Metallica's Drive Through Concert

 


While there have been several posts made about Metallica this month, including the release of their sequel to the successful performances with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, S&M2, last night Metallica's live show was shown across over 300 drive-in venues in the US and Canada

The process

The way these shows are recorded and presented is that the artist in question pre-records their show, usually in a small venue with their band, and then the recording is projected and played back. Regarding Metallica, they went to the Gundlach Bundschu Brewery in nearby Sonoma, California, where this show was recorded.

It was a massive pleasure for fans to be reminded of the music from Metallica's four decade history. Regarding their ability to pull of a live show in this manner, the band said, and I quote, "Needless to say, this is an exciting first for us, as we continue to explore new ways to connect with you and keep playing live… this definitely qualifies as a unique and memorable experience for us. We hope you think so too."

A positive experience indeed

The drive-in shows were very well received. In fact, Mathew Wilkening of popular site Ultimate Classic Rock, had the pleasure to attend one of the shows, and called it as close to a summer concert as possible. In particular he complimented the show for having the slowly darkening sky, and surroundng mountain views creating an extraordinary backdrop, not to mention commenting the fact that singer James Hetsfield didn't have to shout over thousands of fans and had a perfect voice.

In addition to Metallica, fans got a treat from Canadian Three Days Grace as an opening act.

Drive throughs all the rage

The benefits of these drive through events have really shown - especially now during this pandemic. It enables fans to be socially distant (and even without measures allows one to dance without having to beware of their surroundings), is held outdoors so as not to risk spreading the virus, also importantly requires goers to mask when away from their vehicles, and is incredibly cheap! In the post I wrote about their announcement two weeks ago, I noted that the price of Blake Shelton's July 25 show was set at $100 PER CAR. That, folks, is the MINIMUM price, PER SEAT, when it comes to real live shows. 

In addition, fans get to see the whole band playing (and not just dots as if they were in a chopper during actual shows), and more importantly, with the fact that it was recorded, the show is not quite as deafening.

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