Dave Paulson Nashville Tennessean This weekend, cars will fill the lot of Nissan Stadium for Nashville’s first major concerts in four months, and if you’re there, you’ll see some serious tailgating going down before the show.In fact, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a fan who’s not setting up their lawn chairs and coolers outside of their cars.And once the show starts, every single one of them will still be in the parking lot.It’s time for “Live From the Drive-In,” a drive-in concert series that runs Friday night through Sunday in the Nissan lot.Country stars Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Jon Pardi will perform on separate nights on a full-scale concert stage, and fans will watch from their “personal tailgating space” next to their cars.Indianapolis and St.Louis are also hosting the three-night series over the same weekend, and Paisley is headlining a night in each of the three cities.These aren’t the first drive-in shows to be staged in the region since the coronavirus shut down the concert industry.

Alan Jackson, Michael W.Smith and TobyMac have all played small town lots in recent months.But “Live From the Drive-In” is among the first for Live Nation, a publicly traded company that near-dominates the concert industry.“Around the world we’re seeing an eagerness from both fans and artists to get back to live music,” Tom See, President of Live Nation Venues, told The Tennessean via email.

“So we’ve had to get creative and find ways to make it happen in the safest way possible.” Their game plan for “Drive In,” as expected, is thorough.As attendees drive up to the gates, they’ll be able to scan their tickets through closed windows.Cars and their tailgating zones will be parked in a checkerboard pattern, giving each party at least nine feet of separation from one another.They’re free to bring their own food (pre-cooked, no grills allowed) and drinks.

“(It’s) roughly the size of a two-car garage,” See said.“You’ll park your car on the left, party and hang out on the right, and then there is a dedicated buffer zone to keep you separated from other groups.The key here is social distancing, and we designed all logistics from layout to sanitation with that in mind.” After consulting with officials, See said Live Nation determined it could fit about 600 cars into the lot each night.In Nashville, all audience members are required to wear masks whenever they’re outside of their vehicle — per the city’s mask mandate — while it’s not required in St.

Louis and Indianapolis.The pressure’s on for Live Nation to get the optics right.The company isn’t accommodating reporters or photographers for any of this weekend’s “Live From the Drive In” shows — which is a rare move in the traditional concert industry.Last month, country singer Chase Rice dealt with a public relations crisis after playing an outdoor concert in East Tennessee, where hundreds of fans crowded close to the stage without wearing masks.The venue, Historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, had several of its concerts canceled.

Calling the “Drive-In” a “unique model,” See didn’t elaborate on how its profitability compared to that a traditional concert.Each ticket, priced from $150-$400, grants admission to up to four fans per vehicle.“Live Nation’s main goal is just to keep artists and fans connected through live music in a safe and responsible manner during this time,” he said.“I’m just glad they didn’t just throw in the towel and say: ‘This year’s a wash,’” Paisley told the Associated Press.“It’s really not about making money with any of these at all.This is more about, ‘Look, we’ve got music to play, there are fans that want to be there in some form, in some fashion.We need to figure out how to do that.’ I think that’s the best way to kind of stay sane right now — to sort of have some things like this that are safe and a release from everything.” And if “Live From the Drive-In” is a success on some level, the question remains if Live Nation will roll out similar events across the country in the remaining warm weather months.

“Right now we’re focused on creating the best possible experience for our fans this weekend.” See said.“But as the summer goes on, we’ll continue to adapt and be creative.” If you go “Live From the Drive-In” takes place Friday through Sunday, July 10-12, at the Nissan Stadium parking lot.Nashville’s weekend will feature Jon Pardi on Friday, Brad Paisley on Saturday and Darius Rucker on Sunday.

Tickets (granting admission to up to four people per car) start at $150 via Ticketmaster.

For more information, visit www.livenation.com/drivein ..