Popular Westport Drive-In Concert Series Comes To A Close

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce's popular drive-in concert series will come to a close this weekend, with performances scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

According to the chamber's president, Matthew Mandell, this weekend's performances from Dark Desert Eagles will be the last in the popular socially distanced concert series.

"There is no reason to run an event based on the need for social distancing when that will no longer be required," Mandell said. "A lot of people asked me to continue them, but it's time to say our mission is complete."

Mandell came up with the idea for the concerts as a unique way to hold outdoor events that allowed residents to keep a safe distance from each other during the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

"People were starving for normalcy, for an event," Mandell said, "and we could only do it socially distant."

Mandell said he knew the Imperial Parking Lot in town was not being used and, more importantly, would be the perfect place for residents to social distance. By utilizing every other parking spot and every other row in the lot, residents could then tailgate in front of their car.

Working with the Westport Library, Mandell contacted The Tom Petty Project band and filled them in on his idea.

"So we planned and waited week after week for the state to say such a concept was acceptable," Mandell said. "When they said yes, we pulled off the show within two weeks. Westport had the first Drive-in Concert in the state, [and] others followed suit quickly thereafter."

Mandell and his team put on 14 shows in total, including three virtual streaming concerts and a fundraiser drive-in concert for CLASP Homes of Westport. All 10 drive-in concerts sold out, some in as little as eight minutes, and each was approved by the Board of Selectmen.

"[The drive-in concerts] were so popular people have asked me to continue doing them," Mandell said. "Where else can you just drive up, pull out coolers, tables and chairs and enjoy your own food and drinks while listening to great music?"

Due to travel restrictions, Mandell selected artists from Connecticut and nearby states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

"We got acts that we otherwise could not have afforded in some instances," Mandell said. "In some cases they sought us out, which was a positive. We not only gave the community an event, artists got paid which helped them out as well."

Overall, Mandell said he is grateful to those who came out and enjoyed the drive-in concert series despite the circumstances of this past year. He also urges residents to stay tuned for upcoming events, including the Supper & Soul dinner and concerts scheduled to take place inside the library this fall.

"I am pleased to have created something for our community to enjoy," Mandell said. "We really needed it, [and] it gave people a feeling of normalcy when, all around us, things were not normal."