THORNDALE, ON -- Live music meets country fresh air meets social distancing.

That’s what the theme could be for the region’s first major outdoor concert since the pandemic all but shut down live music.

Purple Hill Country Opry is set to play host to a Cruise-In concert on Friday evening.

Venue owner George Taylor said he’s excited, “because we’ve been wanting to do something. We’re trying to give people something to hang on to in a time that we’re all experiencing.”

Taylor said the concert site will be set up so that cars can be spaced out, and people can watch the show from either inside of their car or outside on lawn chairs.

“I’m not selling short this pandemic. It’s a terrible thing and a lot of people are really getting hurt bad. However, we’re social beings. Even if you can look across there and you see a friend and you wave to them from your car to theirs, it’s going to be a great experience mentally for everybody, music lovers.”

Those on the bill include blues rocker Bill Durst, the Chris Trowell Band, Cheryl Lescom and others.

Making a special appearance will be London entertainer Scotty Bollert. A music promoter himself, he has watched as many artists and venues have turned to online performances to support themselves.

“A lot of it’s been fantastic and it kept a lot of the performers working, which is nice to see. A lot of them got to make a little bit of money too with the tips and stuff like that but obviously it’s the summertime, it’s nice to be outside, it’s nice to be on a big stage, and nice to get the opportunity to be up front and hear live music, which is not really happening right now.

The Cruise-in concert starts at 7:00 pm Friday at Purple Hill Country Opry in Thorndale.