How A Drive-In Concert Will Work
With lockdown coming to end (Melbourne let’s do this) and restrictions starting to ease, we have a new entertainment concept to get our live music fix in the meantime — “Drive-In Concerts”.
We used to get ready for a gig by fake tanning and pre-drinking. Now we’re getting ready by cleaning our windscreens and ah, making sure there’s air in our tyres? While we’re stoked that live music is coming back this way, we know a lot of you might be confused on how this all works, and we got you covered.
How Will You Hear The Performance?
You can tune into a live broadcast through your FM radio or put your windows down and listen live, or why not both?
How Do You Call Shotgun On A Good Position?
Purchasing tickets to a drive-in concert is a little different, you purchase a vehicle pass and each event has their own limit of people per vehicle, with most events allowing a max of 5 persons per vehicle.
After contact-free ticket scanning, most drive-in concerts will work on a first in first serve basis, so punters must get in early to get a good position. So if you and your mates want a spot next to each other, make sure to arrive at the same time. Similarly to camping with your car at a festival, once you’re parked you won’t be able to move your vehicle until the concert is over.
Bevs & Snacks?
Melbourne’s The Drive-In has announced that their shows will exhibit multiple bars and a wide range of food stalls from a rotating list of Melbourne’s finest food trucks. Appropriate procedures and social distancing measures will be put in place to ensure that punters can enjoy bevs and eats safely.
In Sydney at Drive In Entertainment, food and drinks will be delivered to cars in standard Maccas drive-through style. You will be able to order from a range of vendors through an app, and enjoy contactless delivery straight to your car-door. But there's a catch, NO alcohol will be served at these Sydney events.
Across the currently very off-limits international border, international touring giant Live Nation has announced its first-ever drive-in concerts series in the US. Treating punters to the option of BYO (yep that’s right, BYO) food and drinks.
How Are We Gonna Make Friends And Boogie In The Mosh?
With punters only allowed to leave their car for toilet breaks, making friends at your next drive in gig may be a little different. It’ll be just like getting stuck in traffic, minus the road rage, plus everyone jamming out to the same radio station. Nothing is stopping you from popping your head out and vibing with the cars next to you though.
In the US, at the Live Nation shows however, punters are able to boogie with a little less restriction. Live Nation’s planned concert series will see a maximum of four people per car drive into a space with two empty parking spaces in between each vehicle allowing fans to watch and party from their individual designated zones.
An area to dance and chill without people digging their elbows into you or blocking your view with their obnoxiously large hat sounds like our idea of live music heaven. With BYO options and designated dancing areas, here’s to hoping Australia takes a leaf out of America’s book (never thought we’d be saying that rn).
How Do We Cheer & Clap?
Raise your windscreen wipers in the air if you’re here to have a good time…lol?
Punters will have to get inventive with how they show support. While organisers say they don't want to drown the sound from the stage, honking horns, flashing lights, and waving your arms out the window or straight out of your sun-roof (if you have one) is encouraged to show support.
How Can Fans Interact With Artists?
In what was billed as Australia’s first Drive-in Concert, Casey Donovan connected with Sydney fans through Zoom as a sea of front-cam faces appeared on the big screen behind her performance. How about that for a way to get noticed by your fave band!
Who’s driving?
While this is quite possibly the biggest question that you’ll face after purchasing your drive-in concert tickets, there are many ways you could approach the situation. You could flip a coin, pass the responsibility onto that mate who doesn’t really know the band that well anyways or lose one of the car seats and suss how much an Uber would charge to attend the gig for the night (not a bad request if you ask us).
So now that we’ve provided A’s to your Q’s, put your windscreen wipers in the air and get in loser, we’re going to a drive-in concert.
There’s drive-in concerts happening Australia-wide, download our free concert tracker app to see them all and to stay on top of all new live music as it gets announced. However, we’ve listed them all below so pump your tyres, get your crew sorted and grab those tickets — this will be a story to tell.
Upcoming Drive-In Concerts in Australia
QLD
Airwaves Drive-In Festival — More info
NSW
Hockey Dad — More info
Sons Of The East — More info
The Veronicas — More Info
Casey Donovan — More Info
Kate Ceberano — More Info
With many more to be announced, keep our concert tracker app handy to be the first to know when they and regular gigs get announced.
