A fond memory of my son at his first rock show: The Atomic Bitchwax & Orange Goblin 

When my son was born in 2008, I always had rock music playing in his presence (well, almost always). Every time he was in my truck, there was music playing. The music he was exposed to the most was stoner rock, without question. The bands I had playing in my truck when he was four or five years old were: Truckfighters, Sasquatch, Red Fang, Fu Manchu, Orange Goblin, The Atomic Bitchwax, Dozer, and Greenleaf. There were many more bands but that was the typical selection, at that time. We used go to my brother’s house every Sunday which was a two hour drive in the truck (one hour each way). He used to sing along to some of the songs, which gives you the idea of how much we listened to certain bands. It wasn’t uncommon for me to listen to the same album for weeks at a time, over and over again, especially new releases from my favorite bands. 

The first attempt on trying to get my son to his first rock show was in 2020, when Red Fang was scheduled to play in Boston. However, because of the lockdown from the pandemic, the band canceled the tour and the show was ultimately cancelled. The problem with most of the small club shows is that they are either eighteen plus or twenty one and over to enter. I wanted my son to experience a small club show, where you can literally feel the music and get the biggest impact from it. Nothing is better than small club shows in my mind, compared to big theaters or arenas. I wanted him to witness the feeling of being right up in front of the band while they were playing. Of course, I have earplugs handy but to actually feel the energy and volume of heavy rock music was what I wanted him to experience. Unfortunately, we had to wait a bit longer for the next opportunity.

Finally in May of 2022, the opportunity presented itself. My wife and I went to Desert Fest New York on Friday, May 13th, in which Orange Goblin was playing that year. As part of their tour to the U.S., the band had a handful of shows planned to coincide with Desert Fest. One such show was two days later in Reading, Pennsylvania with The Atomic Bitchwax. It was at a club called Reverb that just so happened to be an “all ages” show. It was the perfect first rock show to bring my son. I decided to go for it! It was going to be a crazy weekend filled with awesome music and a lot of traveling, but worth it. Orange Goblin was headlining the club and The Atomic Bitchwax were playing right before them. There was only one other band opening, so it was ideal. The show was on Sunday, May 15th at 7:00pm. My son and I hit the road at 10:00am Sunday morning and drove over six hours to Reading, Pennsylvania. I booked a hotel room down the street from the club and we checked in and grabbed a bite to eat before the show. I was probably more excited than he was but it was such a wonderful moment to share with my boy. 

In 2012, Orange Goblin released their comeback masterpiece album, A Eulogy For The Damned. I listened to that recording constantly when it came out. My son was around four years old then and I remember we would sing parts to certain songs together. It was a time that I will never forget. The one song in particular was “Save Me From Myself” but there were others too. My son would request certain songs to hear, because we would listen to it so much, no joke. “Dada, play We Die Yen”, which was the title track. The chorus sings “We’re trying, we’re torn- We’re dying from the day we’re born .” It was awesome!  Another big impact band, which came several years later was, The Atomic Bitchwax. In 2015, Gravitron was released and in 2017, Force Field came out. My son was between the ages of seven and probably ten when we were listening to those albums a lot. Some of his favorites from the Bitchwax were “It’s Alright”, “Coming In Hot” and “Ice Age Hey Baby” from Gravitron and definitely “Crazy” and “LIV A Little” from Force Field. 

So we arrived at Club Reverb early and made our way to the merch booth where both bands were selling T-shirts. We each got shirts from each band and stayed in the back area when the opening band played. The sound was not too loud at that point and I wanted him to get used to the vibe of the club. Once the opening band finished and started breaking their gear down, we proceeded to the very front of the stage. My son was a little reluctant at first but I reassured him that everything was cool. I made sure he put in the earplugs before The Atomic Bitchwax started playing. Once the band came on, it was pure energy! My son was a bit mesmerized watching the band totally rock out. I had to take some pictures of him watching them perform. He stayed connected and watched the entire set of both bands playing. He wasn’t on his phone once during the Bitchwax and Orange Goblin’s set. Being thirteen years old at the time, I thought that was a big deal. All the kids at that age are glued to their phones but in those two hours or so, he was focused on the show. We stayed in front for both bands.

After the show, I asked him what he thought. He told me that he enjoyed it and thought it was cool. I believed him. Kids at that age don’t really express themselves too much, but the fact that he didn’t reach for his phone the whole time, said a lot. I’m sure the show probably meant more to me than him, but I was happy he was there with me. I can’t say he’s a huge riff rock addict like I am. He has many other interests, but it’s something that I will never forget and will always cherish. I did my damnedest to raise him on heavy rock music but he is his own person and will like what he likes, without my influence. Again, I am so very grateful for this experience with him and will always remember it. Watching heavy rock music live, in a small club, is an experience that I absolutely love and will never tire from. The energy that I receive from it is better than any drug. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear what first time rock show experiences you have had.