Crooners Supper Club in Fridley is determined to bring live music back with a series of parking-lot concerts starting May 8.
Similar to a drive-in movie, concertgoers will stay in their vehicles to witness musicians on a tall portable outdoor stage. A limited food menu will be available, with servers bringing items to each vehicle. Indoor restrooms with attendants will be open to one person at a time.
The first show will be Jennifer and Reed Grimm in "Sibling Revelry" at 7 p.m. May 8.
"This is our first initiative in a plan that has several stages," Crooners owner Mary Tjosvold said in a statement. "We want to give audiences a safe option during this period of transition, as we approach the difficult yet essential process of getting ourselves outside and small businesses like restaurants working again."
Last month, Crooners, the Twin Cities Jazz Festival and KBEM-FM (Jazz 88) helped raise more than $25,000 for a planned livestreaming April concert series inside Crooners sans a live audience. That series was scrapped after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's stay-at-home directive, but the money was distributed to musicians who had committed to perform.
Many of those same performers will appear in Crooners' "Lakeside Drive-In" series, set against the backdrop of Moore Lake.
Crooners parking lot can accommodate about 80 vehicles for concerts; taller trucks and vans will be asked to park farther away from the stage.
Ticket prices will vary from $15 to $30 — per person, not per vehicle — depending on the concert. Tickets are available at croonersmn.com; for questions, e-mail boxoffice@croonersmn.com. Performances will be at 7 p.m. unless otherwise indicated. The shows will take place rain or shine.
