Rock Concert Chaperone Vent

[KelNottAt]

DS and his fellow 8th-grade friend have been planning to go to the Fall Out Boy concert for months. We agreed to it all when Friend said his mom would be attending, too. Even DH said, “well, that might be fun, so maybe I’ll go as a second chaperone if schedule allows.” DS was happy about that, really.

So, yesterday, Friend calls to confirm DS is still going (concert is May 4). I say, “yeah, he’s looking forward to it. And, by the way, your Mom’s still going, right?”

Friend tells me that his Mom confided she’ll go “if she has to. But she’d rather sit out in the car and knit.” Uh, to me, knitting in the car is NOT chaperoning two 13yos at a rock concert. (DS’s first, BTW.)

So now we’ve got figure out a way get DH to the concert. It would be nice if Friend’s Mom just gave/sold her ticket to DH. But no. We’re not even sure if she HAS a ticket anymore. And the concert is SOLD OUT! (General Adminssion.)

What’s worse, DH will be working about 50 miles from home on the day of the concert. With his big ol’ work truck. It looks like I’ll be driving the boys to the concert venue and meeting DH there (Merriwether Post for all you Marylanders). Then we’ll trade cars so his valuable work equipment isn’t left out in the parking lot. All this is assuming we can find a scalper.

As I write this I’m shaking my head. Friend’s Mom is leaving us in the lurch and we’re putting too much effort into salvaging the outing. I’m leaving it up to DH. If he wants to go, fine. He can work it out and deal with Friend’s Mom and whether or not she still has a ticket.

I’d hate to see DS miss this one, but c’mon. There’s only so much we can do.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[Gwene65]

JMO and I know I am not your son's parent but I don't think 2 13 year old boys at a concert will get into much trouble. They obviously want to go to see the band, so I wouldn't be too worried that his friend's mother is going to sit in the car.

It just seems like your making a mountain out of a mole hill, and giving yourself a headache in the process.


Putting my flamesuit on.....

 

[allison443]

So now we’ve got figure out a way get DH to the concert. It would be nice if Friend’s Mom just gave/sold her ticket to DH. But no. We’re not even sure if she HAS a ticket anymore. And the concert is SOLD OUT! (General Adminssion.)

I think the first thing to do is call the other mom and find out if she has a ticket...then either she can use the ticket or sell it to your husband. You might be worried for no reason.

 

[Hannathy]

I have to agree if your kid is a good kid and you know the friend and they know his Mom is in the car knitting(sounds like a wild family!) I would have no problem with it. I would let my 14 yr old DD go in this situation. Lets face it folks if you are worried about the drugs or drinking it would me more likely to happen at a football game where they know people than at a stadium of strangers- who I just don't see going out of their way to include a couple of little kids in their partying.

 

[minniecarousel]

Yeah - seems like a simple solution - just call the Mom & ask her point-blank if she is going INTO the concert venue with the boys - if not, could you buy her ticket from her as you'd prefer to have your DH in there with the boys. I think for a "first" concert, having Dad along would be a good thing.

 

[MossMan]

Obviously you have to do what is best for your son, and no one knows your son better than you do.

But if I didn't trust my 13 year old son to go to a concert with a friend while someone waited just outside to drive them home, I wouln't trust my son to go to the concert in the first place. It would take someone might determined to get into trouble to find trouble in a 90 minute concert. If that's your son, then I don't know if he should be going at all.

 

[ducklite]

OK. Let's start from the beginning.

First, the entire facility is NOT GA. There are two GA areas--the orchestra pit area, and the lawn.

Which one the tickets are for would greatly sway my opinion on this topic.

Generally speaking the bands playing are mundane run of the mill emo schlock that appeaks to preteens and teens up to a college aged crowd. The crowds are not violent, no moshing, more swooning by the girls than anything. It's generally not a drinking/drugs crowd. Security in that venue is pretty tight, and it would be very difficult (though not impossible) for your son to get alcohol. Most people know that if they are caught with drugs in that or any similar facility they will be prosecuted. It's not that type of crowd anyhow--that would be RUSH where DH and I got a contact high just being in MSG during their show.

They will drop the "F" Bomb onstage, but I'm sure it's nothing he hasn't heard before. Otherwise it's pretty innocent. In all honesty, your son and his friend will probably end up being more interested in eating hot dogs than anything--make sure he's got poacket money, dogs and sodas are wicked expensive.

If the tickets are for the lawn, I'd just let them go. If they are for the pit, I'd think a little more about it.

And I wouldn't take that mothers word in anything in the future.

Anne

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

I can understand why you're upset but your DS seems like a good kid and I really think he can handle being unsupervised with a friend for a couple hours.

And if it makes you feel any better...Fall Out Boy aren't exactly hard rock. Their shows are pretty tame since most of their fans are so young, like your son. I saw them last year and it was honestly one of the least rowdy shows I've ever been to. I think your son and his friend will be fine.

 

[Gwene65]

OK. Let's start from the beginning.

First, the entire facility is NOT GA. There are two GA areas--the orchestra pit area, and the lawn.

Which one the tickets are for would greatly sway my opinion on this topic.

Generally speaking the bands playing are mundane run of the mill emo schlock that appeaks to preteens and teens up to a college aged crowd. The crowds are not violent, no moshing, more swooning by the girls than anything.

They will drop the "F" Bomb onstage, but I'm sure it's nothing he hasn't heard before. Otherwise it's pretty innocent. In all honesty, your son and his friend will probably end up being more interested in eating hot dogs than anything--make sure he's got poacket money, dogs and sodas are wicked expensive.

If the tickets are for the lawn, I'd just let them go. If they are for the pit, I'd think a little more about it.

And I wouldn't take that mothers word in anything in the future.

Anne

There will be moshing at Fall Out Boy. If people can find a way to mosh at a Cure concert then I guarantee that there will be moshing and a pit at Fall Out Boy.

 

[ducklite]

There will be moshing at Fall Out Boy. If people can find a way to mosh at a Cure concert then I guarantee that there will be moshing and a pit at Fall Out Boy.

There might be a small pit, but it's not like it's a KoRn or Nonpoint concert.

LIke I said in my earlier post--if the seats are GA lawn, whatever, there isn't going to be a pit on the lawn. If they are GA orchestra pit, I might give it more thought.

Anne

 

[RadioNate]

When I was your DS's age my mom was driving us several hours, across state lines, and sitting in the car while we saw Motley Crue, Poison, Bon Jovi and a several other 'hair metal' bands of that era. We were fine. The older people in the crowd certainly didn't want anything to do with a bunch of silly girls in their early teens. Had we tried we probablly could have gotten beer and/or drugs but since we didn't do that stuff when we weren't at concerts we weren't going to do it just because we were at a concert.

 

[laurabelle]

KelNottAt- Either hubby or I (whoever's feeling healthiest) will be at this concert with our dd (7th grader)! I think it will be fun, but that's just me. We've taken her to lots of concerts and Anne's description is accurate. If that mom is going to be sitting in the parking lot, she sure doesn't need a ticket. I hope she sells it to your dh.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I went to my first concert when I was 13 sans parents. Yes it was a hair metal band. Anyway, I survived! I think they'll be fine with the mom waiting out in the car. In fact at some places and some concerts don't they have a parent waiting area?

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

In fact at some places and some concerts don't they have a parent waiting area?

They do that at Warped Tour which goes on during the summer. In fact, this summer I'm taking my 14 year old sister and some of her friends to Warped and I am seriously considering waiting in that area. It'll be HOT and miserable and they give the parents air conditioning there. I can get away with being a parent, I'm 20

My first "real" concert without mom and dad (because I don't count seeing The Rolling Stones with them when I was 10 as a real concert ) was when I was 14. I went to Warped Tour and it was great. I hope your son has an awesome time. There may be some moshing but I promise you it will be very mild. It's nothing like a heavy metal mosh pit. I went to Ozzfest a few years ago with an ex-boyfriend... . Yeah, never again. So it won't be anything like that, I can assure you

 

[KelNottAt]

OK, well, I feel a little calmer now about the risks of being unchaperoned (or nearly so). I just remember some of the concerts I went to in the late 70's/early 80's and started to at the thought of DS being in that setting without an adult.

I'd rather there was a chaperone, but I'll try not freak out if Ms. Friend is knitting or DH can't get in.

DS and his friends are great kids and we trust them. But, remember, I'm a mom and am programmed to say, "it's not you I worry about, it's the other people..." on the road, at the concert, etc.

 

[almacdonald]

I went to concerts at that age too. I was way more interested in seeing famous people than getting into trouble! I say, if your husband can get the woman's ticket, great, he can keep an eye out from the sidelines, if not, give the kid a cell phone on vibrate tell him to be outside the door no longer than 10 minutes after the encore and tell him to have fun. Oh yeah, and remind him that this is a trust building experience. If he does well this time there will be more concerts and if he misbehaves then never again (or at least not til he moves out!)

It's good to see that some parents still trust there kids in this day and age. I was beginning to wonder after that thread a couple of days ago about bringing teenage boys into a womans washroom at WDW of all places!

 

[KelNottAt]

Concert was last night. Everything went fine. He survived. Bought a t-shirt. Had fun. Got home around 11:40 pm.

Friend's mom ended up driving both kids and sitting in the car. On the way there she made them study for today's science test and gave them all the safety rules. DS said the safety talk seemed non-stop. OK by me.

 

[powellrj]

glad things went well!