As a young mom, concerts help log passage of time
So when grandma took teen to Three Days Grace, I felt old
Submitted by Melissa Haag • http://plaidfuzz.com
This week I have come to a conclusion: I am officially old.
My 14-year-old daughter went to the recent Three Days Grace concert – with my parents, no less. I sat at home on the couch, with a glass of corky wine and my laptop, while my much-cooler parents gyrated to alternative rock. Shoot me now.
My parents have gotten into the habit of attending concerts in Sioux City. They like to support the bands they are fans of so the powers that be keep bringing them back. The Offspring – I got a woo hoo! text from my mother. The Steve Miller Band – a blurry cell phone pic of the stage. So when my daughter’s 14th birthday was nearing, my mom offered to take her to a concert in lieu of an actual gift. She tried to influence her to see Colbie Callait and Christina Perri, but my daughter was insistent that she wanted to see Three Days Grace.
I have always been a rock fan, from my pre-teen years rocking a Nirvana In Utero T-shirt, with a flannel tied around my waist, down to the Doc Martens. But my daughter emerged as a pop fan, preferring J-LOL to Avenged Sevenfold, and by then I thought I had lost her. Musically, anyway.
But as she has grown older, her tastes have matured, or at the very least, improved. She is listening to less One Direction and more Metallica. So I pushed, no, encouraged her to hold out for Three Days Grace tickets. If nothing else than to irritate my mother.
Shortly before my daughter’s birthday I got a text from my mom. “Bought 3 Days Grace tickets. And earplugs.” She made her disdain for the band no secret, even though my daughter made desperate attempts to dissuade her opinion through immersion therapy, also known as playing their songs on repeat on her iPhone.
I was a little surprised at my mom’s aversion to the band, because even though they fall under the hard rock genre, I consider them pretty melodic. She isn’t THAT old.
When they day of the concert arrived, my daughter was vibrating with excitement, and my parents were gloomy with hesitation. They made their way to the outdoor venue at the Hard Rock casino, and then the texts began.
First from my mom, “This first band just said they are too drunk too perform any more songs. I don’t know if this is appropriate.”
After some radio silence, another. “Finger Eleven is really good!”
Then my daughter started sending me sound bites of the Three Days Grace performance. This mom waxed nostalgic as I remembered her griping about how loud they were when I played them in the car when she was little.
Then my mom started texting me. “They are actually really good!”
“Wow, this is much better than I thought it would be!”
Then my daughter started texting, “Grandma keeps asking me what every single song is. OMG she is dancing.”
Needless to say, a good time was had by all, and my parents are newly-converted Three Days Grace fans.
I’m not sure if I should be happy or uncomfortable
About the Author
Melissa Haag Melissa Haag is a Sioux City wife, mom, and entrepreneur. She is a self-employed hairstylist, blogger, and owns her own direct sales business. She spends plenty of time in her home office but is easily lured out by her daughter, step-sons, and two fuzzy dogs. You can read some of her ramblings on living life simply at her blog, The World According to Plaidfuzz.
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