need opinions on teens at ozzfest, please! (long)

[monalsw]

dd, age 15, has been invited to ozzfest with a group of friends. they are taking a limo, which is good (dd is not allowed to ride with other teens yet), and i know most of the other kids going, but my gut instinct is to not let her go.

dd is level-headed in some ways; very spiritually in touch (ie; religious), not using drugs or alcohol, not sexually active, etc. we have a very open relationship, but she is still trying to 'find' herself and is very infatuated by those who 'live on the fringe'; the 'goth', 'emo' and 'punk' lifestyles are still very big in our area (rural, amish-bordered area). she has toyed somewhat with this stuff, dying her blonde hair dark, some dark clothes, the music, etc; but it was very short-lived, she quickly lost interest and in her words, 'is back'.

so, given her flightiness, i think that the edginess of ozzfest might be too much for her. i'm not worried about the crowd she is going with, but what she might see that may intrigue her.

what can you tell me about ozzfest? i have seen ozzy before, but never on a festival tour. is it as loose and open-minded as i'm imagining? would you let your teen, under these circumstances, go?

tia for listening and any input! btw, i'm gald my younger one is a boy-it's got to be easier!

 

[Serena]

In my opinion, you should let her go. It's just a big concert. It won't change who she turns out to be in the long run. She will decide all that on her own.

My oldest had/has tons of friends who are into the alternative style. She says they are more loyal friends than any she's seen. She's slightly into the dress, but not much. But my daughter is very self confident and more of a leader than a follower. She never did anything if she didn't want to.

I would go over what you expect of her, now and in the future, how proud you are of her, and tell her you trust her to do what's right and be true to herself.

teenagers are fun aren't they. lol

 

[DisneyFreak43]

My DS14 brought this up again a couple of weeks ago, and we said no again this year. Last year his best friend asked him to go, and when we said no, he took another friend. I spoke with the Mom later (she stayed there with them),to find out what it was like. She said there was a variety of ages, from young teens to adults her parents age (mid 50's) . She didn't stay directly with the boys, but sat on some steps and made them check in every couple of songs. Countless people came up to her to make sure she was ok- she just replied that she was fine. There was a variety of smoking going on, and some mosh pits(sp?), but she thought it was a pretty calm concert. Am I glad my son didn't go? Absolutely! Only you can make the call of whether your DD is ready for the "party atmosphere". Good luck with your decision!

 

[Cebhfhionn]

I would let her go, for sure! They're taking a limo which is a REALLY good thing.

I too have friends that are into the Goth thing and its really not bad. Come on, when I was way younger it was Punk Rock, I didn't dye by hair black but I did dye it multiple colors!

I'm sure she'll be fine! I don't really think Ozzy even plays much anymore, its most of the other bands that take up the time. Ozzy shuffles onto the stage, plays a couple of songs and that's the end of that!

Is it close enough that maybe you can tell her to call you if she's not having a good time? However concerts are really fun so I'm sure that she will have a blast!

 

[poohtown]

my daughter has been to the Ozzfest twice - both times under the age of 16 (but with her father). She actually fell asleep at the first one since it's sooooooo long. She came back with some pretty interesting stories - seemed she talked more about the crowd than the bands. I'm glad they have solid transportation. I would let her go, but explain a few things about the concert to her. Has she ever gone to a concert before? My daughter has been to alot with her dad and knows what to expect. She should know that there are alot of people who will be over the top (drinking, fighting, etc.) Tell her to stay clear of these areas. Don't let her hang out in the parking lot - that's where most of the fights are. Make sure she always is with her group, even when going to the bathroom (she could easily get lost in such a large group). If they allow bottled water (no glass), make sure she brings it - at our venue they only allow unopened plastic water bottles - inside they sell them for $5.00 a pop and you need several throughout the day. If she's planning on staying the whole day, she might want to bring a light sweater in case it gets yucky.

 

[Catzeyes]

I have been to Ozzfest 3 times over the last 7 years. Yes she may see some stuff, but if she has a good head on her shoulders let her go. It is actually one of the tamer concerts out there.

 

[fanofmickey]

I say listen to your inner voice - if your gut is telling you not to let your child go, then I would stick with that instinct. Many times, you get that feeling that there is something you just can't put your finger on, but it doesn't feel right. I say follow your gut feeling.

 

[monalsw]

thanks for the thoughts...

dd has been to 3 aerosmith concerts, but with me, lol. she has seen some stuff going on and knows what's what.

i'm still thinking...lol!

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Does this thread bring back memories. I saw an Ozzy Osbourne concert (not Ozzfest) when I was around the age of your DD. I may have just turned 16. Anyway, my sister and I went by ourselves (well, we were driven by my parents, but we attended the concert by ourselves). I don't know what I was expecting from an Ozzy concert but the whole thing was extremely tame. The worst thing Ozzy did was toss some buckets of water on the people in the front seats.

I remember how conflicted my parents were at letting me go, and I'm glad they let me go. I would have been utterly furious if they had refused, and though I would have gotten over it, it would have led to some unnecessary unpleasantness. I was a hard enough kid to deal with (nobody understands me or my music! ) and they did the right thing there.

 

[jordgubben]

My brothers work at a concert venue (practically run it). While ozzfest generally means they will be having a 24 work day I get the impression it’s not really that bad of a concert for the crowd. I actually hear worse stories about other concerts. (BTW, Ozzy is far from the main attraction of Ozzfest. He just lends his name and rakes in the dough.) If your daughter goes into the concert and doesn’t tailgate in the parking lot they will miss a lot of the trouble. People are generally just out there getting drunk before they go into the concert. Also, they’ll probably smell some pot. No matter how tame the concert/band is I always seem to get a little whiff of pot.

At my brothers venue they have designated moshing zones and they are enforced for the safety of the patrons – perhaps the venue your daughter is going to is the same.

Anyone worried about their kid seeing things and being lured to some alternate teenage lifestyle… they don’t need to go to a concert be exposed, there’s plenty at the mall and school.

Look at it this way, at least your daughter asked for permission, she could have rebelled and snuck off with her friends to go to the concert and drink and smoke pot in the parking lot. That says something about her right there.

 

[4greatboys]

Originally posted by jordgubben

Anyone worried about their kid seeing things and being lured to some alternate teenage lifestyle… they don’t need to go to a concert be exposed, there’s plenty at the mall and school.

That is so true. My kids tell me so much about the kids at school that they know do drugs and things like that. My 2 oldest have been to a few concerts with me (Buzzfest, Staind, Static X, etc) and we never really had any problems there. I have let my oldest go to a concert before with other kids I know and trust.
Sounds like your dd would have a great time and you said she is level headed so why not let her go.

Oh and BTW I only have boys so Im not sure about the easier than girls part but I can assure you it is not easy.

 

[caitycaity]

yeah, i was going to say that she has probably seen a lot of the stuff that she will see at the concert already anyways. i would let her go.

 

[cheyita]

My DH and brother have been taking my nephews to Ozzfest for five years now, with the boys being allowed to go starting at age 15. They've gone to two venues - Alpine Valley in WI and Tweeter Center near Chicago - and they each had a different feel to it. The Alpine Valley crowd was definitely a little rowdier. I've heard the stories of the mosh pits and the sod fights and the water bottle fights. The guys have come back with a few cuts and bruises in the past, but not every year.

Sure there is drinking and there is smoking (cigarettes and pot). But you would find that at any concert and at lots of other teen events.

The other big thing I hear about at the concert, but then witnessed firsthand myself at a Metallica concert, is the common practice of young girls displaying themselves to the crowd. That's where having a girl would bother me more than a boy. It's encouraged, many females feel free to do it, and they are rewarded for it (ego boost for the girls I guess). Again, I guess that can happen in other places, but I tend to think of older kids on Spring Break and Mardi Gras.

So - like everyone says - she can be exposed to these things all over. I guess we can't protect them from the real world forever. Wish I could, though, with my own 8yo already wanting to do what her teenage cousins do...

 

[mamajoan]

This is so funny... I JUST GOT A CALL FROM MY DH... 45 who is at OZZFEST at SHORELINE RIGHT NOW!!!

No kidding!

For Father's Day I got him 2 tickets on the Lawn for $20 each.
The man was ecstatic! He chose to take 17 y/o DS to Ozzfest with him. DS has never been to a concert... so he was very excited.....
(I was excited because I am not a big fan of this genre)


anyway... this was the conversation... in the background was a very loud banging clanging sound that I imagine was one of the early bands ....

"Hi honey.."-dh
"How's it going?"-mj
"Great!"-dh
Is Jake having a good time?"-mj
"Yup''-dh
"Are you the only old guy there?"-mj
''No lots of really old guys... and really old women.... with lots of wild tattoos and scary outfits"....LOL --dh
"Are you the only Black guy at the 'fest?"--mj
"... No, I see a few others in the crowd...next to the other old folks"... LOL--dh
"Gotta go the band is starting again"--dh
"Have fun"--mj
"Thanks for the tickets this is great"--dh
"Ya, mom... Thanks this is a blast!!" in the background...ds
"See ya later"--mj
''bbbyyyyyyeee"--dh

I will give you the full report later

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>My kids' dad got tickets to go to Ozzfest a couple of years ago when it was in San Diego. A few days before the concert he decided he didn't want to go. Luckily for them, their uncle agreed to take them (he likes that music, too). Even though I don't like the music, I know they do. I felt better, too, because I trust this uncle, and knew he would watch out for them. My ds did tell me that there was pot there, and that someone offered it to him, and he declined.

If the kids told me today that they wanted to go with friends, I would wrestle with the idea of letting them go. They still talk about the fun that they had at the last one they went to, and I'm pretty sure that they would use good judgment, but I just hate for them to be in that whole scene without a trusted adult there.

Good luck on whatever decision you make for yours.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Growing up, I never listened to mainstream music. I was always into hardcore punk rock, some of which is considered quite offensive.

That said, I never did drugs, drank or did anything else my parents would have shuddered at.

Most of my punk friends were like that too. We just liked the music and a lot of the lyrics were political and we liked that. Maybe it made us feel smart... I dunno...

I think if she has a good head on her shoulders, and it sounds like she does , she will be fine. The worst thing may be her witnessing some naughty language and idiotic drunks.

 

[IloveWINNIEthePOOH]

Let her go!! She'll have fun!

Ozzfest is deffinitly not the same as just seeing Ozzy! It's a crazy crowd, some drunks and "high" people, but depending on where they will be, they may not encounter them. Noone every realy starts anything bad. And as long as she has her head set on straight like you said she does, she'll be fine!!!!

Going with a group is great, too!

It is certainly and open minded show, though!

It would be a great experience for her!