You must be this old to rock

“You must be this tall to ride”

“Under 60’ you must ride with an adult”

Over 10 years ago I dreaded seeing those signs. To me there wasn’t a feeling worse than finally convincing my parents that I could handle going on a ride that not only went 20 feet up into the air, but also spun around uncontrollably without losing my lunch, just to get to the front of the line and read one of those signs.

I used to look forward to the days when I was well past the scary clowns hand signaling the cutoff to let people ride. Where I could focus on not getting too dizzy or sick, instead of crossing my fingers that the amusement park worker wouldn’t have to question if I was tall enough or not.

But now, as much as I can empathize with the kids I see watching me ride around in the fast go-carts for the adults, or the new “Whiplash” rides envious that their height doesn’t make the cut. I can’t help but be glad that because they aren’t allowed to ride, that gives me more chances to.

The same now applies when I go to concerts. I mean this for a lot of the ones I have been going to in the past 4 years. But to use specific examples I will narrow my concert examples to one of my all time favorite bands, Fall Out Boy.(Laugh all you want now, I’ve gotten more crap for liking them than I ever imagined possible, but through all of that, its made me like them even more.)

FOB really got popular the summer of 2005. But before that they were playing small shows all around the Chicago suburbs in small venues and church basements. Everyone had fun; everyone was there for the music.

Now I can’t go to a show without stepping on an 11 year old blinded by his shaggy bangs covering half his face. I feel bad going into mosh pits and seeing 14 year old girls who weigh no more than 50 pounds because I know the second the music starts they are going to get bashed around so badly they’ll be sore for weeks. But for the split second I feel bad for them, I spend the rest of the time wondering why they are there.

I just want to clear up the fact that I am more than happy to see anyone and any age supporting and enjoying bands I like. I remember getting a lot of strange looks when I was 15 in a sea of people 30+ at a KISS and Aerosmith concert. So I am no stranger to being the minority. But when there is a kid standing in front of me, not knowing any of the bands old albums because they weren’t played on the radio, that’s when I get upset.

These kids just go to shows to say they did, it sounds cool. Some of them could care less about the music. And I wish they wouldn’t go, because then I just have fewer bodies to squeeze past in the mosh pit to get closer to the stage.

But to all the kids who go to the shows, and know all the songs I just want to say “thank you”. And keep on coming.