To take an 11 year old to a rock concert

[wornoutdad]

I was a lot older when I went to my first concert and it was a relatively small venue.

My 11 year old wants to attend an arena rock concert (hard rock) with me (and I have a spare ticket) but I'm a little worried he may be a bit young, would you take an 11 year old to a rock concert?

It would totally depend on if its going to change the whole experience for you.
If you have seated tickets then sure, but if you were planning on going wild in the mosh pit, but now guilt is gonna have you at the side with your kid in ear defenders, then id say dont feel pressured and tell the kid that its 14+

Hell yeah! I'd love to see Alice live. I'm taking my 7yo ds to his second festival on Saturday. It's a family event with tribute bands (Maiden, Guns n' Roses, Slayer etc) and he can't wait. Took my then 4 and 5 year old to see The Virginmarys at a small gig in Manchester many years ago. Hope you both have a great time!

I definitely would, just stay more towards the back.

I've never found that to be the case at gigs I've gone to. Yeah they can get a bit wild with people jumping around and flailing but if ever there's bother it's one of those big sweaty men that are in to help without a second thought. There's an unspoken comradarie at rock/metal gigs, it's like a code

Ill come with you to see the Cult <3

Agree with @Bintymcbintface big sweaty men are the loveliest ones lol

Seated should be ok
Last concert I went to was Beyonce and it was ok but there was quite a lot of drunken stupidity to be honest. The Security people were straight on it though

Yes take him!

My Ds took my ticket (went with his dad as I was ill) to see disturbed and avenged sevenfold when he was 10 and loved it. It was a standing ticket and he was at the side away from the crowd/pit and absolutely loved it. 5 years later he still talks about it.

I did ring the arena first to check his age was ok.

Great bonding experience for son and dad too

They really are!! Feel yourself starting to topple (never actually fully toppled) in the pit and you're yanked up by a big sweaty saviour's arm out of nowhere, it's glorious

Lots of places have age restrictions so I would double check in advance so you don't get turned away on the door.

I suspect that that particular pairing will attract a more, ahem, mature audience that won't be especially rowdy, particularly in the seated area. (If he changes his mind, I'll go with you, though!)

I was 11 when I went to my first metal concert it was amazing and my ds is 10 next soon so he will be going with us

Absolutely! I would love to take my son to a metal gig. I may have a wait though as he's only 10 months old!

I would - I took my DSs to see Eminem at Wembley Stadium some years ago when my youngest was 12, they loved it. We did have seated tickets though, I don't think I'd have taken them in the standing area at that age. Our section was full of mums and dads with their young teens.

I can’t remember how old I was when I went to my first gig. I was a baby and it was a common thing throughout my childhood.

Have an amazing time!

I would!

Check venue restrictions first though. Last gig we went to we weren't allowed to stand as DS was too young (13), so had seated tickets. Having said that, we've never been asked DS age.

Have the best time. Not jealous at all me, no.

I've seen both and- yes there probably will be a mosh pit even with a more "mature" audience which I wouldn't venture into but with seated tickets I would definitely take an 11 year old.

Absolutely take him. Sounds like a great first gig experience

It's absolutely fine to take an 11-year-old to a rock concert at an arena.

If it was a small, standing venue with a bar it might be different - there'd be a mosh pit, he wouldn't be able to see anything, and he probably wouldn't be allowed in anyway - but an arena concert is totally OK and pretty tame by comparison, even if it's a really heavy band.

I recently took my 8 yr old and 11 yr old to a proper gig at a London venue. They weren't allowed in the standing section as under 14 but they absolutely loved it.

YANBU. Make sure they wear really wel fitting ear plugs, don;t stand near the speakers and keep well back from the mosh pit. M<ost places insist under 14s buyt tickets in a seated area.

I took DS to loads of rock concerts and a couple of festivals until he was old enough to go without an adult. It brought us really close at a time when DC can drift away from parents.

I would take them seated at an arena but i wouldn't go standing with a child that age. Too many big sweaty men who don't much care who they trample.

I have been to literally hundreds of gigs and i have never experienced this, even when i accidentally ended up at the barrier in a mosh pit. It's usually the younger women who are the worst arms everywhere and not aware of who was around them. My DCs who go to lots of metal (death metal, metal core and loads of metally stuff i have never heard of) say the same thing: if you appear to be in danger of being squashed it's usually the big sweaty ones who will carry them out and make sure they're ok before diving back in again.

OP - do it. We've been taking our DC to all sorts of stuff since they were quite small - either seated, or stay at the edges and ear defenders where/when appropriate.

Oh definitely take him! I've seen Alice Cooper and he was really good! The theatrics are great fun for kids! And The Cult! I'm super jealous! The Mission and The Tubes supported him when I saw him. Great fun!

Yes but just make sure you have some noise blocking headphones and snacks - keep them hydrated!

To reveal my bad taste in music its the Cult & Alice Cooper....so not super heavy and I suspect no mosh pit.
Thats not bad taste, I’ve been seeing both bands since the 80s.
no issues.
if standing at the arena you will be better setting near to the sides for a reasonable view.
I started going to rock/ metal bands when I was 12 with my aunty. Motörhead was my first gig so a bit louder and sweatier than this one. However I’m thinking of getting tickets. I saw Cult at Bearded theory 3 years ago this weekend. Ian’s voice is still good.
I seriously would not get seated for this gig. The kid is 11 not 6!
I don’t think he needs defenders at 11. Just stay away from direct line of speakers.

Sitting down with ear defenders at an Alice Cooper gig with the Cult isn’t worth going to!