Gavin James to play four live drive-in gigs this summer

The shows will see the Only Ticket Home singer perform live on stage while concert-goers watch from the comfort of their own car.

BOXES DRIVE IN TOUR!!
I’ve been sitting on this news for weeks... but I’m delighted to announce I’m doing a Drive-In tour 🥳 Tickets on sale this Friday at 9am from https://t.co/tB7Unzfh6v

See yas all at the drive-in! ❤️🚗🎥 (Subject to all public health guidelines) pic.twitter.com/jAMuKUG43S

— Gavin James (@gavinjames) May 26, 2020

“I’ve been sitting on this news for weeks... but I’m delighted to announce I’m doing a Drive-In tour,” James said on social media.

"See yas all at the drive-in! (Subject to all public health guidelines)."

According to MPI and 360 Events, Live at The Drive-In “is a new way for us to bring live experiences to the fans across the country, whilst taking all the official recommendations and restrictions into account and delivering safe, family-friendly entertainment during this difficult time.”

They added: "This event is a drive-in live concert experience the first of its kind in the Republic Of Ireland, we have a selection of amazing artists booked to perform live.

"This is a family-friendly event, each artist will perform two concerts per day one matinee and one evening show."

The shows will see cars attended the gigs with four people per car permitted.

The show will be performed live and broadcast via PA system from the stage and an FM transmitter. The frequency will be supplied on site.

James will play at:

• The GreenPark Site, Limerick on July 24
• The Showgrounds, Cork on July 31
• Tramore Promenade, Waterford on August 7
• Gowran Racecourse, Kilkenny on August 10

Tickets will go on sale on Friday at 9am from LiveAtTheDriveIn.ie.

In relation to any Covid-19 concerns, organisers said that "every staff member on site receives rigorous safety training and full PPE is provided for all our staff and each site operates a very detailed Covid-19 management plan. Social distancing rules are strictly followed on site."

They added that "in order to respect public health guidelines, it is recommended that only members of the same household attend in the same car."

James said that the best thing about the gigs will be people in the industry getting back to work.

“To be honest the best thing about this is that the crew, security, booking agents, session musicians, event organisers, managers and everyone else that plays a part in the live music industry that haven’t been able to work in the last few months are finally back at it," he said via Twitter.

“Let’s hope we can do a hell of a lot of these things to support the industry and the people in it.

“As the gigs do not happen without them.”

Dolans, who are assisting with the Limerick show, have welcomed the concert series.

“The past few months have been a very difficult time for the music industry,” said promoter Mick Dolan.

“We are facing into a summer period where the traditional festival offering and big gig line-ups just won’t be happening.

“Limerick deserves something special and something unique to look forward to, so we have teamed up with the local authority to bring the concept of the Drive-In concerts to Limerick.

“These gigs will give people the chance to still see live music while maintaining strict social distancing measures from the comfort of their cars.

It is our hope that we will be adding some other big name acts to the July line-up shortly.

Limerick Mayor Cllr Michael Sheehan said “Limerick City and County Council is delighted to partner with Dolans’” for the “innovative event”.

He added: “Live music by Dolans is a huge part of the Limerick experience, we already had a very successful virtual Riverfest and it’s fantastic that we can still enjoy entertainment in the new normal that we find ourselves in.

“The local authority is working hard to programme bespoke activities unique to Limerick this Summer and we would encourage the people of Limerick to support an event like this, it’s definitely going to be an experience.”