DVSN AT THE DRIVE-IN
A first-hand , behind-the-scenes look at the R & B duo ’ s run of sold-out drive-in shows
BY MELVIN GODFREY WITH MICHAEL RAINE
PHOTO : MELVIN GODFREY
PHOTO : MELVIN GODFREY
The
Toronto-based duo dvsn — pronounced “ division ” and made up of singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85 — has been on top of the R & B charts since they burst onto scene in 2016 . Signed to Drake ’ s OVO Sound and having received a major boost of support from the superstar , their debut album , Sept . 5 , headed straight into the top-20 of Billboard ’ s R & B / hip-hop album chart , as did its follow-up
LP , Morning After , in 2017 .
The tandem swiftly climbed the touring ladder . Dvsn quickly followed supporting slots on two Drake tours with their own headlining runs in large theatres and amphitheatres across North America and Europe , as well as major festivals like Coachella and Osheaga . So , it wasn ’ t unreasonable to think that when Daley and Nineteen85 released their highly-anticipated third album in 2020 , they could be graduating to sold-out arenas . But that album , A Muse in Her Feelings , was released on April 17 , 2020 . Must we explain what happened to live concerts in the month preceding that day ?
By July 2020 it had become obvious that concerts as we once knew them would not happen for the remainder of the year – at least . As such , the entire concert industry , from artists to agents , promoters , and venues , was seeking some way to present live music in a safe , revenue-generating way . Various formats have been attempted with varying degrees of success , but drive-in concerts ultimately became the most common . Originally staged across North America as one-off , pop-up events , more permanent drive-in venues also began to appear . In Canada , the best known of these is the CityView Drive-In at Toronto ’ s Polson Pier .
26 PROFESSIONAL SOUND