On many days during the COVID-19 crisis, in various ways, many of us feel we have gotten the shaft.
Starting this weekend in Rancho Cordova, there’s a possible break for the beleaguered at the Mine Shaft, an entertainment venue at 2300 Mine Shaft Lane. At 7 p.m. Saturday, the Neon Playboys will take the stage there for the first in a series of six drive-in concerts scheduled through Sept. 26.
After you pay in advance via the Cordova Community Council’s website, drive to the site and follow directions on where to park in the lot. (If you opt for the $40 “premium” parking option instead of the $20 standard fare, you will be closer to the action). Tune your radio to 90.7 FM and crank it to your ears’ content. Stay in your car except for when you mask up for treks to the food trucks or restrooms.
Alcoholic beverages are prohibited and there are no in-and-out privileges.
The Neon Playboys modestly describe themselves as four “of Northern California’s hottest musicians serving all the grooves shaken not stirred.” They pour forth with funk, soul and rock ’n’ roll from the boomer- and Gen-X-revered musical era of the 1970s and 1980s.
The series continues with New Wave Crave, an ’80s tribute band on Aug. 29; Big Crush, an 11-member dance band, on Sept. 5; the Cripple Creek Band, featuring Americana and Southern rock, on Sept. 12; Take Two, another 11-piece band, on Sept. 19; and CCsegeR, which channels Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, on Sept. 26.
If that Mine Shaft lineup sounds golden to you, consider doing a deep dive by buying a season pass, which includes premium parking, for $180. For all three ticketing options, small fees ($1.60 to $6.38 per order) apply. For more information, call (916) 273-5715.
