DESTRUCTION's SCHMIER Refuses To Play Drive-In Concerts: 'I Don't Wanna Rip My Fans Off'

DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier says that he is not interested in performing drive-in concerts amid the coronavirus pandemic. "I'm not playing for cars," he told The Metal Voice in a new interview (see video below). "It's wrong — it's just wrong. If this is the last step to do — to play live shows in front of cars — I might think about it. But at the moment, no way — it's not working for metal. Metal people have to move, and we wanna feel the bass. This auto concerts, the music is on your radio, on your stereo in your car. There's no P.A. system. It's not a live impression, really. You're sitting in your car.

"I understand people doing this now, because people are desperate," Schmier added. "But [it's] not for DESTRUCTION. We had the offer to do this, actually, but I don't wanna rip my fans off with shit like this. I'm sorry."

As previously reported, DESTRUCTION will play its first concert after the coronavirus pandemic closures on July 4 at the Z7 club in Pratteln, Switzerland. Support at the gig will come from POLTERGEIST and another, as-yet-announced act.

Tickets are very limited in response to COVID-19 restrictions. Get yours here.

Doro Pesch played her first drive-in concert in Germany this past Saturday (June 13) while complying with the country's social distancing regulations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The show took place at the CARantena-Arena in Worms.

Doro's next drive-in show will take place on June 28 at Bottrop’s Autokino am Moviepark.

Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino recently told investors on a quarterly earnings call that the company would experiment with drive-in shows this summer.

The first Live Nation show was held last month in Denmark, with 600 cars in attendance.

The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten said the crowds were respectful of distancing regulations and there were no notable incidents at the event, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Tom See, Live Nation's president of venues, told Rolling Stone that the tentative plan is for Live Nation to put on these concerts in their amphitheaters and allow fans to tailgate and give pod-style seating to keep social distancing measures active.

"Our ultimate goal is to connect fans with artists to create those lasting memories, and we have teams around the world exploring unique ways to make that happen," See said. "There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to drive-in concerts, but we're fortunate to have our venues and logistics in place to ramp these shows up quickly as communities are ready. Artists and fans are having fun with them, and employees and crews are glad to be working some shows, so for us it's a win all around."

Last month, DESTRUCTION delivered a treat for fans stuck at home and unable to attend live shows: "Born To Thrash - Live In Germany", the band's first live album with the current lineup, is out now digitally on all streaming and download platforms.

DESTRUCTION's latest album, "Born To Perish", was released in August 2019 via Nuclear Blast.