You finally scored tickets to the Eras Tour or a sold-out Olivia Rodrigo performance at Lollapalooza. Who are you taking? A fellow Swiftie or Livie? Your best friend?
How about your father? Yes, your dad. (Or your mom!)
Or are you someone who wouldn’t dream of being caught with a “cringey” parent at a concert, no matter how much you wanted to go?
In “Dad, You’re (So Not) Embarrassing Me at This Concert,” Ashley Spencer writes about the rise of “concert dads,” fathers who are bonding with their Gen Z and Gen Alpha kids by tagging along to see their favorite artists, and wearing the sparkles, trading the friendship bracelets and learning the choreography, too.
When the comedian Paul Scheer set out to capture footage of fathers at Taylor Swift’s concerts in Inglewood, Calif., in 2023, he thought he would find a smattering of men begrudgingly chaperoning their daughters to the Eras Tour.
“I went there expecting it to be these bitter dads, like, ‘I don’t like Taylor Swift,’” Mr. Scheer, 50, said. But “by Interview 2, I was like, Oh, I’ve misread this.”
Speaking to 50 dads in the parking lot at SoFi Stadium, Mr. Scheer, who is a fan of Ms. Swift and the father of two boys, captured a heartwarming portrait of devotion, which he compiled into a documentary short, “Swiftie Dads,” and posted on YouTube in December.
Some dads had driven hours with their children just to listen to the concert from outside the venue. Others had fought the online ticket wars and won. Many wore themed outfits and friendship bracelets. All of them “wanted to connect with their kids,” Mr. Scheer said.
While studies show that, in heterosexual partnerships, mothers still take on an overwhelming majority of unpaid child care and household work, Gen X and millennial fathers are participating in their children’s lives more than dads of previous generations did. And when it comes to pop music, many dads are not just tolerating their children’s interests, but enthusiastically embracing them.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
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Would you go to a concert with your dad — or mom? Why or why not? If you’ve already done it, how did it go? Did you feel a bit of embarrassment, or did it deepen your relationship?
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What’s your reaction to the article and the accompanying photos describing the rise of the enthusiastic “concert dad”? Do you think it’s a positive development? Why?
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Ryan Senegal, dad of 9-year-old Sabine, says, “People are like, ‘Oh, that’s cringe.’ Well, I don’t care. My daughter likes it.” Do you agree with his attitude? At what point, if any, does a parent’s enthusiasm stop being supportive and start being embarrassing?
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Ms. Spencer notes that unlike in the past, many fathers today aren’t just imparting their own musical tastes on their kids. Rather, they’re allowing their children’s preferences to inform their own. Have you ever influenced an adult in your life to like something new (a song, a show, a game or a brand)? If so, what was it?
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Does reading the article make you want to find more common interests and activities with your parents?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Jeremy Engle is an editor of The Learning Network who worked in teaching for more than 20 years before joining The Times.
The post Would You Go to a Concert With Your Dad? (Yes, Your Dad!) appeared first on New York Times.
