SHREVEPORT, La. - A Shreveport music promoter is set to kick off a series of tailgate-style outdoor concerts at The Stoner Skate Park.
In the age of a pandemic, it may be one way to see a big show.
PinPoint Events will bring live music with social distancing as admission gives the ticket-holder a parking space and tailgate room to enjoy concerts by popular regional acts on four successive Friday evenings. Doors open at 6 p.m. and headliners perform 8:30 to 10 p.m. after an opening act.
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A Night At The Rep
A lobby full of silent auction items and a buffet, mixed with holiday cocktails and music by The Four Reps kicked off the 12th annual "A Night At The Rep" hosted by the North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce. Later, guests enjoyed a performance of "A Christmas Story".
Tickets are per car, not per person. Parking spaces are 20 feet by 17 feet.
The Shreveport Summer Sendoff Drive In Concert series presents Flow Tribe on Sept. 4, The Soul Rebels on Sept. 11, Seratones on Sept. 18 and Tank and the Bangas on Sept. 25. Opening acts are, in order, Shayliff, Tipsey the Band, Chaynler Joie and Sweet Crude.
"I am so excited to have the opportunity to bring live music back to our community. We are working hard to provide an incredibly enjoyable concert environment while taking major steps to keep everyone involved safe and socially distanced," said PinPoint's Matt Snyder in a statement.
"It is incredibly important to make opportunities for people in the music and event production industry to get back to work, and I hope this provides a successful example of how to deliver live music to our community," he said.
In a phone interview, Snyder said that for music lovers he felt they had to do something to get live music going again. He stages other Shreveport events, too, such as Crawfest, a music festival.
He was skeptical of outdoor concerts where people listen from inside their cars, but in this situation people have the entire tailgate space, which makes a difference. That's how Voodoo Fest did it in New Orleans, he says.
"It was more of a tailgate party atmosphere than sit in your car and listen to music," Snyder said. It's like throwing a personal party at a concert. As a man with young kids, too, he sees it as a safe way to take them out to see music.
"You'll have your parking spot and then you'll really have up to roughly like 14 more feet of your own tailgating area to separate away from people and to set up your area," Snyder said.
Bring food, an ice chest and enjoy three hours of a riverfront concert - that's the idea. Because there's no concessions to buy and the possibility of dividing the ticket price among several people (perhaps six to eight), he sees it as a good deal.
About the acts lined up, he said Flow Tribe is a fun band, the right way to kick it off. "They're a really funky group of guys out of New Orleans," he said. Then the Soul Rebels, longtime New Orleans brass band icons, have been getting more popular in recent years, playing with star acts at Jazz Fest.
"Then the third week is the Seratones, which is definitely a signed band that's played in a lot of big musical festivals, including Jazz Fest, ACL (Austin City Limits), SXSW. They are from Shreveport," Snyder said.
The final headliner is Tank and the Bangas, who found exposure through the NPR Music Tiny Desk Concerts. "Probably one of the hottest bands in the region," Snyder said.
At the concerts, there's no mask requirement unless someone leaves their tailgating spot to use the restroom, where there are also sanitizing stations.
No concessions will be served, so bringing food and beverages, coolers, cameras, lawn chairs and blankets is allowed. Glass bottles, inflatables, tents, weapons, drones and audio/video recording are among the prohibited items.
(Tickets start at $50 per vehicle for early bird tickets. For more information and ticket purchase, visit ShreveportSummerSendoff.com.)