10 Tips for Taking Kids to their First Concert
One question you’ll be asked throughout your entire life is, “What was your first concert?” U2…Saratoga Springs! I knew I had a huge responsibility because if I didn’t choose wisely their response could be Kid Bop for the rest of their life. We waited until the perfect concert and this year it happened…Ed Sheeran came to Gillette Stadium. When we were in Ireland my girls begged us to go to Grafton Street, they squealed when they saw signs to Galway, and they want our next vacation to be Barcelona. (All based on Ed Sheeran songs!) Yep…they LOVE him, so we knew this would be the perfect first concert and they ended up having a blast!
Here are 10 tips for taking your kids to their first concert:
APPROPRIATE: Radio stations censor their music, so you may want to do some investigating to see if the lyrics will be appropriate for kids. Watch some YouTube videos about their concerts to see what vibe to expect.
PRICE: Ticket prices skyrocket every year and the amount of money you pay for some concerts feels like robbery. Are you willing to pay that much for this concert? Also, don’t forget about all the extras like transportation, parking, food, drinks, and souvenirs.
VIEW: If you’re paying for this concert, you want to be able to see the performers. It might be tempting to get cheap seats, but will it be worth it? If you are going to a large arena you may want to tell your kids they’ll only be able to see the performers on a large screen. You may also want to tell them that people often stand up to dance so they may not be able to see every song.
BATHROOM: In big arenas bathroom lines can be ridiculously long. Be prepared to wait and wait. If you can, go right before the concert when people are more concerned about going to their seats. Keep drinking to a minimum to avoid bathroom trips during the show.
OPENING ACT: Do you really need to see the opening act? They can often play for up to an hour, so your kids may already be tired or bored before the real show even starts.
SET LIST: Kids will enjoy a show more if they know most of the songs. Look up set lists for the tour and start playing the songs in the car and around the house.
SEATS: Do a little research to make sure your seats don’t have obstructed views. Depending on the venue, do you think your family would want seats on the grass or assigned seating?
ENCORE: Some people leave before the encore to get out of the parking lot faster, but sometimes you’re missing some great songs. Ed Sheeran played their favorite song as his last and they would have been so sad to miss it.
SNACKS: Kids can eat all day, but it gets pricy and inconvenient to keep buying them. Eat before the concert and get one or two snacks for the show.
NOISE: You know your kids and how much noise they can tolerate. Let them know people will be screaming and belting out songs. If they’re really young, noise canceling headphones may be the way to go.
A few more tips:
Be prepared for the show to go late into the night.
Traffic is crazy leaving most concerts, so you may want to bring pillows and blankets, so they can sleep.
Go early so you can buy concert t-shirts. We waited until the end and couldn’t find any in their sizes.
Tailgate! Show them how fun that part of a concert can be. Bring a ball and let them play 4-square. Bring fun snacks and eat before the show.
