a hell of a show, but the main takeaway for me from the evening was that there’s a way to have live music right now, and do it in a way that’s both safe and fun. Now, I know there are logistical challenges that limit where these concerts can be done, and not every artist is going to want to play drive-in shows just to get back on stage. But if you’re horny for live music and want to get back to a show, check out a drive-in concert if you get the chance. You won’t be disappointed.

And if there are any artists who are skeptical about whether or not they could give their fans the true concert experience at a drive-in show, my advice would be to give it a try. Because I know that everybody around us Friday night was having the time of their lives. It was just the right “Heartache Medication” that we all needed right now.

Here’s the scene from Brad’s gig.

Get your official “Horny For Live Music” shirt HERE.

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