It feels like an eternity ago. On March 11, live music in Los Angeles was still thriving. Tame Impala performed to a sold-out Forum crowd with 17,000 plus, while Glass Animals played a packed underplay showcase at the Troubadour, amidst other happenings. Meanwhile, there was an ominous feeling everything was about to change. That night, the NBA suspended their season indefinitely after Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19, while news quickly spread that Tom Hanks and his wife also had the virus. The threat of coronavirus become a vivid reality, with all live events for the foreseeable future cancelled. We still don’t know when we will be able to enjoy live music at our favorite music venues or festivals again, but we’re beginning to see new approaches, with drive-in concerts popping up across the country (as well as some other questionable live show attempts).
While Live Nation, Goldenvoice, and other promoters are scrambling to reimagine the live concert setting, the very first live event in Los Angeles since the pandemic shut everything down wasn’t produced by a major promoter or headlined by an established star—instead it featured the bright rising talent Remi Wolf. Produced by This Is Who We Are Now, the concert was held in a large parking lot adjacent to East West Bank in LA’s Chinatown, with cars parked spaced apart, a large projection on the wall above the stage, and live audio piped in through an FM radio signal.
“This is so weird,” the band whispered as they graced the stage, but Remi Wolf’s infectious energy and charisma soon filled the parking lot, with fans beeping their car horns and flashing headlights in support. It was surreal, to say the least, but it was awesome.
Performing tracks from her new EP I’m Allergic to Dogs!, the event also raised funds for the anti-racist PLUS1 for Black Lives fund and Summaeverythang, a local community food drive benefiting Watts and South Central LA.
FLOOD was there to document the event for the latest episode of our new outdoor live series, Neighborhoods. Watch her engaging performance of “Down the Line” and “Hello Hello Hello” above.
