What local venues, if any, would you allow 14-year-old DD to attend a concert?

[Anonymous]

Kennedy center
Strathmore
Wolf trap
Birchmere
Coffee shops/small venues

[Anonymous]

Hamilton, Birchmere, 930 club, Strathmore, Wolf Trap etc. Not Capital One, Merriweather or some of the smaller druggist places.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kennedy center
Strathmore
Wolf trap
Birchmere
Coffee shops/small venues

Yes to all of these. I am a GenXer and went to chaperone-free concerts at Wolf Trap and the Patriot Center starting at age 13/14. For my own kids, my younger is more responsible, so I’d base it on that, as well as the performer (some performers have fans I don’t trust, even if I trust my own kids).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 15yr old went to see 21 Pilots with 3 friends a few years ago. Before that she saw Keisha standing room only at the Fillmore. Had a blast. All middle and high schoolers. Maybe some college kids.

You all need to chill. Do you think they will die at a concert?

I think it's very possible for my 14 year old to get separated from her friends, or innocently get up to use the restroom by herself and not understand that that isn't safe for a female to do in those types of (often inebriated) crowds.

Do parents not have these types of conversations with their kids anymore?

You know - the "you go together, you leave together" conversation? Don't accept any drinks. Don't go to the bathroom alone at the concert.

At 15, I went to a Janet Jackson concert with a 15 yo friend, at a venue similar to the Verizon center (is it still called that???). I was allowed to go to concerts with my older cousins (one was 10 years older, the other was 4 years older), but there were RULES. That we all knew.

Do people not teach their kids this stuff anymore? Do you not take your kids to crowded places?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 15yr old went to see 21 Pilots with 3 friends a few years ago. Before that she saw Keisha standing room only at the Fillmore. Had a blast. All middle and high schoolers. Maybe some college kids.

You all need to chill. Do you think they will die at a concert?

I think it's very possible for my 14 year old to get separated from her friends, or innocently get up to use the restroom by herself and not understand that that isn't safe for a female to do in those types of (often inebriated) crowds.

Do parents not have these types of conversations with their kids anymore?

You know - the "you go together, you leave together" conversation? Don't accept any drinks. Don't go to the bathroom alone at the concert.

At 15, I went to a Janet Jackson concert with a 15 yo friend, at a venue similar to the Verizon center (is it still called that???). I was allowed to go to concerts with my older cousins (one was 10 years older, the other was 4 years older), but there were RULES. That we all knew.

Do people not teach their kids this stuff anymore? Do you not take your kids to crowded places?

Of course we do. And once my child is a little older, closer to 16, I’ll trust that she will have the maturity to actually follow through. But my experience is that 14 year olds tend to think they know best, or forget, or just go off script sometimes in the naive belief that there won’t be real world repercussions.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the kids. Are they generally trustworthy and reliable? My 13 year old, no. My nephew at 14, sure. I would say anything with a ticket and a seat. The larger the group the better. But covid does alter things a bit. When is the show?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hamilton, Birchmere, 930 club, Strathmore, Wolf Trap etc. Not Capital One, Merriweather or some of the smaller druggist places.

Hard no to the 930 Club. Merriweather is fine but no for a 14 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 15yr old went to see 21 Pilots with 3 friends a few years ago. Before that she saw Keisha standing room only at the Fillmore. Had a blast. All middle and high schoolers. Maybe some college kids.

You all need to chill. Do you think they will die at a concert?

I think it's very possible for my 14 year old to get separated from her friends, or innocently get up to use the restroom by herself and not understand that that isn't safe for a female to do in those types of (often inebriated) crowds.

Do parents not have these types of conversations with their kids anymore?

You know - the "you go together, you leave together" conversation? Don't accept any drinks. Don't go to the bathroom alone at the concert.

At 15, I went to a Janet Jackson concert with a 15 yo friend, at a venue similar to the Verizon center (is it still called that???). I was allowed to go to concerts with my older cousins (one was 10 years older, the other was 4 years older), but there were RULES. That we all knew.


Do people not teach their kids this stuff anymore? Do you not take your kids to crowded places?

Its very easy to get separated especially when you are leaving. We generally leave a few minutes early with our kids and rush out but I've gotten separated from my husband as he was a few steps ahead. But, we could easily meet up at the car. I always hold on to my child and we put a watch/tracker on them but its far easier than you realize.

[Anonymous]

My first four concerts were with my mother (friends joined with some not all four) when I was in 7th & 8th grade. After that I went with friends starting the summer between 8th & 9th. Concerts are fine, no one should be freaking out about dropping their kids at a venue, watching them walk in and picking them up afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Oh and I'm PP:

I've been taking DC to concerts for years. They're 13 now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 15yr old went to see 21 Pilots with 3 friends a few years ago. Before that she saw Keisha standing room only at the Fillmore. Had a blast. All middle and high schoolers. Maybe some college kids.

You all need to chill. Do you think they will die at a concert?

I think it's very possible for my 14 year old to get separated from her friends, or innocently get up to use the restroom by herself and not understand that that isn't safe for a female to do in those types of (often inebriated) crowds.

Do parents not have these types of conversations with their kids anymore?

You know - the "you go together, you leave together" conversation? Don't accept any drinks. Don't go to the bathroom alone at the concert.

At 15, I went to a Janet Jackson concert with a 15 yo friend, at a venue similar to the Verizon center (is it still called that???). I was allowed to go to concerts with my older cousins (one was 10 years older, the other was 4 years older), but there were RULES. That we all knew.

Do people not teach their kids this stuff anymore? Do you not take your kids to crowded places?

Of course we do. And once my child is a little older, closer to 16, I’ll trust that she will have the maturity to actually follow through. But my experience is that 14 year olds tend to think they know best, or forget, or just go off script sometimes in the naive belief that there won’t be real world repercussions.

14 with a friend is very different than 15 with a 19 and 25 year old cousins.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, when my kid was 12 I went with them to Nats Park (but I was also a fan) at 15 I did drop off/pick up at Cap 1 center while they went with a friend. Didn’t come up at 14 but I probably would have let them go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hamilton, Birchmere, 930 club, Strathmore, Wolf Trap etc. Not Capital One, Merriweather or some of the smaller druggist places.

Hard no to the 930 Club. Merriweather is fine but no for a 14 year old.

Some of my best memories of growing up in DC are shows at the 9:30 Club with my best friend, starting at 14-15. One of our parents would drop us off and park a few blocks away for the duration of the show.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My first four concerts were with my mother (friends joined with some not all four) when I was in 7th & 8th grade. After that I went with friends starting the summer between 8th & 9th. Concerts are fine, no one should be freaking out about dropping their kids at a venue, watching them walk in and picking them up afterwards.

I mean, this completely depends on the venue, but there are a lot that are simply too huge for you to ever get close enough to “watch them walk in.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My first four concerts were with my mother (friends joined with some not all four) when I was in 7th & 8th grade. After that I went with friends starting the summer between 8th & 9th. Concerts are fine, no one should be freaking out about dropping their kids at a venue, watching them walk in and picking them up afterwards.

I mean, this completely depends on the venue, but there are a lot that are simply too huge for you to ever get close enough to “watch them walk in.”

I an a different poster but in that case it should be fine to watch them walk towards the venue. The street outside is usually very safe and if you are worried about your kid dotching a concert to get a few hours on the town that’s an entirely different problem.