Have you tried going to a concert with your teens? For the first time, I did. And I’m glad it became a nice experience for the three of us.
If you are familiar with K-POP, you must know this young boy band EXO and recently, they had a concert here in Manila at The Araneta Center. My kids are avid fans of this group and they were just excited to see their “bias” (the term they use for their favorite band member or idol) in person. I knew it was coming, paying for concert tickets, because they had been fans of other boy bands in the past (One Direction, 5 SOS) and I saw on the news how some young teens even went overnight to the concert areas just to buy concert tickets in advance. But they were not that eager back then and were still very young. This time, it was different. Not a day had passed without them looking at EXO’s photos and all the music they listen to are K-POP. Their room is covered with buntings and posters of the boy band of course.
One of the many EXO posters in the bedroom
BTS (another KPOP band) bunting and posters in bed
We have no problem with the “fan” thing (I don’t really prefer using the word idolizing because it’s too much for me). My husband and I became fans on our younger years, and the whole family is into music already. We always tell them that it will be okay with us for them to spend some time with this fanning thing as long as their studies are their priority. And so we see their grades were good and they are still happy, with their friends and with their school activities. They also don’t mind buying P20 posters rather than the expensive original posters. I thought we can let them watch the show, but once only, because the tickets were pricey.
Daddy bought the tickets online and we got general admission tickets.We pointed out to them that we don’t need to get pricier tickets because what was important was the experience. We told them that like some of the concerts we’ve seen in Araneta, there would surely be huge LCD TVs there. My teens had no problem with that. They told me they were excited. For the first time, they were going to see and hear their favorite celebrities in person. Their excitement was contagious so we all looked forward to the concert night.
The EXO’rDIUM – The EXO Concert
The EXO’rDIUM concert was actually part of a concert tour of the Korean boy band EXO. The Philippines was the 9th country they visited based on their schedule listed in Wikipedia. We went on a Sunday since I thought there would be a smaller crowd since it was the last day of the concert. I was wrong and using “small crowd” as a term was an understatement. But in fairness, the teens we saw that day were behaved. We didn’t hear any yelling or saw overcrowded lines, girls pushing each other etcetera. We could feel the excitement but we were not stressed at all considering it was a hot afternoon outside the venue.
The concert was scheduled to start 5:30PM but we were at the venue by 2PM. After going to early mass in the morning, we went straight to Cubao and had our lunch there at Razon’s beside Araneta Coliseum. It helped that we already have our tickets on hand. Purchasing from TicketNet was already easy these days because you can just print the ticket at home.
After lunch, we picked up some merchant items which my teens won from online contests. You won’t imagine how passionate these teens are. They have all these promotions and contests usually on Twitter where they give out different items, photos, stickers, food and albums to the winners. My daughters won some banners and an album for themselves.
BTS album my daughter won after joining a Twitter contest. She wrote a very long article telling why she should win the album. I loved her piece and I was glad that she can write well at her age.
Some girls also sold headbands (pretty expensive P80) with the photos of the EXO members stuck on it. I thought they were pretty creative and I think these girls were very wise to take advantage of the event. My kids looked cute with their headbands.
Sisters at the concert
After some walking, we had some dessert and coffee at Mary Grace Cafe in Gateway Mall. There were some people there who made some small talk and we found out that they were parents also. Their kids were already inside the concert area and they would just be waiting outside. You see how parents can be truly supportive to their kids. My husband, who also waited outside, told me about one mom who had her daughter watch the concert twice in VIP and bought a light stick which I think cost around P5,000. The siblings paid for her tickets because the student had 1.0 grades in all her subjects in school. Well, the daughter deserved it naman pala.
By 4:30PM, we entered Araneta and when we got there, the whole general admission was almost full. We had to take the rightmost and uppermost bleacher seats from the stage. The seats were hard to sit on, of course, but my kids did not mind it. Almost everyone we saw there were girls, only a couple of boys, and they were holding banners and light sticks.
The stage was fully lit up and we saw the Upper Box seats and VIP areas starting to be filled up. I thought they won’t be filled up completely but I was wrong. It was jampacked the moment the concert started. I was really amazed at the support these fans give for EXO.
1 hour Before concert started
The Exordium Concert – must have been awesome to be somewhere nearer the stage, but it was still ok for the girls. They said they are already happy breathing the same air their idols are breathing. LOL.
The concert started with a video clip on stage. In fairness, ang ganda ng set-up ng stage, the LCDs were very high def, and the sound system was loud and clear but not irritating. What was kind of unpleasant after some minutes was that the audience was stomping their feet I feared that the auditorium would collapse. The girls were singing and shouting the band members’ name nonstop and I thought my ears would pop out. I couldn’t even hear my own voice when I tried to call my kids for them to drink water. All of them were stuck to the program the moment it started.
Personal video clip I got from the concert. Look at how jampacked the venue was.
What I didn’t like in Araneta is that they don’t allow you to buy mineral waters with the cover of the bottle. So I had to hold two bottles of water for a long time just to make sure that my girls will be able to drink by the time they’ve spent all their saliva from singing and yelling the boy band’s names. I forgot their “no bottle cover” policy so next time, I’ll make sure to bring my own empty water bottle. One tip also, when chaperoning teens in concert is don’t bother buying food or popcorn, unless your kids won’t mind eating them cold after the concert.
In spite of everything, I enjoyed the concert myself. The songs were all Korean but they were good to listen to. I could even sing some of the lines in the chorus because I’ve already heard them at home a hundred times. The boys of EXO were also cute, especially Kai who looks like a girl. It was great seeing all those light sticks swayed in unity by all the fans. Parang people power ang dating. But most importantly, my kids enjoyed the concert together. They are like cats and dogs at home, but when it comes to K-POP, they are buddies. I also loved the fact that I was there with them on their first time to go to a concert. It was a milestone which I know they will keep in memory box forever. Although I was only in the background, a chaperone, I was still there.
My husband was equally supportive that day. He waited for us and he was there at the gate of Araneta, with dozens of other parents who were also waiting for their kids, by the time the concert ended. I was touched by all of them feeling how concerned they were for their kids. I felt nasa school ako then and yung mga sundo lahat nandun sa labas ng gate, haha.
When it comes to safety, I will say that The Araneta Coliseum was generally safe for concerts like these, but it will still depend on the audience, the kind of show, and the age of your child. My kids were still too young (for me) to let them go on their own. Plus, I will always be more willing to come with them, not only to have a peace of mind, but also because I want to watch younger shows also, from time to time. Makes me feel younger too.
What about you, will you let your kids go to a concert alone or will you go as a chaperone too?
This is awesome! Not a fan of KPOP but I’m happy your kids enjoyed!! And as for me, when Yñigo grows up, it’ll depend. We might just send him to a concert alone like what my parents did hehe 🙂
I would probably do the same thing! Accompanying teens on a concert event instead of letting them go on their own. Nakakatuwa naman na hindi nyo pinipigilan ang mga bagets nyo. My parents are so mahigpit, kahit manood lang ng program ng fiesta sa basketball court namin noon, hindi kami basta-basta pinapayagan. Haha
Oh the things we do for our kids… Kahit ako baka ganyan din gawin ko, better enjoy the concert with the kids rather than let them out by themselves and worry all night. Looking forward to more posts about you and your teens.
Hehe I remember my kabataan! Haha me, my friend and my brother watched WWE hhahahha! And we were accompanied by our then driver haha! There was a time naman, my siblings and i were accompanied by my father’s girlfriend, sobrang awkward haha! But still we had fun so okay na rin. Hehe! Kaka-miss manood ng concert
That really sounds fun! 🙂 Watching concerts with my girls is one of the things that I am looking forward to do with them. They’re only 13 and 10 though, and my husband and I feel that they’re still too young to watch concerts, especially when their idols Taylor Swift and Ariano Grande had concerts here. Not to mention, super pricey ang tickets 😉 Maybe in 3–4 years time, we could start planning na. For now, we go to theater plays/movies/musicals lang muna, not the biggie types. 🙂
It’s really nice to know that your kids still wanted to be accompanied by their mothers. Its a really fun event
Looks fun. I doubt I would attending a concert like this though. My boys are more into sporta and techie stuffs.
This is one thing I wanna do with my girls. 🙂 But concert tickets are pricey, maybe some other time. For now, my daughters settle for movie dates with the whole fam! 🙂
The fan thing reminded me of the time when I was in high school. LOL! Not that I posted the banners and posters in our room, I had them kept neatly in folders (I think they are still stashed somewhere in our storage room back home). Not really a fan of k-pop but when the time comes that my son would want to watch a concert, I would definitely go and watch it with him (no matter what it is). 🙂
Naku I need to prepare for this moment na rin. I remember nung naging Aldub fan ang girl ko, she asked her Papa if they could go sa concert nila sa Philippine Arena. Haha. Minsan nakakatuwa when we see our kids na nagiging “fans”. It means they can appreciate someone, as long as good example yung favorite celebrity nila. Ano kayang concert ang panonoorin ko in the future with my girl 🙂
OMG, dumaan din sila sa Aldub phase. That’s also what’s difficult, ang bilis nila minsan magpalit ng fandom haha.
Waah! have I aged too much that I don’t even know these boy bands? Super cool mom mo naman Mommy Lani to allow them to go to concert at kasama ka pa! I can imagine the joys of your kids! :))
Super supportive mommy! 🙂 Ako paglaki ni baby ganito din for sure! 🙂
I’m not a KPOP fan but I know how fun it is to watch concerts of your favorite artists as I’ve worked in the music industry. This is a coo milestone for a teen daughter/son. I’m nervous for when it’s my baby’s turn haha
That is a really great idea to chaperone kids. Haha I’m trying to imagine my life in the future with 3 boys. Haha As of now, I just chaperone them to the toy store to see their fave superheroes. I like how yoy support your teenagers. It’s a good way of bonding with them and supporting them in a responsible way.
Good job for doing this mommy Lanie. Dapat talaga hindi tayo maging masyadong mahigpit with our kids, kasi they will look for love somewhere else kapag nasasakal sila sa bahay.
I have covered EXO’s concert here in the PH few years ago. They’ll really good!
You and your husband are such supportive parents! My son’s still not at the age where he asks to watch concerts of his favorite artists, but when that time comes, I will definitely be his chaperone.
When my daughter will be in her teenage years, we would also like to support her. Napagdaanan din natin kasi yung stage na yan. Good job mom and dad!
I once chaperoned the boys pero.school concert lang. We waited at the school lobby while my three boys watched. They had fun I suppose. On their next.school concert, I just left them then fetched them at 12mn. They mentioned they enjoyed the concert more with no mama within the area. Ehhehe.
I’m not a fan of KPop but it looks like my daughter is now becoming a fan of it. Mukhang dyan na ako papunta next time — going to a concert with her.
My niece Zean hennessy is a kPop avid fan din,but never pa naka attend sa ganitong concert,i think iba na talaga ang mga idol ngayun ng mga teenager love na din nila ang mga korean artist,which is okay naman,i watch some kpop on youtube magaling naman sila mag perform.
Looked like you had fun with your teens! It’s so great that both you and your husband are supportive of their Kpop craze. Odd naman the bottle cap policy of Araneta.
P5k for a light stick is crazy kahit na mag valedictorian pa yun anak ko. Mas kaya ko ata tanggapin if she asked for a laptop vs a P5k light stick. XD
heehee…my SIL does that, too, with her eldest daughter. Sha kasama sa mga Taylor Swift, Katy Perry concerts. Pero yung 80 headband, mura yan! Usually mahal ang mga fan items and premiums, kahit fan-made pa. At pakyaw!
WOW! I love concerts and looking forwad to my next. Anyway, glad that you are all out in supporting your daughters even if it means spending money and time for them. Like you, I value experience and for the kids to enjoy their youth through unforgettable events such as this is truly a treasure to them…now I hope I could still grab some Coldplay tix for me and my girls.
Your girls are lucky to have one supportive mum! I am just not sure why a lot of people love these KPop acts, though, especially if they do not understand the lyrics to their songs! Haha! I guess it’s just me being too old for this! 😀
I love watching concerts, too, so this is something I am looking forward to doing with my son. Although, I might have to wait a few more years. He sort of has a very sensitive pair of ears and cannot stand noise and loud sounds. But when the time comes that he took interest in watching concerts, I would be very happy to oblige.
Ang saya! Im not really into KPOP, I am more on Koreanovela’s hehehe Siguro I’ll be all out too in terms of supporting what my kid’s likes are.
It looks like they had an amazing time at the concert.
So fun! We brought our kids to the Mayhem Fest a few years ago, but I don’t think that counts because we wanted to go, too LOL!
You are brave for chaperoning them. I am sure they really appreciated it even if they didnt show it.
Wow, the stage looks breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great idea to accompany your kids with the concert. It sounds like you have to be patient also but at least they had fun and it’s great the you could also love what they’d love.
Oh man, this would be quite the undertaking, but so fun as well! Thanks for sharing the experience.
Looks like so much fun! My teens would love it! Thanks for sharing!
What a fun experience with your kids. Stay close with your kids and they will love all of these things that they did with you!
Looks like so much fun! i totally miss concerts badly. I hope it will be safe host them soon enough
You are such a supportive Mom. Those kids are lucky to have you.
What a fun way to spend time with the family! My parents went to NSYNC concerts with me! 🙂
Thanks for sharing..i haven’t heard of this or i wasn’t aware of this before..This is completely new and much interesting indeed..Great work…
Looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Great post.