WOODFORD COUNTY, Ky. — It’s a Central Kentucky winery that on this night in the face of COVID-19, took on a different tune.
Elisha Holt is with Wildside winery.
"I was kicking myself going, why don't I have a drive-in movie? And then I thought, well, wait a minute. We can have lots of drive-in things. Why not have drive-in trivia? Why not have a drive-in concert? You can still enjoy all of the things that you would normally enjoy out here. As long as you have enough physical space to keep everybody separated. So, I decided we'd give it a shot."
Wildside Winery, just outside of Versailles in Woodford County, was transformed into a concert venue.
This was no ordinary concert, it was a special way to offer music fans some time out of the house to have some fun, all while staying safe with proper social distancing.
Evan Curran with the Trippin Roots Band says it is unlike any place he's performed.
"There's no front row or any kind of actual ticket sales, but it's going to be I think a good way to get things rolling again, definitely."
The first-ever “Drive-In Concert Experience” included multiple performers with sound provided by James Dean Rocks. Each ticket holder was provided a 15-foot space where they could park their car, pull out their lawn chairs, and enjoy a live concert with local musicians.
Nell Hughes attended the show.
"We thought this would be a safe way for us to get out. It's a beautiful night, drink a little wine, listen to some music and just be with other people, but not too close to them, but know that we're not the only people within the side of the four walls of our house."
Kathy Vance says a social media post led her to check things out.
"We have just been in for so long and saw this on Facebook and couldn't wait to get out and have something fresh and new to do."
The sold-out event featured 3-hours of live music from Trippin Roots, Jordan King, and Donnie Bowling. The winery also brought in a food truck and offered beverage service to each vehicle.
King said, "I really thought this was a good idea to help us kind of get back used to playing live music because we're still practicing the distancing and being apart, but it's a good way for everybody to kind of get together and see some familiar faces, even if it's through a windshield or a few feet apart."
Bowling added, "It's crazy a lot of people have talked about doing something like this and being a part of it, especially the first one, I think we're just going to have to roll with the punches and really give our energy and hopefully we get it back."
Energy, Holt says that these musicians and Wildside Winery hopes will turn in to a new concert trend during the pandemic.
"I know people are sick and tired of being cooped up in their homes. I know we're very blessed to have this 30-acre property here, and I want to share that to the greatest extent possible with our community and give them that opportunity to come out and participate."