Coronavirus Outbreak: UK to host live gigs that audience can attend from safety of their cars

There won’t be any moshing going on, but entertainment company Live Nation Entertainment are rolling out a series of gigs across the UK where fans can be together to get their fix of live events from the safety of their own designated area.

Known for staging A list music stars’ concerts and festivals such as Wireless and Reading and Leeds, Live Nation say artists just want to get back on stage and they hope ‘Utilita Live From The Drive-In’ will be a way they can do just that.

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“You know we can do all of these streams, we can do everything on Facebook.. which is great. But there is nothing that compares to you seeing your favourite musician or band on that stage,” Live Nation promoter Peter Taylor told Reuters.

There will be a mix of gigs including live music from artists such as Dizzee Rascal, Kaiser Chiefs and The Streets, as well as science show - Brainiac Live, staged across 12 UK venues in cities including London, Birmingham and Edinburgh this summer.

Here is the announcement

A maximum of 300 cars will be allowed at each show, meaning both organisers and artists have had to make some profound changes to their way of doing things.

“That’s going to feel very kind of imitate in terms of what we’re used to if you go into an arena or stadium,” said Taylor.

“We have our artists who are working to a very different financial model than what they normally would. A lot of them are doing kind of different versions of their show,” he said.

Many live concerts around the world have had to be cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Taylor says that Utilita Live From The Drive-In will be a good source of employment for the whole industry: “It’s been about making sure that our eco-system can be supported as much as possible.”

Taylor said they have been able to postpone some of their bigger tours, such upcoming shows from musician Harry Styles and Dua Lipa, to 2021 and are still able to sell tickets for these shows.

BBC writes that live music events have already taken place in the US, Germany and Denmark. In May, Keith Urban played a secret show for 200 healthcare workers.

(With inputs from Reuters)