I Took My Son to His First Rock Concert With Just This One Regret

Like just about everything else in 2020, my plan to take my son to his first "real" rock concert were put on hold due to the pandemic.

After sitting on tickets for over a year, my 16-year-old son, Drew, and I were finally able to attend the show I had been waiting so long to see. The Black Crowes were hitting the road to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their landmark debut album "$hake Your Money Maker" and were making stops in both Auburn, WA and Ridgefield (just outside of Vancouver, WA).

My son had been to a few shows at the fair (Theory of a Deadman) and the SunDome (Shinedown) but I wanted him to see a straightforward, gritty, blues-based Rock-'n-Roll show. Oh, the Crowes also just happens to be my all-time favorite band. Drew has pretty much grown-up with their music blasting through our speakers at home so I knew that he would be familiar with their catalog besides their hits "She Talks To Angels", "Hard To Handle", "Jealous Again" and "Twice As Hard". He was also jacked to see a more contemporary band, Dirty Honey, open the show.

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We were required to wear a mask at the venue, Sunlight Supply Amphitheater, but that didn't matter to us one way or the other as far as having fun as a father and son were concerned.

During the wait from 2020 to 2021, I decided to upgrade our tickets to VIP status. This included a backstage "meet and greet" opportunity with brothers Chris and Rich Robinson before the concert. Even though we had to stay six feet apart due to coronavirus protocols, we still got a snap with the brains of the outfit.

After hitting the merchandise table for some souvenirs and then grabbing a snack, we waited for the doors to open. Part of the VIP package guaranteed a seat within the first 5 rows. When we got to ours, my son lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh my gosh! This is awesome!", he exclaimed. That moment, right there, made it all worthwhile to me and the concert had not even begun.

When it was over, we drove to my mother-in-law's home nearby. I was exhausted and went to the guest bed while my wife asked Drew about his experience. Probably my favorite part of the trip was something that I didn't even witness. According to my lovely bride, Carrie, my son spent a solid 30 minutes regaling them on everything that had just transpired.

My only regret? It didn't happen sooner.

Long live rock and roll -- and the Black Crowes!