For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

Last night, Matt and I took our sons to see their first live concert at the Sports Arena in San Diego. The band was AC/DC.

Before you judge me, understand that Matt and my decision to take our kids to an AC/DC concert was not a decision we made lightly or on a whim. For the past couple years, I have thought long and hard about how I was going to introduce my children to live music. Matt and I thought about the kinds of bands we would like to introduce them too as well as the venue and the multiple random variables that occur at live concerts. All of this was taken under consideration when we decided to buy tickets to see AC/DC. Also to note: Seamus and Finn listen to all kinds of music. Heavy metal, alternative, pop, classical, reggae, R&B, etc. I give them free range to my itunes library and they make their own playlists of songs they enjoy. I am proud to say that my sons are musical kids. They are exposed, by me, to a lot of different music. Thus far, I have not censored anything from them. They listen to all the music I own and a small portion of it, admittedly, contains profanity and mature content. However, it is my personal belief that 99% of all music has value. As a kid, I listened to all sorts of stuff and I feel that I benefited immensely from it. While I imagine it is possible I may have to set some rules about what they listen to or buy in the future, I dont anticipate it at this time. Id rather be present and involved in the development of their musical tastes through discussion and by sharing music with them.

We went to the concert together - all four McGarveys. Matt's good friend, Joe, went with us too. While Finn was admittedly younger than ideal, we knew Seamus was ready to see a live act and we wanted to experience this first time event as a family. We were equipped with ear plugs and an open question policy where the kids could ask us anything. Matt and I were aware that there would be things happening that might make them confused or scared or awkward and I wanted them to know that we were there for them and we would have answers. I told them beforehand that if they wanted to leave, they just had to tell me and we'd go. I also told them that if I felt it was time to go, that we would leave.

The concert had all the elements I hoped the kids might enjoy: epic yet familiar music; pyrotechnics; cool lighting; awesome looking stage props and effects. There were quite a lot of young children there, many of them attending with both a mother and a father. We saw older fans too - grey haired men and women. I dont think Ive ever been to a concert where the age of the attendees spanned such a wide range. It was pretty cool. The concert also had some elements that were not so great, but unavoidable at many typical shows. We worked through it and while the boys did seem uncomfortable a couple times, they did great.

Seamus sat through most of the show intently observing everything around him. He seemed pensive and quiet, but responsive to the music. At first Finn was moving to the music much more than Shea, but the loudness (is that a word?) got to him after a while and he and I ended up outside about half the time. We could still hear the music; it was just muffled some. After about an hour and a half, I decided to take the kids home. They were unusually quiet and seemed tired (it was very late) so I left Matt and Joe at the concert and headed back to the hotel with the boys. Even though they didnt appear as excited by the experience as I had hoped, I felt confident that their first concert was memorable and worthwhile.

As soon as we got in the parking lot, both boys perked up considerably. They became giddy and started talking a ton about what they had just experienced. When we were in the concert I barely heard them say a word. None of us really talked - it was so loud. I was happy to hear they enjoyed the music a lot. They talked to each other about all the songs they recognized and Seamus remarked about the big bell they rang for the "Hell's Bells" song. What I had thought was exhaustion was just their way of observing all the sights and sounds around them.

Seamus and Finn's overall review: they both really liked the show a lot (though Finn said it was too loud.) Im going to count that as a success. :)

And now for some pictures. This is the view of the stage:

Here is Finn, Matt, Seamus and Joe waiting for the concert to start:

Here is Matt (getting in touch with his inner metal head) and the boys in the Sports Arena parking lots before the concert: