Taking Kids to See Bruce

[Kan-Man]

Have any of you taken kids to a Bruce concert? If so, how did it work out? It would also help to know how old the kids were.

Assuming Bruce does tour again with the E Street Band, my oldest son would love to go. He loves the Born in the USA CD and really enjoys the Paris DVD Stan was nice enough to burn for me.

I have a hunch he's still too young (he's 4) but I also realize the opportunities are dwindling.

I'd appreciate your feedback.

[POSTAL]

I took my kids to the last tour, mostly because it was a novelty CD of Children's songs.

On a more serious note, it was nice to take them when 3/4 of the lawn was empty and I could just let them run around and roll down the hill when they got bored about mid-way through the show.

[eagle8487]

I brought my then 8 year old niece to a D & D show. We had seats of the floor and she loved it, though she didn't get why I covered her ears during Reno...... :eek: It was still a little long for her but she is looking forward to an ESB show, as is her 7 year old brother (who probably is too young for a show at this point.)

I think it largely depends on the temperment of the child and your willingness to leave if it gets to be too much.

[HeldUp]

I took my boys and wife to see Bruce at Dodger Stadium in 2003 (the Rising tour). We made sure both boys had snacks, jackets, and ear plugs to protect their hearing. They were 6 and 9 and fell asleep before the encores, so we left early. We had reserved seats so standing wasn't an issue.

Looking back, I think they were too young, but every kid is different.

[FLO]

I took my then 7 year old son to MSG in 2000. As eagle8487 said, it depends on the temperment of he child. My son had a great time and loved Steve. My husband and I had taken him to concerts even earlier, Grateful Dead and Dylan. I think it has to be music they enjoy or they will get bored.

[BrlDsguise]

We took my g/f's 8 year old daughter to MSG in 1999. Now I have to buy her a ticket for pretty much every NY/NJ/Philly stand. I think she has been to at least a dozen shows including a SSB rehearsal in AP, saw Bruce at the LOD show last year, and saw his unadvertised appearance at Holiday Express in 2001.

Wayne

[mhafinancial]

My eldest, now 17, has been going to shows since 99, and has been to about 10 shows now. My younger son's first show was in 2002 when he was 8, and he has made up for lost time and been to about 7.

They are both looking forward to the tour. While waiting for his Harry Potter book last night at 1 a.m., my 17 year old and I talked a little about the upcoming tour and he asked if we were going to go to Milan. :roll:

[Faithful Man]

My first inclination is that the upcoming tour represents a chance to show your children a bit of musical history, so go for it.

My 21-year-old son has seen 35 or so Bruce shows. His first taste was in 1992 for the LT/HT tour, when he was almost 7. He was already listening to lots of Bruce and he enjoyed the show. He was 14 for the Reunion tour with the ESB, which was incredible. Since then, we have seen many more shows (mostly together, but a few separate) and we can't wait for the 2007-08 tour to get going!

Hope that helps you decide.

[Dogbiscuit]

ditto on the earplugs...took my 3 kids to one of the philly stadium shows back in 2003...my youngest was only 5 but enjoyed it (until she fell asleep).

having not known the future of bruce and band, i wanted my kids to experience it at least once...

[jas & max]

I took my 4 year old to the Dodger Stadium show in 2003. She loved it. She crashed towards the end of the regular set. Earplugs and lots of treats.

[Mrs. Weinberg]

My niece was 8 at the Linc in Philly. She fell asleep toward the end. She had a good time but I think that the evening was too long for her. We had tixs again for the next night and she opted out for something to do with her friends.

[LittleStevenMila]

..well, nice experiene (4 and 6 years old, in a Stadium, Milano 2003) and a lot ot fun, at the end... even if someone called me "crazy to bring such young at the rock concert" but it was a party..

Problems/suggestions (maybe silly)

- long night, tiring for kids, let them (try) to sleep in the afternoon
- roaring audience at the beginning with a little bit "scaring" effect to the youngest...passed in a few minutes
- ehm..... how to bring them to the WC/toilet during the show without letting the seats (not numbered and in a good position)?
- danced all nigth and the days after posing "like Bruce" etc etc

...ehm..al the above was a report from my wife..as me I could not resist and jumped into the floor few minutes before starting..... too hungry of Bruce music and joined them at the end.. luckily they were on the first ring/covered while the flooding rain poured down.....

I thought it was nice to bring them also to D&D tour but numbered seats/high price and type of music at the end won, more or less the same for SSB due to lack of a proper "child policy" from organisation, who pretended to get full price ticket for them (impossibel to foudn for May, easier for October dates but not in our town, so I let them home and went alone...)

Btw they joined me also later in stadium/seated un numbered for the Stones and U2, with great fun

So, maybe too much influence from their dad, but I think they were happy..netx date when???

[Kan-Man]

Thanks to everybody for the input. It sounds like at this point my son is still too young, but if rumors are true that this is E Street's last go round we may decide to take him anyway. And if we wait until next year, he gets another year under his belt.

I am pretty sure my other son is too young - he just turned 17 days old today.

[thundrrds40]

you hope for the best but are ready to leave if needed. We had GA for the Nissan show this past tour and took our then 4 year old. We were fortunate that Ace was also shooting the show for backstreets and our daughter is used to 'helping daddy work/ seeing daddy do photography at rock shows' so she was quite at home.
We stayed at the back of the pit for easy exit to the bathrooms and so daughter could dance and run around easily. We held her often so she could see the band and we danced most of the time we were there.
We left as the encores were starting mostly because it would be a long wait to get out of the parking lot!
We would certainly think about bringing her to the next tour but probably her younger sister would stay home.

[Kan-Man]

you hope for the best but are ready to leave if needed. We had GA for the Nissan show this past tour and took our then 4 year old. We were fortunate that Ace was also shooting the show for backstreets and our daughter is used to 'helping daddy work/ seeing daddy do photography at rock shows' so she was quite at home.
We stayed at the back of the pit for easy exit to the bathrooms and so daughter could dance and run around easily. We held her often so she could see the band and we danced most of the time we were there.
We left as the encores were starting mostly because it would be a long wait to get out of the parking lot!
We would certainly think about bringing her to the next tour but probably her younger sister would stay home.

My friend took his son to see the same show. He said the setting was ideal since they could roam around and they were able to get much closer than the typical Bruce show with a lot less people. Plus the SSB CD is great for kids so they had a ball.

And I've tried to exit the Nissan before for a show so I feel your pain.

[Flamingo Lane]

I took my daughter to a Christmas Show at Convention Hall a couple of years ago. She was 8 and my sister happened to be taking her 11 year old and had seats right in front of us. THe 2 girls had fun dancing for a while but it was extremely loud and hot and eventually my daughter fell asleep for ....."We're havin a party"with SSJ, Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Rosalita"! I was apalled!!! (just kidding), but I was thinking how many of my friends who had begged me for her ticket would have wanted to shoot me if they saw her sleeping there. BTW she has been asking when we can go to another Bruce concert but I am hesitant to take her to a large venue because there are so many people there and she is a very flaky kid. Oh yeah and I had to carry her sleeping to the car in Asbury. I am glad that I got to share Bruce with her though:)
FL

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[VermontNJGirl]

Four is way too young....as is seventeen days!!!! (Congrats!)

I took my eldest daughter to the pre-Christmas show in Albany in 2002 for her tenth birthday....she loved it and was thrilled to have heard Santa Clause live. Took her at eleven and her seven-year-old sister to Continental in summer 2003, and after the initial excitement, the seven-year-old burned out.

Deb

[blaktransam]

Took one of my little bta's to Seeger show last year at Nissan. I introduced him to the finer pre show activities like the soundcheck, girl watching, mingling with people who share a common interest.

At age 9, I think this was a great show to introduce my son to a real concert. Top notch seats certainly helped his perspective.

Over the last few years I wanted to take my kids to shows but I wasn't sure if they could take it. And no small concern, I knew I wasn't gonna want to leave early if the kids had a problem at the show.

Next tour, I am absolutely bringing my whole fleet of bta's.

I say take the kids but be flexible for a different experience.

[JerseyGirl2]

Over the last few years I wanted to take my kids to shows but I wasn't sure if they could take it. And no small concern, I knew I wasn't gonna want to leave early if the kids had a problem at the show.



After reading all of these posts and thinking about my own kids at 5 yrs old, I would probably recommend not bringing them. First of all, you HAVE to be willing to leave early or make multiple bathroom/snacks runs, so your own enjoyment may be dampened a bit. Secondly, my kids are 12 now and they don't remember ANYTHING from when they were 5, not even the trip to Disneyworld we took. What do any of us remember from when we were 5 (I personally only remember a brief image from the World's Fair, getting chicken pox, and a tiny bit of my first day of kindergarten). Not to say that you should deprive your kids of any activities just because they won't remember it 20 years from now, but really to think about why you want to bring them. Is it because THEY will have a fantastic time (in which case any hassle is certainly worth it) or is it because YOU want them to have a Bruce experience before it's too late? One of my biggest disappointments is that the Bruce genes have not carried down to the kiddies, and they had no interest in going. But, I had a better time at the show without having to worry about earplugs, listening to whining, or carrying sleeping kids up the stadium stairs to the parking lot....

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[LJK]

My parents took me to see Red Skelton when I was 5, and I remember it pretty well. Different type of show, of course, but some kids do remember stuff that happens when they are younger.

I would be afraid to do GA with a little kid, though.

[admiralkosmos]

I took my daughter to a Christmas Show at Convention Hall a couple of years ago. She was 8 and my sister happened to be taking her 11 year old and had seats right in front of us. THe 2 girls had fun dancing for a while but it was extremely loud and hot and eventually my daughter fell asleep for ....."We're havin a party"with SSJ, Santa Claus is coming to town" and "Rosalita"! I was apalled!!! (just kidding), but I was thinking how many of my friends who had begged me for her ticket would have wanted to shoot me if they saw her sleeping there. BTW she has been asking when we can go to another Bruce concert but I am hesitant to take her to a large venue because there are so many people there and she is a very flaky kid. Oh yeah and I had to carry her sleeping to the car in Asbury. I am glad that I got to share Bruce with her though:)
FL

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That has to be the best show of his to bring a little one to. You just feel younger going into those shows - with the holiday decorations, the fact that it feels like a high school gym, the holiday vibe (which brings out the children in all of us).

And her sleeping. That's one of those moments one cannot find words for. I don't have children and never did (which I regret but who knows?) But just looking down at your sleeping child, there had to have been either a passing moment of elegiac adoration - just reverence at the kismit of the two of you bathed in the music that has brought you so much joy while the child that's brought you even more is peacefully sleeping despite all the racket. Are there moments where you dreamily wonder just how you both got to this cool moment, right here, right now? I don't know. I can't really describe what I see here in that moment you shared with us and maybe I shouldn't as a non-Dad. But I think there's something holy there, if only for a fleeting moment as the thunderous rock and roll bounced off the cement walls.

[LJK]

I went to a Counting Crows show and saw two little boys sleeping in the 4th row. They were there to see their Uncle Adam. Even they had to nap during the show.

[Krazy_Janey]

My daughter was 7 when she came to her first concert with me on The Rising tour. She too fell asleep - but to this day recounts favourite thoughts and memories.

My son who is not a Bruce fan went to Sum41/Motley Crue for his first show when he was 11, he also saw U2 that same year with me. He has since been to Lenny Kravitz/Aerosmith, Kim Mitchell/Def Leppard and has the Scorpians, Linkin Park and another Aerosmith show are on his list for this summer... The kid needs to get himself a job!

I have one more that has yet to make it to his first concert. His choice would be to see Jesse Malin. But it just might end up being Bruce.

and congrats on your newest addition!