*VPM News intern Alan Rodriguez Espinoza reported this story.
The Broadberry Entertainment Group is teaming up with the yacht rock band “Three Sheets to the Wind” in June, for what they call the Catalina Car Mixer -- a drive-in concert outside of City Stadium.
Audience members will be able to watch the band’s stage performance from their vehicles and will also be given a special FM frequency to listen to the performance over their car radios in real time.
Going by his stage name, band leader Topper Dandy says the drive-in show will be a unique opportunity for people to get out of the house.
“What we’re trying to do is to make an exciting event that people can treasure for the rest of their lives and say, ‘Remember when things were tough and we found a way to overcome,’” Dandy said.
Lucas Fritz, one of the owners of the Broadberry, says the event will observe strict social distancing rules. Audience members are expected to stay in their vehicles -- unless they have to go to the bathroom, although it is recommended that they use their home bathrooms prior to or after the event.
“Really, we just want to reduce any amount of contact between concertgoers, our event staff and the artists. We want people to be able to get out of the house, come together in a safe and fun way while mitigating any risks to themselves and others,” Fritz said.
Fritz says the drive-in concert was inspired by similar events that have taken place in Europe, and he hopes it will address a pent-up demand for live music that usually takes place during the summer’s festival season.
“It’s not gonna replace the feeling of being on Brown’s Island for Friday Cheers, or being inside the Broadberry, or going to the National to see a concert, but in these unprecedented times, it’s definitely gonna give people a fun outlet to get out of the house and have a good time on a Saturday evening,” he said.
The drive-in concert will take place on June 13. Due to limited capacity, only 175 tickets are being sold at $100 per car.