Who Goes to a Rock Concert With Their Mother? Millennials!

Who Goes to a Rock Concert With Their Mother? Millennials!

When musicians over the age of 50 are the star performers, you expect to see many baby boomers cheering them on. Aging rock music stars usually have baby boomer fans. Younger rock stars are more likely to appeal to millennials, the generation born after 1980.

But that is not what happened at the Lockn' Music festival, which took place last month in rural Arrington, Virginia. Many Millennials joined Baby Boomers at the four-day event.

The Lockn’ Music festival itself seemed like a time capsule – with pieces of music from an earlier time. The performers were musicians like Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Carlos Santana, and members of the Grateful Dead.

Concert goer Robin³ Blomquist and other fans remember going to concerts like this back in the 1970s.

"I went to college in upstate New York and they played, you could go to a show every night and still make it to class the next day."

But this music also strikes a chord⁴ with a new generation of fans, like Jalen Michals Levy⁵.   

"My mother actually she raised me on rock 'n' roll."

Most Millennials were not even alive during the time when these musicians were famous. Young people come to events like this one, joining people who could be their parents or grandparents. Many wear tie-dye tops and denim⁶ -- popular clothing from the 1970s.

The worldwide web has countless⁷ videos of these musicians performing 40 or more years ago. Blogs and Facebook groups connect like-minded music communities. Older fans tell stories of the good old days. They hope to influence a new generation to experience concerts like these, and recapture the activist⁸ spirit of the '70s.  

Another Millennial¹ festival goer had this to say.

"The Baby Boom² generation was really big on acting⁹. Our generation, they think that sharing a post on Facebook or something is going to, I mean more people see it, it spreads awareness¹⁰ but it doesn't put any action. There's lots of potential in our generation, but no one's making moves to make it happen."

Pete Shapiro is one of the organizers of the Lockn’ Festival. He notes that Millennials, who are known for being tied to their smartphones, like to unplug just as much as Boomers do.

"In this day and age we all have these things (takes out smart phone). We spend a big part of our day like this. I think that people want an opportunity to put that away and be in the openness, be in the Blue Ridge¹¹ Mountain range."

And what do these young Millennials make of these aging hippies?

"We've met a lot of like the original (Grateful) Dead Heads. It's pretty cool to hear all their old stories, and you know, hear what they've done. Times haven't changed that much really."

"A lot of these people I think were like, you know, at least I'd like to think in the front lines of social issues back in the '60s and the '70s, but as you get older you get more jaded¹². I'm very passionate¹³ about social justice and social issues, and sometimes it's hard to see that passion in the older generation but you know I think it's still there."

With music to bring them together, the generations might find a way to work together to re-start the movement that changed society nearly half a century ago.

Words in This Story

Baby Boomer – n. a person born between the end of World War and the early 1960s.

Millennial – n. a person reaching young adulthood¹⁴ around the year 2000

time capsule – n. a container that is filled with things from the present time and that is meant to be opened in the future

strike a chord – v. create an emotional reaction

unplug – v. to disconnect from something

hippies – n. a person who rejects established social customs and who opposes violence and war

jaded – adj. tired or lacking drive, energy

1 millennial   

一千年的，千福年的

参考例句：

• Both Russia and America looked to the future to fulfill their millennial expectations. 俄国和美国都把实现他们黄金时代的希望寄托于未来。
• The millennial generation is celebrating the global commons every day, apparently unmindful of Hardin's warning. 千禧一代显然对哈丁的警告不以为然，每天都在颂扬全球“公地”。

2 boom   

n.隆隆声；vt.发隆隆声

参考例句：

• The country is having a great boom in industry.这个国家的工业正蓬勃发展。
• Boom!Boom!Boom!A series of explosions shook the valley.轰！轰！轰！一连串爆破声震撼山谷。

3 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

4 chord   

n.和弦，和音，弦，心弦

参考例句：

• Her speech struck a deep chord in my heart.她的话深深地拨动了我的心弦。
• This is a chord of a circle.这是个圆的弦。

5 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

6 denim   

n.斜纹棉布；斜纹棉布裤，牛仔裤

参考例句：

• She wore pale blue denim shorts and a white denim work shirt.她穿着一条淡蓝色的斜纹粗棉布短裤，一件白粗布工作服上衣。
• Dennis was dressed in denim jeans.丹尼斯穿了一条牛仔裤。

7 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

11 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

12 jaded   

adj.精疲力竭的；厌倦的；（因过饱或过多而）腻烦的；迟钝的

参考例句：

• I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend. 整个周末工作之后我感到疲惫不堪。
• Here is a dish that will revive jaded palates. 这道菜简直可以恢复迟钝的味觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

14 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。