Taking your family to a concert is something that you’ve probably thought about if you’re a music fan and a parent, but it’s much easier said than done. With so many bands not catering to a younger audience and with so much bad press about what goes on at concerts, you’re probably a little reluctant to put the family in the care and head out.
While a lot of these concerns are well-founded, it doesn’t mean that you can never take your family to a show. Hopefully, this brief how-to guide can help you find the perfect show and the perfect location to take your family to go see a concert. When done right, this can be one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences that you will have as a family.
Choosing the Right Band
Perhaps the biggest part of picking the right concert to take your family is to choose the right band. A group that’s well known for its offensive lyrics and raunchy behavior is probably not the greatest idea. As a parent, you know a lot more about what your children should and should not see than we do, but just because some groups are explicit in their content does not mean that all of them are.
Instead, go with a group or act that you know and trust. There are a lot of bands out there that cater to a younger market and pride themselves on providing an experience that is great for smaller children and the whole family. These groups might not be as famous as some of the musicians that make headlines for getting in trouble, but they will supply the perfect concert-going experience for your family without making you feel hesitant about getting tickets.
As always, if you’re unsure about the group, check out what the web has to say. There are countless reviews out there that will let you know if the band and its performances are family-friendly.
Choosing the Right Venue
Some venues are more family friendly than others. A lot of outdoor venues might not seem like they are ideal for bringing kids to, but because they are generally larger, there are a great variety of spaces that you can head to. This way, if there is something unsavory going on, it is much easier to avoid it. When you’re indoors and have a more limited amount of space to work with, this can be a lot harder to do.
As a general rule, theater-style seating tends to be a lot less rowdy than stadiums. There are no standing room only tickets available for these concerts and rather than people moving around and dancing, the audience tends to stay seated. For some concerts, especially rock shows, the crowd can become a bit wild and people can get hurt. If you have smaller children, this can be especially troublesome. Theater-style seats, for the most part, help to avoid this problem.
Some venues have a dedicated kids’ section. This is definitely worth looking into if it’s something that is a concern to you.
If you have questions about a specific place, be sure to check out the website for that venue. This information can also be found on most of the major third party ticket sites.
Getting Good Tickets
Part of enjoying a show with your family is getting good tickets at a great price. There are a number of third-party ticket sites like seatretriever.com and Stubhub.com out there that have tickets available. If you hunt around a little, you can save a lot of money on the best tickets. Saving money is one of the easiest ways to ensure that you and your family have a great time. This ends up really helping in the long run.
That way, if you have to travel far to go see the show, grab a meal on the way, or even get a hotel room for the night, you won’t feel like you’re stretching your budget as much. And, if you spend some time hunting down the best prices online, you won’t need to make any sacrifices when it comes to the quality of your seats. Never pay too much for tickets.
Buying tickets should be a convenient process. With that in mind, if you haven’t downloaded the app for your favorite ticket website yet, you should. This will allow you to monitor prices while you’re on the go and even have alerts sent to you when tickets become available. It will make getting the right tickets a lot easier.
Join the Online Community
If you haven’t already done so, you should think about joining the online community of family concert fans. Sites like Quora and Reddit help lead ongoing conversations about concerts and the music industry in general. If you’re looking to get information on which groups and shows are best for bringing a family to, these resources can be a good place to start.
Once you’ve been to a show or two, maybe this can be a good place for you to add your own feedback. If you find that your local music hall is a lot more family-friendly than you ever though, let the community know. This can be a good way to give back to those who have helped you, too.