18
PL & P
PHOTO : BEN DARTNELL , @ ITSDARTY
BIG
VISUALS FOR
THE
BIG SCREEN
BRETT
KISSEL
LIVE
AT THE
DRIVE-IN
BY ANDREW KING
Drive-in concerts .
Anyone even remotely involved with or interested in live music is familiar with the concept these days : a live performance in front of parked cars instead of packed crowds ; honking horns instead of clapping hands ; audio from car stereos instead of multi-array systems .
At its core , the concept is crystal clear ; how such an event logistically comes together , though , still isn ’ t . And while artists and promoters and production companies have learned a lot from each other the more these kinds of events have been staged around the world , when Canadian country star Brett Kissel announced the first of what would ultimately become eight sold-out Live at the Drive-In shows in Edmonton , AB ( with more added in Regina and Saskatoon , SK , on subsequent weekends ) drive-in concerts were basically the wild west of what live productions might look like during and following the COVID-19 pandemic .
Professional Lighting & Production recently caught up with Colin Moore of CJM Productions , Kissel ’ s longtime lighting director and production designer , to discuss all the moving parts that went into what was essentially a proof-of-concept series of events – and how it felt to bring a live show to an in-person audience again after months of inactivity and uncertainty .
The first Live at the Drive-In show was announced in late May 2020 : a 7 p . m . performance in the parking lot of the River Cree Resort & Casino as a fundraiser for Food Banks Alberta via the Safeway Community Action Fund . To say the news was well-received by the entertainment-starved public would be an understatement . Tickets sold out almost instantly at only $ 50 per vehicle , leading to a second show , then several shows , and ultimately culminating in eight sold-out , hour-long concerts over two days , June 13 th and 14 th .
The following weekend , Kissel and his band , crew , and the production they carried travelled to Regina for three sold-out shows in the parking lot of Mosaic Stadium before head-