Brad Paisley, Jon Pardi to Headline Huge Drive-In Shows

A series of nine massive drive-in shows are planned for July 10-12

Written by Chris Parton
Brad Paisley, Jon Pardi to Headline Huge Drive-In Shows
Brad Paisley; Photo courtesy of Live Nation

Brad Paisley and Jon Pardi are among the headliners for a series of massive drive-in style concerts announced by promoter Live Nation, as the pandemic-battered industry looks to reestablish itself.

Revealing the plans Monday (June 22), Live Nation announced nine parking-lot shows under the “Live from the Drive-In” banner, set to take place July 10-12 in Nashville, Tennessee; Maryland Heights, Missouri; and Noblesville, Indiana. Paisley will headline shows in each city, while Pardi and Darius Rucker will join the lineup outside Nashville’s Nissan Stadium. Crossover rapper Nelly will highlight the Missouri show (just outside his hometown of St. Louis), and Pardi will top the bill at Nobelsville’s Ruoff Music Center near Indianapolis.

Organizers say strict safety precautions will be in place — including four person per vehicle maximums and designating parking spots with two empty stalls between each car, plus no-touch ticket taking and regularly cleaned restrooms. Fans will not be required to wear masks during the concert itself and can bring their own prepared food and drinks (including alcohol), and refreshments can also be delivered to each group’s tailgate pad after an online order. Tickets go on sale this Friday (June 26) for as low as $125 per vehicle.

For his part, Paisley says he wasn’t willing to take any chances in inviting fans back out to shows, but Live Nation says they’ve been working for months to do something big.

“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 told 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,” he added. “I just think it’s a fun way to watch a concert anyway. It’d be fun if there wasn’t a virus.”

“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,” said Tom See, president of Live Nation Venues-US Concerts. “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. … 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.”

The news comes as multiple country artists have experimented with or plan to attempt drive-in style concerts, including Keith Urban, Alan Jackson and Garth Brooks.

See the full schedule of shows here.