Texas’ Payne Arena Extends ‘Honky Tonk Drive-In Concert Series’

The arena will once again welcome fans back to the venue’s parking grounds to see Waston perform June 19, followed by Solido June 21.  

An announcement notes that the three drive-in concerts that took place over the June 5-7 weekend was the first of its kind in the U.S., bringing in approximately 1,100 cars with an average of four people per car. 

Eli Young Band started the three-day shindig off with a June 5 performance that had 363 cars in attendance and grossed $27,385. Kevin Fowler’s show on June 6 saw 263 cars and a gross of $24,385, while Intocables on June 7 welcomed 517 cars and grossed $66,615. 

General Manager Eric Trevino put together the series with help from a volunteer staff, with just about two weeks to take the idea from conception to presentation. 

The venue worked with the Hidalgo city and county governments to make sure the arena followed state and CDC COVID-19 recommendations to keep patrons, volunteers, artists, and crew safe. Fans were required to practice social distancing and all event staff wore personal protective equipment. Patrons were allowed to bring their own snacks and drinks, though F&B options were also available – and an announcement notes that sales were surprisingly good. 

“It was an opportunity to get national artists back on stage and allow our local patrons to come back to our building, at least in the parking lot, for some fun,” Trevino said in a statement.  “We’ve really missed being able to bring shows to the RVG these past few months and you could see how much the crowd really enjoyed seeing live entertainment again.”

He added, “We are looking at continuing this series throughout the summer. The response from the public has been exceptional and it’s entirely possible that these shows will continue even once live entertainment inside the arena resumes.”