Later this week my husband and I are going to a music concert. I’ve been sitting here trying to work out the last time we went to a concert together – I think it was before COVID hit... maybe sometime in 2019? It’s not as if we don’t want to go, but the reality of making it happen is so difficult we often just decide not to go ahead.
We are parents of three kids, after all, so there are a number of things we need to contemplate when we even think about going to a concert together. There’s getting a babysitter organised, making sure dinner is ready for the kids, organising where to park the car, and searching online for the set list to try to work out when the evening will end. If it’s going to end late, then we need to assess how that will impact the next day. If the concert is midweek, what will our morning look like with school and work? If it’s on the weekend, there’s sport to contend with.
If the concert is midweek, what will our morning look like with school and work? If it’s on the weekend, there’s sport to contend with
All I’m saying is: it’s hard. To be honest, at this point in my life the last thing I want is to be out late at night, knowing the knock-on effect it will have the next day (which sometimes impacts the day after, too). So when I heard Oscar-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis talk about making afternoon concerts a thing, I was, like, Yesss! Why is this not the norm?
“I’m challenging musicians to do concerts during the day,” . “Why are there no matinees? For instance, I love Coldplay, I would love to go see Coldplay. I would love it, but the problem is I am not going to see Coldplay if they start their show at nine and there is an opening act. I want to hear Coldplay at 1pm.”
For the record, all members of Coldplay are fathers themselves, so perhaps they empathise with Curtis’ request.
The reason Curtis ended up talking about matinee concerts was because she had declined an invite to an Oscar nominees’ dinner.
“I’m going to tell you a secret right now,” Jamie at the Independent Spirit Awards. “There is an Academy Award nominees private dinner on Thursday night that starts at 7:30pm, and I have declined.”
And why did Curtis say no? “Because mommy goes to bed early.”
She went on to say: “’Cause 7:30 is gonna be nine before we get food, and you know what? There’s nothing good happening with me after nine o’clock. Nothing. Zero!”
I hear you, Jamie!
After 9pm the most I want to do is to be sitting on the couch with a drink that makes me feel warm, watching a show that I probably don’t have to think too hard about on TV, and after that I’ll go to bed at a reasonable hour so that when my kids come crashing in far too early the next morning I’m not a bleary-eyed zombie.
Afternoon concerts just seem to make logistical sense. It’ll make babysitting easier as I could drop my kids at a family member or friend’s place without being concerned about bedtime/bath times (for both my kids and those of my friends). It will also mean that we are home at a reasonable hour and not have to worry about how that will impact the next day.
To have the choice of a matinee performance for at least some musical acts will surely be a breath of fresh air
And as Curtis proves, it’s not just parents of young children who find evening concerts a pain. Many people prefer to end their evenings early for various reasons. It also allows for a broader range of audience members to attend, from those who are young to those who are past retirement age.
Of course, I’m not suggesting all concerts be in the afternoon, but to have the choice of a matinee performance for at least some musical acts will surely be a breath of fresh air.
Some may think I sound like a boring nanna (to be honest, I’m inclined to agree) – although if you’ve been on a night out with me, you’ll know I can have fun. But I also miss being able to see the acts I want to see, because at this stage of my life evenings are just too hard. I know I’m not the only one (hey, I have the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis on my side!).
Having said all this, I can’t wait for the concert we’re going to later this week. I only pray the kids have mercy and allow us to sleep in the next day.
Yeah, I know... zero chance!
is an author and freelance writer. Her debut novel, , is out now through Penguin Australia.
