My First Time

In today's Los Angeles Times, music critic David Ulin had a charming article about taking his daughter to see her favorite pop star Taylor Swift play the Staples Center. The article captures that spark we get as youth seeing the artist we idolize play live, when we finally feel alive, energized and like nothing will ever be the same. I love that her dad was with her for it, and it reminded me of my first concert, which my mom took me to when I was 14. As a side note, I found the article through my favorite feminist news/culture site Jezebel, and the stories in the comments are great, too.

As readers of this blog/former listeners of the show know, Tori Amos is my number one, all time favorite artist forever and ever, amen. My fandom started during my freshman year of high school, when I would listen to Boys for Pele on repeat in the dark, burning incense and brooding. I was a charming teen.

When I found out that she was going to be playing the week of my birthday, I decided that I HAD to go. I had been denied access to seeing Hole and Garbage, but nothing was going to stand in the way of my seeing Tori. My parents were rather strict, so my mother insisted on listening to the disc before giving me permission. I was a little nervous, as the lyrics to the songs, not to mention the racy liner photos, might give her pause. Luckily Amos' singing is so breathy that my mother missed most of the dirty parts and agreed to take me. I think it helped that the show was in a theater, and she plays piano. It was decided that she would take my sister and I and we could each bring a friend. I was psyched.

The day tickets went on sale we sat around the kitchen table waiting for the clock to hit 10:00 a.m. so we could call Ticketmaster. Even just calling for tickets made me heady. Not only was I excited to see Tori play live, I was excited to see my first concert, period. I was so grown up!

The drive there felt like the longest drive of my life. I can still remember the butterflies I felt when we walked to our row, nosebleed seats in the top of the Rosemont theater. She played heavily from Boys for Pele and I don't think I breathed through the entire set. I definitly cried and had that rush of thinking that it was the Most Important Night of All Time. Eating at Dennys afterwards, I was pretty sure my mom was the coolest mom ever.

Of all the firsts young women go through, I think the first concert (or first time seeing an artist you truly, truly love) is near the top of the list of potentially life changing events. The feeling of community, of connection and exhiliration - it just can't be beat. Cheers to Ulin for helping his daughter experience that, and here's to all the parents who got our fandom and let us have our moment, our Most Important Night of All Time.