Adam Wainwright and his band will be in Missouri to welcome the solar eclipse and perform some music on April 8 at the Rock and Roll Drive-In. Wainwrightis part of a big Solar Eclipse Party at the Rock ‘N’Roll Drive-In in Chaffee, Mo.

Fans who attend will probably be treated to songs from his new album, “Hey Y’all” which came out iin February of 2024. Wainwright, having signed with FOX Sports and MLB Network as a color commentator for MLB broadcasts has set his talents not only toward the game but also music.

With the guidance and musical contributions of Grammy award winning producer and songwriter Gary Baker, Wainwright released his debut album to the country music world. Though he has performed at the Grand Ole Opry already, he has not done many concerts so this eclipse concert is not to be missed.

As far as the eclipse is concerned, there will be just over four minutes of totality, but Cardinals fans can experience the moment of a lifetime. As the map, left made by NASA shows, Chaffee, Missouri (which is an hour from Carbondale, IL shown on the map) as one of the prime spots to watch the eclipse.

The path of the eclipse is, going  from Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and beyond. Fans who go to Chaffee to see the Wainwright concert will be in the perfect spot to see the eclipse.

Wainwright likes playing smaller venues, and has had concerts at Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois. It was because of his friendship with the owners, Patrick and Carole Keating that he agreed to do the concerts there and it’s because he knows the owners of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In that he will be playing the concert.

“Here at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In, we aspire to go above and beyond for our customers,” said Chuck Stratton, one of the owners. “With that being said, it would not be an event at the Drive-In if we didn’t have some tricks up our sleeve.”

Stratton is an entrepreneur and owns several businesses such as Stratton Express Transport Services. He likes to think outside of the box so his wheels began turning as he thought of having a one-of-a-kind event. He has a connection to Wainwright so he called him up and told him the idea and he agreed.

Stratton’s friendship with Wainwright along with his creativity was perfect timing. This isn’t the first time Stratton has come up with a creative idea; in fact the Rock and Roll Drive-In never would have been in existence if not for his innovation.

When COVID-19 impacted southeast Missouri in March 2020, family outings became a thing of the past. Wanting to provide a safe, family-friendly environment,  Stratton and his long-time friend, Jonny Tosarello decided to bring life back to an old drive-in theater. Rock ‘N’ Roll Drive-In hosts classic movies and new releases as well as live music.

“Jonny is originally from Chicago and lives down here now,” said Stratton. “He is the production manager and lighting designer for Lynyrd Skynyrd so live entertainment runs deep around here .”

Stratton is a self-made entrepreneur. In 2010, he opened an auto transport business located in Chaffee, Missouri. He’s also spent time as a professional bass fisherman where he traveled across the country to compete in fishing tournaments, as shown in the photo, left.

These days he is so busy with the drive-in and several other businesses he hasn’t had time to travel for fishing.  Wainwright is a fan of fishing  also, so they have a lot to talk about, but the auto transport business is how he started his friendship with Wainwright.

” The Cardinals needed a transporter a few years back to get some player cars to Stl. Louis and they reached out to us,” he said. “We have moved a lot of his personal cars over the years and we would talk about many things mainly the outdoors, I got to know other players on a more personal level from that.”

They became friends and once his plan was formulated  for the eclipse concert, he called the former Cardinals pitcher.

“I just picked up the phone and called him to see what he was doing and then he told me his schedule and I was like ‘c’mon down here and witness this once in a lifetime event; and by the way we need you to play that day.'”

Stratton is a big Cardinals fan but his love for the Cardinals was not what caused him to contact Wainwright; it was the former pitcher’s music.

“I’ve been a Cards fan for years, but  that didn’t really impact anything with this event,” he said. “He has some great music and I look for him to go big in the music world someday.”

He wants the people in his area to get the experience of watching Wainwright perform at the beginning of his music career as he sees him becoming a big star in the music world following his stardom in the baseball world. Chaffee is only about two hours south of St. Louis if you take highway 55.

Stratton is also glad the event coincides to another special event, as if the eclipse and the concert aren’t enough.

“This will be my daughter Addison’s 16th birthday and Adam has a daughter names Addison also.”

The Addisons have not met in person yet but they do communicate through Instagram he said.

“It’s going to be a fun family entertainment,” said Stratton. “Adam is an awesome person. He has a great story for Christ and hopefully we can lead more people to God through him. I would love to see a big Cardinal turnout to support our adopted Missouri boy.”

Along with Wainwright, local music artists Logan Chapman, Charlie Montgomery, and  Jordan Copeland, there will be select craft vendors so attendees can shop while waiting for the main event.

Food trucks will be set up along with the Rock ‘N’ Roll Concession Hut where fans can get food and drinks and there will be an ice cream stand.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. that morning, with the events starting at 11:00 a.m. The Solar Eclipse will last around 2 in a half hours from start to finish. It will start at 12:41 with the partial starting and end at 3:17p.m. when the partial finishes. From 1:58-2:02 p.m. the area will have complete totality. This means just over four minutes of complete darkness.

For parking it will be off-site that day, shuttle buses will be available at different locations you can choose from. Parking will be paid parking. Montgomery Auto Sales will have limited nearby parking. For those traveling from St. Louis or other towns, you might want to check the parking out ahead of time.