Christian rap star TobyMac and rock band Newsboys United are heading out on tour despite the coronavirus pandemic shutting down much of the nation.
However, the two bands are planning a perfect tour that will take into account quarantine and isolation rules.
The bands are heading out on a Drive-In Tour.
TobyMac and Newsboys United Drive-In Tour
The idea seems like the perfect chance for fans to attend a concert without the worry of infections and fear of disease.
TobyMac and Newsboys United will play drive-in theaters across the country instead of concert halls and auditoriums. Much like a drive-in movie, families and friends will come and see the concert from the safety of their car.
The only rule is that there is a limit to six people per vehicle.
“When we started discussing live shows in this quarantine season, and the idea of playing drive-ins came up, I said, ‘Let’s go,'” TobyMac said. “It feels like summer, safe for everybody, and we all get to enjoy live music again. We ’bout to make some memories.”
It isn’t cheap, though. Since up to six people are in a car, the tickets for general admission runs $100. There are also $175 tickets for preferred parking spots close to the stage.
Some theaters with two screens will have lower priced $75 tickets to watch on the second screen, but out of view of the stage.
This is special for TobyMac.
He told Variety that he used to go to Saturday night movies at a local drive-in theater as a kid with his family. He said that he always loved it, and now it makes sense to bring it back for fans missing concerts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tour stops include Arkansas, Missouri, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
Concerts during coronavirus
This tour isn’t the first time a band chose the drive-in movie route. EDM artist Marc Rebillet scheduled 12 shows at drive-in theaters in June. None of his theater stops overlap with TobyMac and Newsboys United.
Michael W. Smith, another Christian musician, is also having a drive-in concert in Tennessee on May 30.
There will also be more outdoor concerts coming up in the future as well, as Live Nation plans to hold more this summer.
This includes megastar Keith Urban, who was the first major music artist to hold a concert for about 200 fans at a drive-in theater in Watertown, Tennessee.
“The only real challenge for me was [the absence of] the energy from a mosh pit,” Urban said. “But the car horns, the flashing headlights — that was crazy cool.”