SULLIVAN KING & NGHTMRE AT HOUNDS DRIVE-IN THEATRE IN KINGS MOUNTAIN
Since the start of quarantine due to COVID-19, our music industry has been heavily impacted by the closures and group gathering limits. I completely understand the measures that have been implemented around the country for the safety of the public. When I saw the opportunity to attend a live show for one of my favorite artists within an hour of me, I couldn’t resist. This one of a kind experience was held at the Hounds Drive-In in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The venue had two screens and very large amphitheatre style parking areas, with a stage set up for the artists at screen one.
My friend and I arrived early to get a good spot with a nice view of the stage. The drive-in had several measures in place to ensure the safety of their patrons. Guests were required to wear masks when walking outside of their parking space, there was a maximum of six people at each spot, and there was hired law enforcement to ensure the safety of the patrons. As the lot started to fill up, local support artists OUZA, Juasca, and Absnt set the tone for the night. It was definitely strange not having a large sound system for the music to play through; if you’ve never been to a drive-in the way they project the sound is through an FM radio station and you play it through your car speakers. Let’s just say, thank god for the people who showed up prepared with their own large speakers and subs. Some people came with awesome setups. I saw everything from air mattresses in truck beds, to disco balls, and decked out LED trunks.
One of the best parts was seeing all of the people from the EDM community completely decked out in full festival fashion and all of the positive vibes. It felt as though everyone was just truly grateful to get out of the house and be at a show with a large crowd, even if we were still at a distance. It was wild to talk to my neighbors who both came from out of state. To our left was a group of students from Orlando, Florida and on the other side was a guy who had driven through the night from Maryland. It’s amazing how live music drive-in shows and the cancellation of festivals brought people from across the east coast to a tiny town in North Carolina. We were allowed to be outside our cars within our spots which made the experience worth it since we could still talk to those around us and see many people with light up hoops, poi. and staves flowing to the beat.
As for the main event, Sullivan King and Nghtmre crushed it as usual. Though the stage was fairly small compared to most festivals, the artists commanded the crowd with huge energy and the light show and visuals projected onto the screen were very cool. I took a short walk down our row to snap some pictures, and although security was there ushering people back to their cars to keep them from congregating, it was so refreshing to see the pure happiness on people’s faces while they danced and sang back to the DJs. I could tell the artists were grateful too. Performing a live stream is one thing, but being able to see your fans at a live show must have felt so good.
Overall, I would definitely recommend checking out a drive-in show if one pops up near you, or maybe you’re like my neighbors and you're willing to drive eight hours for that experience too. Either way, it filled a bit of that void that’s been there since the start of the pandemic. Stay safe!