Max's First Concert

Max went to his first concert today! It seemed appropriate that it was held at the Frank Erwin Center, which was also the location of the first concert experience I can remember. Of course, that was to see the band Chicago in the late 80's.

Max is all about the Elmo, Zoe, Abby, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Count, Grover, Oscar, Telly, and Rosita. So when I heard Sesame Street Live was performing in Austin, I knew we had to go. Actually I debated whether he was too young for a while, but ultimately decided to see how it went. I choose tickets for Friday morning, when he would not be napping and when we could get good seats. Only after I had clicked on "purchase", Alex pointed out that by sitting close to the front Max would most certainly try to rush the stage and get to touch his friends. How right he was...

We got there early and Max immediately reacted with excitement to a poster of his buddies. We stopped and identified them all - Max pointing and me saying their names. He can say two of their names, "Aaaaabby" and "Elmo". He just started to say "Elmo" today, and beginning this morning more like "Ellllbo". He had it perfected by the time we got to the Erwin Center.

We walked away from the show with a backpack full of souvenirs. First I bought an official program and a CD of the music from the show. A few minutes later we came across the merchandise kiosk and Max scored a Zoe doll and a t-shirt that he will probably be able to wear in 2 years. Just before we left, I picked up a Big Bird doll and a set of 8 Sesame Street figurines. The program is actually really cool and has some great pictures of the characters.

We found our way to our seats and got settled in. He first wanted to go through the program, and identify the characters on each page. This was fun and filled about 5 minutes. He got restless, so we went for a walk and rode a short escalator 4 or 5 times before it was time to return to our seats for the show.

Unfortunately I was too cautious and decided not to bring any recording devices, but it turns out that only audio and video recording were prohibited. I took several pictures on my cell phone, but admittedly it is not the best piece of photographic equipment. If I had been able to take pictures of Max, you would have been able to see his adorable face with the greatest expression of joy that has ever flashed across it!

First, Bert came out and Max glanced at him for a moment without really seeming to comprehend what he was seeing. Then Ernie joined Bert and Max started to really take notice. He seemed to lean forward in my lap and lock his eyes on the stage. A few moments later another character joined them, then another and another. Each addition was met with Max's body stiffening up and the pitch of his voice raising along with his hand, which was pointing at each dancing character. The big climax came with the entrance of ELMO!, which was met with screams and cheers from kids and parents all over the arena. Max was no exception and I *wish* I could have recorded the look on his face, as he looked back to me for a moment, as if to make sure I had witnessed the arrival of the great red one too. His eyes gleamed with excitement and pure joy.

The next 30 or so minutes vacillated between (a) Max being still in my lap, pointing to the stage and exclaiming with glee, and (b) Max doing everything in his power to squirm out of my arms and get to that stage! When he was still, he was in heaven. When he was trying to rush the stage, it was major frustration for both of us. At intermission we walked around the concessions area and I decided that it wasn't fair to either of us to stay. He didn't understand why I wouldn't let him go up and touch Elmo and his buddies, and I was not enjoying the struggle either. He had not been paying attention to the plot line, so he wouldn't feel cheated from not learning how it all resolved. We walked back to the car and he fell asleep about 3 miles from home.