Live Nation Unveils ‘Concerts In The Lot’ Series In Three U.S. Cities

Dubbed “Concerts in the Lot,” shows will take place in parking lots at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Ruoff Music Center near Indianapolis and and Hollywood Casino Amphitheater near St. Louis. Paisley will perform in all three cities, with Pardi and Rucker also playing in Nashville; Nelly and El Monstero in St. Louis,  and Pardi and Yacht Rock Revue in Indianapolis.

Concertgoers will be able to drive into the parking lots of the amphitheaters — a maximum of four people per car — and will have two empty parking lot spaces in between each vehicle so fans can watch and party from their designated individual tailgating zones.

Attendees are encouraged to bring food, drinks and chairs, setting up around their cars to view the performers from the stage and also from the large LED screens.

All venue staff are required to wear masks, and Live Nation requests that attendees wear masks upon arrival, where there will be contact-less ticket scanning through their windows. Masks are not required once fans are in their designated tailgate areas, and Live Nation is not requiring that fans wear gloves.

Tom See, president of Live Nation Venues-US Concerts, said the company spent months working to find a safe, enjoyable way to put on live shows during the pandemic.

“We’re really dialed in with partnerships with (the) local jurisdictions (and) we’ve been meeting with them for months, just talking about how we can provide a great, comfortable experience to fans with social distancing at the forefront in whatever phase they’re about to enter. Because of those relationships and that communication going back and forth, we’ve been successful in getting that green light,” See said in an interview with The Associated Press. 

“It was really important to us not to just do one and be done. It wouldn’t be Live Nation. It wouldn’t be the concert industry leader. We wanted to make a bigger statement.”

Nelly, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album “Country Grammar,” and Pink Floyd tribute band El Monstero are both from St. Louis and will perform at The Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. Pardi and rock band Yacht Rock Revue will headline at the Ruoff Music Center near Indianapolis.

Tickets will go on sale for the general public on Friday. See said ticket prices will fluctuate by market, but they can be as low as $125, which is roughly $31 per person if the maximum number of four attendees per car attend.

“I’m very excited to do this because I wanted to make sure, if we were going to do anything like this, that they had the important stuff worked out,” Paisley said in an interview with the AP. “My goal would be not to spread this virus to one person. There should be no spread from this. That’s key. I just don’t think it’s worth doing shows if we’re putting people at risk.”

“The idea that we’re outdoors is a great thing,” Paisley added. “I just think it’s a fun way to watch a concert anyway. It’d be fun if there wasn’t a virus.”

For the Missouri show, See said they have a capacity to fit 1,000 cars while incorporating social distancing guidelines. Grills and BBQ pits are not permitted, but concertgoers can bring pre-cooked food and drinks, including alcohol. Live Nation encourages that groups assign a designated driver.

A menu of hot food items and nonalcoholic will be available for purchase, Live Nation said. People can place orders online and the items will be delivered to their designated tailgate zone.

Fans will only be able to leave their pods to access single restrooms, which See said will be cleaned regularly throughout the show. Attendees are encouraged to wear masks when leaving for restrooms.

“They don’t have to walk too far to be able to use the facility,” he said. 

“The traditional drive in, I get it, you’re stuck in your car, and you’re going to get it through an FM transmitter. That’s not happening with these shows,” See said. 

“We’re giving you what’s about the size of a double-car garage to where you’re going to be able to park your car, get out of your car, and have a great tailgating hang for you and your friends, and listen to music through proper professional PA and amazing audio and video display. It’s really a different aspect of drive-in and live. It’s highly experiential.“Even as recorded music went through transitions where it was less lucrative and people were (dealing with) illegal piracy, or streaming was taking revenue away from record companies, I’m like, ‘Well at least we’ve got the live music. They can’t ever take that away.’”

And then the coronavirus pandemic hit — or as Paisley puts in: “COVID-19 was like, ‘Watch me.’”

That’s why the three-time Grammy-winner is so excited to be part of Live Nation’s first-ever “Live from the Drive-In” concert series, debuting next month, where fans can watch live performances from inside or around their cars with enough space in between groups.

Paisley, who will headline three of the nine shows, said he’s eager to perform “No I In Beer,” a song he wrote in 2018 about “having a beer in spite of everything” but released during the pandemic to help fans cope.

“(It) is perfect for these times,” he said.

Speaking of beer, Paisley is encouraging that concertgoers assign a designated driver before getting to the concerts, which also includes performers like Nelly, Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi.

“(It’s) literally a better situation than at my concerts,” Paisley said of the drive-in format, where ticket holders can bring their own food and drinks. “I look at that blasted lawn, they are so hammered. I’m like, ‘I don’t know who drove the 10,000 of you in the back that I see, but I hope they’re not back there because there’s nobody that needs to be driving.’ In some ways this is a safer setup in that sense, too. It’s like you can be sure they came in a vehicle and they didn’t leave their vehicle. They’re beside it.”