On Thursday, May 14, 2020, Keith Urban played the first live concert in the country since coronavirus pretty much shut down live entertainment over two months ago.
If you hadn’t heard about it beforehand, don’t worry – hardly anyone did!
Urban invited 200 first responders and frontline workers to Stardust Drive-In Movie Theater, which is about 40 miles east of Nashville, Tennessee. According to a press release, each of those 200 folks were “doctors, nurses, emergency medical technicians and staff from Vanderbilt Health.”
Instead of playing for a crowd full of people in seats, Urban played for approximately 125 vehicles that were honking and flashing their lights throughout the show, which was over an hour long. Attendees were asked to stay at their vehicle to abide by social distancing rules and were able to listen to the show from their car radio if they were unable to hear.
While on stage, Urban said, “I did this to say thanks to the healthcare workers who are putting their lives on the line for us every day. And performing in this environment, with everyone in their cars at a safe distance from one another, seems like an amazing opportunity for everybody to just let go and have fun….and I’m a musician, I HAVE TO PLAY!”
After playing a full set for these frontline workers, Urban said, “God bless you guys, God bless the US, God bless the healthcare workers. Thank you so much! And God bless the drive ins!”
Drive-in concerts might be a glimpse into what the future holds for live entertainment. Urban is just getting a head start on it!
Watch a highlight of the night in the video Urban posted to Instagram below.