MEMPHIS – Following on the heels of last month’s successful drive-in concert event by Garth Brooks, fellow country star Blake Shelton will headline his own show on July 25.
“The Voice” judge and hitmaker will team up with Encore Live to film and screen his show at outdoor venues in more than 300 locations across the U.S.
Joining Shelton and performing as part of the event will be Gwen Stefani and country singer Trace Adkins.
In a statement announcing the Shelton show, the Fort Worth, Texas-based Encore Live, said “overwhelming fan response” for its June 27 “Garth Brooks: A Drive-In Concert Experience’’ has prompted the company to add more shows this summer, starting with the Shelton concert. They note that these “all-new performances will be filmed exclusively for each one-night-only event and include cinematic interviews and storytelling.”
Tickets for the Shelton event go on sale at noon on July 14 at ticketmaster.com/encore-blakeshelton. Tickets are $114.99 and each admits one passenger car, truck or SUV with up to six people.
Chicago-area/Illinois drive-in locations include: the Chicago Drive-In Theater in Hoffman Estates; the Chicago Drive-In Theater in Bridgeview; the Drive ‘N Theater in Newton; the Elgin Cinema in Elgin; the Harvest Moon Drive-In in Gibson City; and the Route 66 Drive-In in Springfield.
Billed as a “safe, creative way to deliver world-class entertainment thanks to their ability to engage large groups of people in open-air layouts,” Encore notes that on-site staff will be wearing “personal protective equipment and enforce at least six feet of space between cars.”
The series will also use contactless payment and ticketing systems and will limit capacity in restrooms. Guidelines around concessions will abide by individual state regulations.
On June 27, Brooks similarly offered a drive-in concert experience and played to more than 350,000 fans in a concert streamed on more than 300 drive-in screens across the country, allowing fans to socially distance from one another inside their vehicles. The concert was performed in Nashville and featured Brooks onstage with his full band exclusively for this event.
Brooks’ event — billed as “the largest ever one-night show to play at outdoor theaters across the United States and Canada” — came as socially distanced “drive-in” concerts continue to gain momentum this summer.
Contributing: Matthew Leimkuehler and Ed Masley, The Tennessean
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