Drive-In Concerts: Are They Worth It?
If you know me, then you know that I spend a majority of my time (and money) attending concerts, raves and festivals. There’s nothing I love more in this world than hearing my favorite artists live, dancing freely with my friends and discovering new artists. However, due to COVID-19, it seems like live performances are off the table anytime soon. Health experts assert they don’t expect live concerts to make a return in the United States until fall 2021, but at this rate it could be much longer. In the grand scheme of things, not being able to attend live shows isn’t the worst thing to happen during a global pandemic. But if you’re a music junkie, have a boyfriend who loves live music as much as you do and live only twenty-five minutes away from New York City where you have easy access to different venues like I do, this probably feels like a nightmare.
The weekend of March 13, my boyfriend and I, along with a group of our friends had shows planned for the entire weekend, but we were soon hit with the news that everything in New York City was being shut down due to the rapid spread of the virus. Before we knew it, our plans for the upcoming summer which included a handful of shows and three different music festivals were now being cancelled. My boyfriend and I felt as if we now had nothing to look forward to. To help fill the void of in person live shows, a lot of artists have turned to livestream performances on platforms like Instagram live, YouTube, and Twitch that fans can enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. As great as these live streams are, nothing will quite compare to the rush and experience that comes from attending a live show.
My boyfriend and I have been itching for months to go to a live show since the last one we attended was at the end of February. When we heard the news this summer that one of our
favorite DJs, Subtronics, who also happens to be one of the artists we were supposed to see in March, was having a Drive-In rave, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. We missed live music so much that we bought tickets for two of his shows, one in Philadelphia and the other in Scranton, Pa. We couldn’t believe that we were going to be able to attend a live show again after so long. We decided to make a weekend of it and even booked a hotel room for the entire weekend with our friends.
If you’ve never been to a drive-in concert, I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Like how do these shows work? Are they safe and do they comply with social distancing guidelines? Is it worth attending one? Is it as good as an actual concert? Luckily, I experienced two drive-in shows, so I can tell you whether or not it’s worth your time (and money).
In front of the stage there are boxes that are a little bit bigger than a parking space, each separated by at least 6 feet to comply with CDC social distancing guidelines. In each box is one parked vehicle, that can be filled with a maximum of 4 people. The price per ticket depends on what section your car is in. Our car was at the far right side of the stage so we paid $90 total for our entire car. Everyone is required to wear a mask when not in their vehicle and everyone must remain inside of their box, as wandering around is prohibited and goes against social distancing guidelines. You wouldn’t want to find yourself in a situation where a socially distanced concert turns into a pre-COVID mosh-pit like we saw at The Chainsmoker’s Charity show at the Hamptons last summer. The venue even had an app where you could order food, drinks, and merch to be delivered right to your car, in order to avoid people from walking around.
When we got to the show in Scranton, aside from being parked in a car, it felt almost as if we were at an actual show or festival. There was music blaring from people’s cars and everyone had brought out all their rave outfits that they didn’t get to wear at festivals this summer. People even brought their goggles, hoops, whips and gloves in preparation for the light shows that would occur once the sun went down.
It felt a bit more like a tailgate than an actual concert with people bringing lawn chairs and tents so they could sit comfortably in their small designated boxes. The section we had paid to sit in was pretty far from the stage so it was hard to see at times and even hear. The sound system was nothing like the ones you usually see at a venue or festival, so we had a lot of trouble hearing even though we were only 1,000 feet away from the stage. Unless you’re in a close middle section in front of the stage, I doubt you’ll be able to hear that great. There was a radio station you could tune into in your car to hear the show better, but it didn’t really help since it was a couple seconds behind the sound system.
Our experience at the show in Philly wasn’t so great. The staff was a lot stricter about social distancing then they were at Scranton. At the Scranton show, we were allowed to move around and dance as long as we stayed in our own box. In Philly, we were required to be seated at all times, which meant unless you brought lawn chairs you had to stay in your car. The most they would allow us to do was sit on top of our cars, which was hard for my group considering my boyfriend has a small two door car. The sound system at this venue was even worse than the one in Scranton. That’s saying a lot considering we bought tickets in the section that left us front and center, and we were parked in the third row away from the stage. This venue also didn’t sell food or any alcoholic beverages. Not being able to dance in combination with barely being able to hear and being hungry killed my mood for the entire night. My boyfriend and our friends left the show that night starving and pretty disappointed.
After that night, my boyfriend and I decided that these concerts weren’t worth our time and money. Subtronics and all the other acts had put on great shows as we had expected, but we couldn’t quite enjoy the experience the way we’re usually used to. Unless you bring lawn chairs, a giant speaker, or have a pick-up truck or a large SUV where you can sit comfortably, you probably won’t have a lot of fun, let alone be able to hear.
Feeling the bass in my face, as well as dancing with my friends and strangers in a crowd is one of my favorite parts of going to shows. Sharing the experience with everyone around you is part of what makes live music so great, and sadly during these times that just isn’t possible. I’m not saying that I’m against all the social distancing guidelines, because I think they’re 100% necessary to keep everyone safe, and I probably wouldn’t attend if I knew they weren’t being enforced. However, I do think that dancing and interacting with people in a crowd is part of what makes the entire experience so great. These restrictions, that again are totally necessary, take away the feeling of complete freedom that I often associate with going to shows and festivals.
I’m glad that I was able to get a small temporary fix of live music, but I definitely won’t be attending another one of these drive-in shows anytime soon. The next show I attend I want to be able to hear the music, see the stage, dance freely with my friends and whatever new ones I make in the crowd, and just feel free. If that means waiting however long until this pandemic is over, then so be it. In the meantime, we should all continue doing our part to stay at home and socially distance in order to slow down and eventually stop the spread of COVID. Not only will we be protecting other people, but it’ll bring us closer to going back to living our normal lives and being able to do and enjoy the things we love.