Hall recently called in to discuss the tour, which complies with all local COVID-19 guidelines.
Q: How did the pandemic shutdowns impact the group?
A: When everything hit, we were in New Jersey in the middle of a tour playing arenas and big venues with Matthew West. Sports and concerts were the first things to go. When the NBA announced they were shutting down, I thought, “Yep, we must be all done.” In the moment, we didn’t know how bad it was going to be, just that it might be bad so we had to pack it up. It has really shifted things. I’m still a full-time youth pastor at a church in Atlanta and church changed a ton. You had to get to people without getting around them. It became really hard for families to deal with being home so much and kids not having school and athletes not having sports. It was a tough go so when the band shut down, I shifted back into youth pastor mode and just tried to encourage families.
Q: What was that like?
A: We had to get really creative to keep them engaged. With your small group ministries, you’ve got to keep kids connected to each other because suddenly their entire face-to-face social network is gone. They’re all stuck in the house so we were doing small groups on Zoom. They did mission projects and did art and sent it to other places. We did a Bob Ross paint night on Zoom with about 50 kids. We had people making devotional videos and sending them to each other. We were encouraging them to stay active and stay in a place where they’re pouring into others and not just eking along.
Q: What was your musical outlet during that time?
A: Since Casting Crowns couldn’t get together, I ended up doing a lot of concerts from my house with my kids. I had my son play guitar and my daughter singing with me. We were doing concerts online on Facebook and Instagram to love on all our people out there. It just became a new thing. You’ve got to keep moving, keeping rolling. It was a lot of fun, but when the idea of drive-in theater shows came up, I was definitely interested. Daytona Beach is where our band started and there’s a drive-in church that has been there for years. Tourists can come in, turn on the radio frequency and be part of a worship service. The idea of doing a concert like that wasn’t far-fetched. It was just a lot of work on figuring how to get it all together to make it happen. I surround myself with people who are smart enough to do that so they figured it out.
Q: How have those shows been going considering these aren’t venues that normally do concerts?
A: Our crew starts from the ground up. It’s like starting in a field and they work really hard to make it happen. It’s probably been the toughest tour we’ve done, but it’s been one of the more needed tours we’ve ever done. When the fans get there, you can see on their faces how much they needed it. You know, “Our family needed to get out of the house to be a part of something and be encouraged and have our faith poured into a little bit.” It has been needed so it has been worth all the work to make it happen.
Q: What has it been like rehearsing, traveling and trying to stay safe?
A: Everybody is doing good. When we first went out, everybody had to get tested. Every once in a while, we all get checked again. Everybody is masked up and being careful. We can’t live too fearful but we also can’t live too carelessly. You’ve got to be careful and just wash up, keep distance and wear a mask when you need to. It’s been great so far.
Q: Have you done any other in-person concerts during the pandemic other than drive-in shows?
A: No and this is all there will be for quite a while. The thing about the drive-in shows is people don’t stay in their cars. They pull out the folding chairs and sit in front of their cars so they’re distanced from other families. You’ve got the radio station frequency if you want, but most people sit outside and listen because we’ve got all the speakers up so it’s like a big outdoor festival.
Q: How are ticket sales going for these shows?
A: They’ve been going really well. Sometimes people are confused by some of the other tours where the band doesn’t actually show up, they just play a movie of their concert. For a while there, people weren’t sure what we were doing. We’re like, “No, man, we’re not shipping in a DVD, we’re here doing this live.” Getting folks to understand that has made a big difference. It has been a real blessing to get out and do what we’re supposed to be doing.
Contact contributing arts and music writer Don Thrasher at donthrasher100@gmail.com.
HOW TO GO
What: Awakening Events' Drive-In Theater Tour Series presents Casting Crowns
Where: Dixie Twin Drive-In, 6201 N. Dixie Drive, Harrison Twp.
When: Friday, Oct. 2. Gates open at 6 p.m., music begins at dusk.
Cost: $100 per car general admission, $175 gold parking. Limit six people per vehicle.
More info: 937-890-5513 or www.dixietwin.com
Artist info: https://castingcrowns.com
About the Author