Overcome With Emotion At Fitz & The Tantrums’ Drive-In Show

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Fitz and the Tantrum’s Noelle Scaggs and Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick performing at City National Grove drive-in concert on Sept. 5, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Huang)

One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain
So hit me with music, hit me with music now

– Bob Marley, “Trench Town Rock”

Maybe it was the iced tea, even though it wasn’t spiked. It was, however, brought in a cooler with sandwiches, juice packs and other unhealthy snacks alongside camping chairs and flashlights crammed into a minivan along with a family of five (rock and roll!). Once set-up on asphalt, globally warmed by Southern Calif.’s searing, record-setting heat, we were prepared like Boy Scouts for anything; except for maybe just how cathartic and transcendent the evening would prove to be hearing pure, unadulterated, gloriously performed live music from Fitz & The Tantrums with 286 other parked vehicles and their passengers at the City National Grove of Anaheim.

It’s been six long, fraught months, without live music exacerbated by fluctuating bouts of anxiety and stress fueled by a litany of intertwining and lethal calamities. You know, little things like A GLOBAL PANDEMIC, RACIAL DIVISION, ECONOMIC CRISIS, CIVIL STRIFE, EXTREME WEATHER, A RADICALLY POLARIZED, RILED-UP AND HEAVILY ARMED ELECTORATE AND, POSSIBLY, THE END OF OUR DEMOCRACY AS WE KNOW IT. Breathe. Turn off the poorly named smartphone. And thank goodness for Nederlander Concerts for facilitating a wondrous taste of live music at a drive-in where the freaked-out blues were soothed and vanquished.

Well aware of the pressure-cooker tensions many are feeling, lead singer and preeminent party-starter, Michael “Fitz” Fitzpatrick a few songs into the set spoke of going through these “craziest times” and having “three kids at home doing zoom.”  He then asked of those gathered to rid themselves of that “nasty energy” and let out the “craziest, primal scream purge” possible. Nothing can make a family laugh harder than unconstrained screaming along with a thousand others.

(Cindy Huang) –
The sold-out National City National Grove in Anaheim, Calf. on Sept. 5, 2020 where Fitz & The Tantrums performed with The Griswolds.

The set opened with one-two gut punch of the highly chantable and danceable “Get Right Back” and “Spark,” the latter with its prescient lyric “this building is about to blow,” which ignited dance party pods as families and groups beside their well-insured wheels of steel and camping gear finally relaxed, swayed and even shook their tail feathers.

There were participatory car moments of honking horns and flashing headlights between and during songs as encouraged by the band. An app allowed for seamless/touchless food delivery and even a timed virtual bathroom queue (via Waitwhile) as well an an FM transmitter for those wanting to sit in the car along with a

52-foot wide x 35-foot screen for distance viewing. Best safety and fan-friendly practices for all were in full-effect and one could engage in the show and others as much or as little as wanted. What was most unexpected, however, about this drive-in show was just how cathartic and emotional it was to finally have a communal experience seeing, hearing and feeling live music after being cooped up for six long months (since Beach Bunny at The Roxy on March 6, to be exact) and being perhaps overly careful to not infect anyone else or get infected. And here, in the middle of Orange County, safely surrounded by 286 cars-full of people, there was no talk of a pandemic, civil strife or politics, just a communal appreciation for the shared live music experience – which is a beautiful thing that cannot come back fast enough.  

Cindy Huang. -
Fans at the City National Grove gathered at a space in front of the stage where fans held signs and danced.

City National Grove is a 1,700 cap indoor venue less than two miles from Disneyland in the shadow of Angel Stadium where on this night the hometown heroes played the second game of a double header where they twice beat the regionally-despised Astros, significantly with no crowd in the stands. It was also, on this Labor Day Weekend anyway, only a 45-minute drive from Santa Monica. The check in/ticket collection at the lot entrance, with us printing out the ticket in advance, was touchless, masked and seamless. As was the subsequent booze check for which we only had to open our cooler. Be forewarned: parking in your socially-distanced space ten minutes before showtime is bad form and elicited the quiet opprobrium of our neighbors positioned 10 feet apart and checkerboard style as we navigated the minivan into its correct space while trying not to block those behind us or sit directly in back of the group in front. “We’ve been really pleased with the success of the series so far,” Nederlander’s Jordan Harding, GM of City National Grove of Anaheim, told Pollstar. “Five of the eight concerts we’ve hosted to date have sold out and the response from artists and fans has been very positive. When we first started the series, everyone (including myself) was wondering what the vibe and experience would be and if it would really work. We now have proof of concept. Everyone seems to ‘get it’ now and are grateful for the opportunity to experience live music safely again. When asked about the challenges, Harding discussed the economic viability of drive-ins. “There’s no question that it is challenging economically with high expenses and limited capacity of 286 cars,” he said. “There was some initial sticker shock with a per-car pricing model, but if you have a $160 ticket and bring 5 people, it’s only $32 per-person.” Quick math on the revenues, 286 cars paying $160 a car (for as many people as there are seatbelts) is a $45,760 gross per show. Playing two shows, as Fritz did, gets you close to $92.5K in ticket revenue, plus food, drinks and merch courtesy of Tapin2, all of which could generate some much-needed pennies for everyone. According to Pollstar Boxoffice Reports, Fitz's average shows gross $149,412 selling 3,762 tickets, which has included selling out clubs like The Riviera in Chicago, The Anthem in D.C. and even The Forum in their native Los Angeles. The shows also offer the ability to monetize performances via livestreams and post-streams.

Cindy Huang -
Fitz & The Tantrums.

Reached for comment after the show, Nederlander Concerts esteemed CEO Alex Hodges said he was excited about applying the model nationwide. “Our drive-in concept has worked well for us in Anaheim,” he said, “and we are expanding it into new markets, while continuing to improve upon our current model. When we initially started Drive-In OC, the capacity was 236 cars, and we were able to increase that number to 286. After our successful three sold-out Andrew McMahon shows, we promoted him in New Jersey at Monmouth Park for two nights, and plan on announcing additional shows nationally soon.” Upcoming drive-in shows for City National Grove include regional Mexican band Banda El Recodo, comedienne Iliza Shelsinger and three sold-out nights for electronic artist Garth Emery. When asked what the takeaways from these shows are and how they might apply to the future Harding doesn’t hesitate in his answer. “Investment in the mobile app will be great for our business, even when we go back to traditional shows,” he said. “Now, just like Starbucks, fans can order F&B, merch, etc. during a show without having to waste time standing in lines. Live-streaming will undoubtedly play a role in concerts going forward, and we are now set up to offer that service to artists in a turn-key way.”