Last week I took Maddie, Emily and Neve to a big concert in Charlottesville.  Emily and Neve’s favorite band, Paramore,was in town and when they had heard about the concert back in January they went nuts.

I may have mentioned that last year Emily got Rock Band for her birthday.  It was probably the best money we have ever spent.  They play on it all the time – singing, playing guitar, banging on the drums.

My kids have always had music around them.  I love listening to just about anything – with the exception of country.  I am sorry to all of you country music fans out there.  I know there are an awful lot of you and I mean no disrespect, but I would rather claw out my eyes than listen to it.  Just about everything else is fair game, and my girls and I like to listen to a lot of the same stuff.  Sometimes it’s funny stuff we’ll sing to amuse each other (cartoon theme songs, for instance), sometimes we’ll crank up a great song on the radio and for a few minutes no one’s arguing or complaining about who is touching whose stuff.

Emily zeroed in on Paramore a few years ago after hearing them on the radio and it’s been quite a love affair ever since – though Lady Gaga is the current flavor……wrong as it seems for your 6 year old to be singing Love Game or your 2 year old to light up whenever Poker Face comes on. I’ve done my best to balance things out a bit and am proud to say that both younger girls have taken to Flaming Lips’ Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots quite nicely.  Because killer robots are so much more wholesome than taking a ride on a disco stick, right?

ANYWAY.  Moving on.

They had a total blast at the concert.  It was loud, it was late, and Neve fell asleep 3 songs into the act, but the sheer bliss on their little faces seeing that band take the stage was worth every penny those tickets cost.  I even had fun, I have to admit, and wasn’t the only parent holding a sleeping child for much of the show – two rows down there were two little girls that could not have been more than 4 who also didn’t last too long before passing out.  The only downer to the whole thing was getting patted down by security before being allowed in – even Neve.  (I’d like to add that no one got patted down for the John Mayer concert or for The Wiggles).

Lately Oona has begun singing Paramore as well and it’s so cute I can’t stand it.  She’s starting to take an interest in what her sisters are doing with Rock Band and trying to play along.  Maybe one day she’ll even be able to rap a Beastie Boys song, like Emily.

Uncle KB, this one’s for you: