Car horns blared as fans showed their appreciation for Canadian Country Music star Brett Kissel, as he performed three sold-out drive-in style concerts Saturday.

Kissel says the night was an overwhelming success.

“Honestly, so good,” said Kissel. “To think that we sold out these shows in under an hour, and the passion and the pride for Saskatchewan, and for Canada, and for country music. I’m still on a high. It was beyond my wildest dreams, and all I can say is thank you, Regina.”

The concert series dubbed “Saskatchewan’s Night Out” donated proceeds to the Regina Food Bank. Kissel adds that the decision to help out the food bank was an easy one.

“We knew we wanted to make this a fundraiser,” said Kissel. “I’m very grateful that Saskatchewan did show up to raise money and bring donations for a cause that is so important to me.”

Kissel says that after performing with Brad Paisley in Moose Jaw on March 12, right before COVID-19 hit Canada, he was unsure about when he would be able to perform again. He adds these drive-in concerts take a lot of work to put together, but it was all worth it to be able to engage with fans again.

“Usually a show of this size on a stage of this size you need so many people, but we need to keep physical distance,” said Kissel. “Everybody is pulling, not just double duty, but triple duty, but we’re doing the best that we can to make sure we can bring as many people in a short amount of time, and raise spirits for the province, and we accomplished that.”

Kissel’s motto for the concert was “Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do,” which are the lyrics of a song he wrote years ago, but he says the message has never been more important.

Fans in Saskatoon will have the chance to “Party in the Parking Lot’ with Kissel next weekend, as he takes his drive-in concert series to the Sasktel Centre