{"id":2397,"date":"2023-10-02T18:18:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T18:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seeingthemlive.com\/?p=2397"},"modified":"2024-01-09T23:13:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-09T23:13:11","slug":"in-appreciation-of-concert-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seeingthemlive.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/02\/in-appreciation-of-concert-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"In Appreciation of Concert Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pink
Pink Floyd, June 19, 1977, Soldier Field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Above are two ticket stubs from the 1977 Pink Floyd concert held on June 19 at Soldier Field. The left stub is mine, the right one is my mom\u2019s. The person who ripped our tickets in half at the turnstile that night returned each of the other\u2019s half, making for a whole ticket when joined together. To me, these two ticket stubs symbolize my mom\u2019s dedication to my love for seeing live music\u2014she is, what I call, a Concert Mom.<\/p>\n

When we saw Pink Floyd that night, I was twelve years old, but this wasn\u2019t my first concert. I had seen the Eagles at the Chicago Stadium six months earlier when I was eleven. My dad had become sick the day of the Eagles concert, so I went to the show in his stead. Our seats were in the mezzanine, not too high up, and overall, they weren\u2019t bad seats. I don\u2019t recall the opening act, but I vividly remember the Eagles taking the stage and opening with the song \u201cTake It Easy.\u201d The bass and drums had a profound effect on me, vibrating through my body. During the encore, fans held up their cigarette lighters, creating a sea of little glowing lights. I had never seen anything like it. As we were leaving the Stadium, my mom bought me my first concert T-shirt. It was powder-blue fabric with an iron-on image of the band\u2019s On the Border <\/em>album cover, which I proudly wore to school the next day. I was the only sixth grader wearing an Eagles concert T-shirt.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Eagles, November 11, 1976, Chicago Stadium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From that point on, the groundwork had been laid. I was hooked on live music, and lucky for me, my mother assumed the role of Concert Mom. My mom became my ticket broker, my transportation, and the most dependable chaperone for me and my friends. I know many mothers currently that have taken up this role. Recently, a friend of ours told me how she managed to get tickets for her son to see his favorite artist, Ed Sheeran, who was in town for one night only. It was his first concert. At the Harry Styles concert I attended over the summer with my wife and daughter, we saw many moms holding their young daughters\u2019 hand to make a quick bathroom trip in between songs, while laughing as they ran so as to not miss much of the show. These mothers encourage and support their child\u2019s love of music.<\/p>\n

Below is a list of the concerts my mother took me to see:<\/p>\n