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Would you let your 16 year old son go to a Wrigley show by himself?

ehbaconehbacon Posts: 1,971
edited April 2016 in The Porch
Something that might become relevant in the coming months, because I'm going to both shows but my dad is only going to one. My ideal scenario would be to somehow get GA for the show I'm going to by myself, and maybe sell the other ticket. But I'd be more than happy to just keep my reserved.

My parents don't like that idea and would rather find someone we know to go with me; which leads to my main question:

Would you let your 16 year old son go to a Wrigley show by himself?
Listen to some of my music here (if you want to): [url="My soundcloud"]

Would you let your 16 year old son go to a Wrigley show by himself? 135 votes

Yes
67%
Vedd Heddmcgruff10Off I Go.releaseNY2-feign-reluctanceRed MosqitoHigh Fidelity 2000pjalive21Red LukinhalvspnooneDarbyCrashwhoyouare72CopperTomDPrival78bootlegger10my2handsguitar101mandarine65chiwhitesox 91 votes
No
29%
cincybearcataubiejamwalkunafraidSarahAndoHailHailVitalogyrival9500djsmootamethgr8josevolution+TremoR_ChrisT+KP_McMinnfoodboygotthebottlePJ1973pledgeagrievanceruggs1996Tim SimmonsKC138045StevieG 40 votes
I would let him go in Reserved but not GA
2%
jeff2040wishlisa76shetellsherselfJustaPJFan 4 votes
I would let him go in GA but not Reserved
0%
«13

Comments

  • 2-feign-reluctance2-feign-reluctance Posts: 23,243
    Yes
    Not by yourself but with at least one friend. That's how I did a Lolla 92' (14) & 94' (16). Actually my parents told me no shows if I couldn't find at least one other person my age to go with.
    www.cluthelee.com
  • bootlegger10bootlegger10 Posts: 15,845
    edited April 2016
    Yes
    I don't have a 16 year-old kid, but unless he was a dumbass I would let him go to the show with a friend.
    Post edited by bootlegger10 on
  • shetellsherselfshetellsherself Posts: 8,818
    edited April 2016
    I would let him go in Reserved but not GA
    Assuming he's had some concert experience and knows the venue, has a full cell phone battery and a defined meeting point after. I have a 16yo daughter. Don't tell her she could go by herself bc she might leave me home.
    5/3/92 Omaha, NE
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  • smobeesmobee Posts: 178
    With a friend and I would drop off and pick up if I were you. He will be with 40,000 friends so if he's responsible he should be ok. I was 16 when my friend and I saw PJ at Soldier Field in 95 and everything was fine.
  • myoung321myoung321 Posts: 2,855
    Yes
    smobee said:

    With a friend and I would drop off and pick up if I were you. He will be with 40,000 friends so if he's responsible he should will be ok.

    Fixed it for ya... ;)

    "The heart and mind are the true lens of the camera." - Yusuf Karsh
     


  • tylermooretylermoore Posts: 921
    Yes
    I started driving to Chicago by myself when I was 16. An hour and a half drive from my home.
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Posts: 12,845
    Yes
    Absolutely. I would let my 16 year old daughter go to a concert alone if she wished, or with a friend if that's what she wanted. She's level headed.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • amethgr8amethgr8 Posts: 766
    No
    18
    Amy The Great #74594
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  • RobbyD462RobbyD462 Posts: 4,809
    edited April 2016
    No
    But I expect him to find a way to sneak out,get tickets,find someone to get him booze and couple doobies before hitting the Pit to be surrounded by amazing people for an evening.Did I mention that he needs to be home before I find out,just to find out years later that we should have went together....

    Get your Dad/Mom to come with!
    Great music and people are infectious!!
    Family/Jamily bonding time :)

    So I've changed my mind to yes.


    I snuck out for my first concert at 14
    Rage against the Machine/Beastie Boys it changed my life my Mom didn't let me go and I went anyways.
    Post edited by RobbyD462 on
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  • Pearl34JamPearl34Jam Posts: 1,102
    No
    Since I'm not a parent (or technically an adult) yet, I'll tell you what my parents would do.

    They would only let me go if I were with a trusted adult that they know.

    And I would personally rather do that than be alone. Best of luck to you whatever you do in this scenario.
    "Must I keep explaining my decisions to you strangers of the Internet?" - Merch tent 8/19/16

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  • scurtisscurtis Posts: 2,460
    edited April 2016
    Yes
    I'm a parent, not of teenagers, you have to know your kid, I would let mine go with a friend, not alone.

    First stadium show I went to was with a friend, we were 11! Haha I would never let my kids do that. But they dropped us off, we had a blast, then they picked us up.
    Post edited by scurtis on
    "Born on third, thinks he got a triple."
  • tschavtschav Posts: 2,840
    Going solo to Wrigleyville and doing a show at 16? Drag a friend along and watch them fall in love with the band as well.
  • oftenreadingoftenreading Posts: 12,845
    Yes
    I'm interested in the reasoning of the people who did this but wouldn't consider letting their own kids do it. Why not? You survived, didn't you, with awesome memories and your mind expanded a bit? Your job is not to raise a child, it's to raise your child to be a capable, functioning adult, and for that they have to be allowed to be independent.
    my small self... like a book amongst the many on a shelf
  • mattcozmattcoz Posts: 2,202
    Yes
    Hmm, probably not. I know my parents wouldn't have let me when I was your age. I went to my first Pearl Jam show when I was 17, and I went with a friend and his older brother. Thing is, I went without telling my parents I was going, so they were not pleased. My bad, heh. I think they probably would have been ok with it though, if I had told them first. There's a big difference between going with other people and going all alone, especially when you're going into a big city.
  • firefightermtnfirefightermtn Posts: 14
    Yes
    I voted yes, but it all depends on you and what you're used to. Are you from Chicago? Will your parents be at least in the city? Also, I agree with the friend thing. I went to see STP in '94 with 4 buddies and we were 16. We were from a small town and were let loose, but we weren't dumbasses and knew not to go too crazy! I'd worry more about getting to and from rather than the actual concert. A bunch of liberal 40-50 year olds ain't gonna hurt a dang kid! :)
    STL '14
  • Go BeaversGo Beavers Posts: 8,972
    I'm with tylermoore, I drove mom's hog station wagon through Chicago solo when I was 16 amongst people with little regard for human life. A PJ crowd is very docile and respectful. A parent's concern is that you're going to get loaded on booze or ingest something some rando gives you. Just that fact that you logged in to ask a bunch of 40 somethings says you're level headed (or extremely manipulative as you show your folks the poll results that say 'no prob')! People don't realize that things are safer now then they were in the 90's. Soak up the moment, whether is GA or reserved.
  • RKCNDYRKCNDY Posts: 31,013
    Yes
    I was 15 when I went to my first concert, went with a friend. Her dad dropped us off and picked us up. After that, I went to several concerts with friends sans adults. We didn't have our own cars, but someone's parents always picked us up. Not saying it has to be like that for you, we just didn't have transportation back home from Seattle to the other side of the lake. Our parents knew we wouldn't look for trouble and trusted us.

    You seem like a level headed smart kid Mr. Bacon, I hope you get to go to both shows.
    The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.

    - Christopher McCandless
  • ldent42ldent42 Posts: 7,859
    Yes
    Not sure where you live, but assuming it's Chicago or the surrounding burbs and that there is a transportation option for you to get home after the show, I see no problem with it.
    Its a shitty example but by 16 I was regularly attending concerts in local bar venues that shouldn't have been letting me in, and I survived just fine. Don't take any drugs including weed even if it's passed to you by someone kind, and don't drink more than one beer (zero if you can't buy it yourself/watch it poured/opened).

    You'll be fine.
    NYC 06/24/08-Auckland 11/27/09-Chch 11/29/09-Newark 05/18/10-Atlanta 09/22/12-Chicago 07/19/13-Brooklyn 10/18/13 & 10/19/13-Hartford 10/25/13-Baltimore 10/27/13-Auckland 1/17/14-GC 1/19/14-Melbourne 1/24/14-Sydney 1/26/14-Amsterdam 6/16/14 & 6/17/14-Milan 6/20/14-Berlin 6/26/14-Leeds 7/8/14-Milton Keynes 7/11/14-St. Louis 10/3/14-NYC 9/26/15
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  • wishlisa76wishlisa76 Posts: 806
    edited April 2016
    I would let him go in Reserved but not GA
    If he was a good kid, I´d let him go with reserved seats. Never the pit. I´d pick him up right after, and he had to go with a friend. He also had to use earplugs, as I have had tinnitus since age of 20, and I do know what a hell that can be. I almost said no to this one. Even if he´s a good, responsible kid, you can never know what might happen. I´d prefer to go with him honestly.
    Post edited by wishlisa76 on
    "I gather speed from you fucking with me"

    PJ in Stockholm, Sweden, 7th July 2012. EV solo in London, 31st July 2012. PJ in Stockholm 28th of June 2014. PJ in Milton Keynes UK, 11th of July 2014, Eddie solo in London 6th of June 2017. PJ London 18th of June, 2018, and 17th of July, 2018.
  • texasistheSTEVENtexasistheSTEVEN Posts: 1,110
    Yes
    Went to my first gig when I was 13/14. Mum and dad drove me and my friend to brixton academy and then met us afterwards. That was a general admission floor and at that point it was the loudest and greatest thing I had ever seen. People were so cool to me and my friend and nothing happened to us apart from having our minds blown.

    PJ fans on the whole are 10/10 stand up people and you would be looked after. I voted yes because seeing music when you are young shapes your life. Go with a friend or if you don't have a friend to go with or none of your mates like PJ put something on here and I'm sure some awesome people will take you under their wing for the night. I would if I was going to Wrigley.
    theserialthrilla wrote:
    Sealed vinyl is bad vinyl.
    1996 Wmbly London
    2006 Jools Holland, London / Reading festival
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    2012 MEN 1/ MEN 2 / Berlin 1 / Berlin 2 / EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
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  • texasistheSTEVENtexasistheSTEVEN Posts: 1,110
    Yes
    oftenreading said:

    I'm interested in the reasoning of the people who did this but wouldn't consider letting their own kids do it. Why not? You survived, didn't you, with awesome memories and your mind expanded a bit? Your job is not to raise a child, it's to raise your child to be a capable, functioning adult, and for that they have to be allowed to be independent.

    TESTIFIED
    theserialthrilla wrote:
    Sealed vinyl is bad vinyl.
    1996 Wmbly London
    2006 Jools Holland, London / Reading festival
    2007 Wmbly London
    2009 SBE London / O2 London
    2012 MEN 1/ MEN 2 / Berlin 1 / Berlin 2 / EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
    2013 NY 1/ NY 2 / Philly 1 / Philly 2
    2014 AMS 1 / AMS 2 / Leeds / MK
    2017 EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
    2018 LDN 1 / BCN / LDN 2
    2022 LDN 1 / LDN 2
  • buck502000buck502000 Posts: 8,951
    No
    I took 5 of my friends 4 hours in a mini van to see PJ in 1996 - we were 17. You need a crew or partner. I would never go alone. Unless, you are one of those people whom might like to go golfing alone or to the movies by themselves.
  • shetellsherselfshetellsherself Posts: 8,818
    I would let him go in Reserved but not GA
    Funny this poll has created a debate between my husband and I not about whether our daughte would be allowed to go to a concert by herself but rather if I will be ok in GA in wrigley by myself. Geesh
    5/3/92 Omaha, NE
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    4/16/16 Greenville 4/28/16 Philly 1 4/29/16 Philly 2 5/1/16 MSG 1 5/2/16 MSG 2 8/7/16 Fenway 2 8/20/16 Wrigley 1
    4/7/17 RRHOF New York City
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    9/3/24 MSG 1 9/4/24 MSG 2 9/7/24 Philly 1 9/9/24 Philly 2
  • rgambsrgambs Posts: 13,576
    Yes
    shetellsherself said:

    Funny this poll has created a debate between my husband and I not about whether our daughte would be allowed to go to a concert by herself but rather if I will be ok in GA in wrigley by myself. Geesh

    Kick him in the gonads and ask "are you gonna be ok?"
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • shetellsherselfshetellsherself Posts: 8,818
    I would let him go in Reserved but not GA
    rgambs said:

    shetellsherself said:

    Funny this poll has created a debate between my husband and I not about whether our daughte would be allowed to go to a concert by herself but rather if I will be ok in GA in wrigley by myself. Geesh

    Kick him in the gonads and ask "are you gonna be ok?"
    Ha! I'll be there. No kicking necessary.
    5/3/92 Omaha, NE
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    4/16/16 Greenville 4/28/16 Philly 1 4/29/16 Philly 2 5/1/16 MSG 1 5/2/16 MSG 2 8/7/16 Fenway 2 8/20/16 Wrigley 1
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  • chiwhitesoxchiwhitesox Posts: 696
    Yes
    My boy will turn 16 in 6 years. We live in Chicago burbs.

    Hell yes I'm letting him go to Wrigley to see Pearl Jam in 2022!
    - Chicago G

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  • vant0037vant0037 Posts: 6,109
    I think everyone missed the question: would you let your 16 go alone to Wrigley? Everyone is responding with some variation of "yes with a friend.". My first show was when I was 14 to Rage Against the Machine...with two of my friends and my 18 year old brother and three of his friends.

    Of course most of us would let their 16 year old go with someone else. His question is would we let our 16 year old alone.

    No way. With a friend, a ride, a phone, a plan etc etc etc? Of course, barring some reason not to.

    Sounds like he's trying to go solo, in which case, I think most of us would say no.
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  • DW139059DW139059 Posts: 353
    Soooooooo............ what youre saying is........ you've got an extra for Wrigley...? :wink:
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  • texasistheSTEVENtexasistheSTEVEN Posts: 1,110
    Yes
    so if he is gonna go solo surely some friendly people on this board wouldn't mind him tagging along with them
    theserialthrilla wrote:
    Sealed vinyl is bad vinyl.
    1996 Wmbly London
    2006 Jools Holland, London / Reading festival
    2007 Wmbly London
    2009 SBE London / O2 London
    2012 MEN 1/ MEN 2 / Berlin 1 / Berlin 2 / EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
    2013 NY 1/ NY 2 / Philly 1 / Philly 2
    2014 AMS 1 / AMS 2 / Leeds / MK
    2017 EV LDN 1 / EV LDN 2
    2018 LDN 1 / BCN / LDN 2
    2022 LDN 1 / LDN 2
  • vant0037vant0037 Posts: 6,109
    texasistheSTEVEN said:

    so if he is gonna go solo surely some friendly people on this board wouldn't mind him tagging along with them

    Right, but that's still not the question. Would you let your 16 year old son go to a concert by himself, knowing that will be tagging along with strangers from the band's online forum? I'm sure, as well meaning as virtually everyone here may be, there aren't too many parents who would allow that (probably rightly so - how and why would they believe any online stranger is well meaning?).

    His question is: would you let him go by himself? Period. As much as we all remember our experiences being very cool and liberating, they were almost universally with friends, siblings etc. Going alone as a 16 year old? Not quite the same thing.

    He's looking for advice/opinions, not a reflection if what we did that he apparently doesn't have the option to do.

    So, solo at 16? Nope. With friends etc? Sure. With strangers from the band's fan club? Not a chance.

    Best bet: find a friend who they know, talk to both sets of parents, figure out the pickup and drop off points are going to be, tell them you'll text them where you're going to be etc. (Oh, and don't tell them you won't to show up at noon for merch. Tell them you want to be dropped off at 5pm. That's a time they'll understand. There are people here who can't understand why anyone would stand for merch 8 hours ahead of time - surely you're non fan parents won't either.)

    Good luck!

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