PACKED PARKING LOTS PAY OFF, BRING HOPE

The first weekend of Live Nation’s experiment with drive-in concerts in three cities was a win all around for artists, the promoter and fans who enjoyed the likes of Brad Paisley, Jon Pardi, Darius Rucker and Nelly.

Capacity at the Indianapolis and St. Louis shows was 1,000 cars with the Nashville venues—the parking lot of Nissan Stadium—was 600 cars; there was a four person per car max. At all venues, the lots were divided into four zones priced between $125 and $300.

Nelly’s show in St. Louis sold out, the gross topping $200,000. Pardi’s show in Nashville on 7/10 grossed about $130,000.

The set-up in the lots worked: One spot for the car, one for the fans to set up and one left empty to serve a buffer. Fans were required to wear a mask only if they were leaving their area. Security was on high alert enforcing the mask rules.

Guest lists were kept to an absolute minimum and anyone backstage had to do temperature checks, fill out health forms and wear face coverings while working.

Organized under the direction of Live Nation Venues, U.S. Concerts, President Tom See, the series did the trick in terms of getting good-sized crowds for live music, serving as an inspiration for future events and more innovation in concert presentations. If these types of shows catch on—and fans keep flocking to them—you can bet that in five years, there will be 200,000 people saying they were at the first ones.