Parenting – Our 15 Year Old's First Concert – Tears for Fears

15 Year old attends first concertOur son will be 15 in a few weeks. As parents, we want to make sure he’s exposed to all the right things – including live entertainment.
He’s seen Hamilton on Broadway, The Beatles Love in Las Vegas, and most importantly, when he was younger he saw the Wiggles at the Oakland Coliseum (before they broke apart amid accusations of Machiavellian scheming). That is pretty good breadth and depth I do say.
What’s missing is a real Rock and Roll concert. This is partly because he’s never expressed any interest in seeing one, ever!
This despite having Spotify going on in his every present headphone seemingly 24/7. Talk to him, and he can both name modern artists and offer his opinions on them. He says he “loves” music. His current favorite is the Swedish techno duo, “Galantis.” For those older than 30, techno/dance is part of the post-dubstep scene. I bet that didn’t help you know who they are either.
So mom and dad thought it might be a good idea to take him to his first concert.  Readers are now gasping in horror, thinking, “what fossils will you be possibly dragging your son to see?”
Did Huey Lewis and the News finally get back together?
No, they never broke up, at least technically. The News just stopped touring with guitarist/songwriter Chris Hayes – arguably an important part of their “sound” as a key collaborator/songwriter. Did you know Huey Lewis graduated from Cornell? Wait, am I actually geeking out on Huey Lewis and the News? Sorry…back to the article.
Sacramento has a new arena, The Golden 1 Center, and it’s bringing different artists to town. One of these artists is an absolute favorite band of mine, Tears for Fears. This was the driver. TFF has never been to Sacramento while I’ve lived here.
I know, TFF?  Really Jim?  Are they still even alive? I thought when George Michael died that ended the chances of a reunion. No, silly, that was Wham! The other British new wave band fronted by two guys.
Tears for Fears are still going and put out a CD in 2012, Everybody Loves a  Happy Ending, that has some remarkable moments. It’s worth a listen Plus, I’ll put their catalog up against nearly anyone from that or any era – it’s amazing. Seeds of Love discussed here.
To our luck, Riley had heard “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” at some point and said that’s one of his favorite songs, ever. So, we had an in.
The bigger problem is his chaperones.  The two least hip people on a 15-year-old’s planet, his parents.
To tee up a “yes” (I’m in sales after all)  I put together a TFF playlist for him to listen to. His response, “Man, those guys knew what they were doing!”
He’s right, they do. He’s a smart kid.
Surprise! He said he’d go!
He did add one caveat,  “if either of you pumps a fist in the air or hold up a lighter – we’re leaving!”
Fair enough.

Similar Posts