NEW Drive-In Concert Series Takes Over ATL
Kevin Crook
A New Normal?
Imagine if someone told you a year ago that life in 2020 would change as you know it… That we would be living in a sort of “virtual world”. School would be virtual. Grocery shopping would be virtual. Church, yes even church, would all be virtual! Virtually connecting the entire world! Sounds like a Hollywood movie, right? Or, in this case, for the forward thinkers at www.drive-inconcerts.com (Drive-in Concerts), it’s more like a drive-in movie with twist! A refreshing, musical twist.
Human interaction and connection, in recent years, have drastically changed with the rise in technology and communication devices. Though there’s one thing that remains the same…Our love and appreciation for music and how it makes us feel.
In the midst of a proclaimed pandemic, being separate from each other has proved to be a real challenge for the common extrovert and not to mention the regular concert goers.
Luckily, for us, we live in a world full of creators and innovators. Innovations that afford the opportunity and possibility to overcome adversity and to do so to the sound of our own beats.
This is definitely the age of forward movement.
Kind of like the first cars with radios in them(1930). Here we are in the year 2020 with the opportunity to create and share even more than ever before. What better way to join cars and music for the second time than a good old fashioned drive-in concert? You read that right…a drive-in concert!
Many of us have wondered even worried about our social lives and how recent events will affect and have affected our freedom to just be. Freedom to dance and sing, hug and kiss, laugh, play and enjoy the sunshine…with each other of course. Well, the creatives at www.drive-inconcerts.com (Drive-in Concerts) have come up the perfect way to do so! The ultimate Drive-in Concert “The Versus Series” has given a whole new spin on the average concert going experience.
Where else could you catch a Goodie Mob vs. Mystikal show sitting from the comforts of you own car, eating YOUR choice of concert food, enjoying YOUR choice of beverage? At a Drive-in concert, duh! Actually, if you’ve never heard of a drive-in concert, it’s because they’re a new social trend on the rise! There’s still a normal set up for the artists but for the new age concert goer, it’s a brand new experience to tweet, snap and chat about.
The stage was set. Lights, cameras, sound check, security and a long line of people waiting in anticipation to see Mystikal, Mannie Fresh, Dj Jelly and hometown heroes(Atlanta) Goodie Mob! Only this time, there are no seats (unless you brought your own). That’s right, your car is your seating area! When first hearing this, you would probably ask “when does the fun part come in?” Then I would ask you: “what would you do with two designated parking spots at YOUR favorite concert?” Oh the possibilities!
While walking around, soaking up some of the vibes, you could feel it in the air…people were FREE again! You could imagine the smiles, laughter, dances, cheers, distant embraces, high fives and “air hugs”…yes, “air hugs”. With social distancing guidelines still in place, this event took those lines and create a space where concert goers can have a mini buffet, man cave, mini bar, social club or even a romantic dinner for two in the comfort of your very own two spot VIP section.
What would a “Soul Food” concert be without food? Good food is a necessity at any event and this one was no different. Well, except for the fact that you BYOF(bring your own food) and attendees withheld nothing when it came to their spreads. Though it’s hard to top a table that had their own waiter, champagne, centerpiece and tablecloth, every space added their own personal touch to make this delicious pot of Gumbo. With a sea of umbrellas hoisted to shelter from the Georgia heat, there was never an
issue of clearly seeing the acts as an additional four large screens were placed so the show could be seen from afar and what a show it turned out to be!
From Atlanta’s very own DJ Jelly and the Yeek Dancers. to DJ Mannie Fresh and the Sabor Brass Band, we were in for a southern treat. As the sun set and the stars came out, the Atlanta and New Orleans patriotism grew as thick as the cloud coming from the smoke machine in the rear of the stage. The crowd became silent as if everyone knew simultaneously that something, better yet someone, was coming.
Accompanied by the synchronized flashes of lights, the DJ takes his place, puts on his headphones and proceeds to play being soon interrupted by this distinct New Orleans type “scat”…it was Mystikal! “The man right chea”. Taking the crowd down a nostalgic road, the Louisiana born emcee graced concert goers with hits like “danger” and “bouncin’ back”. To make the encounter with one of Hip Hops biggest acts even more epic, dangling from the neck of Mystikal was the iconic No Limit records chain! Energized as always, the entertainer had a heartfelt moment when he cued his DJ to lower the music and proceeded to say “man, I thank y’all for real. It feels good being back up here(on stage)”. You could tell the feeling was a mutual one from the prideful stares of the people as they watched a piece of history being revisited.
If that wasn’t reason enough for you to have that “I should’ve been there” moment, picture Big Gipp Goodie, Khujo Goodie, T-Mo Goodie and Cee Lo Goodie better known as Goodie Mob emerging through the smoke from backstage. The moment Cee Lo Green stepped in front of the crowd and yelled “where the south side at?” followed by an eruption of cheers, claps and Atl-ien lingo, you knew the south had something to say! With a sound only Organized Noize could create, Goodie Mob performed some the crowd favorites like “They don’t dance no more”, “get up, get out” and the southern soul anthem “Soul Food” giving drive-in concert connoisseurs more than enough to chew on.
Needless to say that in a world where we’ve been locked in for months, this was a breath of fresh air or, shall we say, a dose of much needed musical medicine.
One can never tell what tomorrow holds or what song will play next on the radio, but when it does, we dance.
From the poetic, prolific and powerful lines of Goodie Mob to the cultural, creole bounce of Mystikal, this Drive-in concert truly exemplified why music connects us in more ways than one.
It connects our hearts, our minds, our motives, our feelings and ultimately shows our one true selves. It shows us that in the face of trial, we travail and in the presence of music, we dance.
