The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted so much of the normalcy of our lives — and musicians more than some of us.
Summer festivals all over the world have been cancelled. Tours have been postponed. But some artists are finding innovative ways to replicate the live music experience.
In April, Denmark and Lithuania held the first modern drive-in concerts.
In Lithuania, Drive In Live kicked off in an airfield near the capital city, Vilnius. Concertgoers came to watch bands play live on a stage while they sat in their cars.
No more than two people were allowed per car, and the concert's live audio was played through the car's speakers by radio. All the concerts so far have been free, and they're planned to run at least until the end of May.
Mads Langer, a Danish singer with many Top 40 hits in Denmark, saw his summer tour scuttled, so he announced a concert at a local drive-in theatre. Twenty minutes after the concert was officially announced, the concert had sold out. The concert held 500 cars.
Instead of an existing drive-in, Langer and his crew build a stage and bought an FM frequency to broadcast the concert, and then send it to the concert goers via their car's radio. To interact with Langer, concert goers would honk their horns or turn on their windshield wipers.
A group of German DJs have started Autodisco, a live rave event held in a parking lot in Schuttorf, with live DJs spinning electronic music. About 250 people attended the first event.
Reports of outdoor concerts have sprung up around Canada and in the United States, being held on rooftops, old drive-in theatres, parking lots and open fields. And, of course, live streaming via Youtube, Facebook and other social media platforms have continued during the pandemic. Those concerts, teamed with crowdfunding efforts online and government grants have help keep some musicians afloat while traditional live concerts and touring remains impossible.
Classic drive-in theatres have seen a resurgence too, with movie theatres closed to gatherings. Enderby's own Starlight Theatre has reopened for the season, but with a limit of 50 cars. Reservations are being taken online.
