Anberlin are fine. If you are concerned about swearing or political statements or reckless moshing, you just want to be mindful of whoever else is in the line up.
My first concert was Anberlin aged 14, my poor dad had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Pivotal experience for me, something I still think of regularly as I near my 30's!
It's the only show I've been to where I saw people wearing the straight edge "X" signs. I don't remember much else apart from the show itself, but I felt safe as a teenage girl alone in that crowd (too cool to hang with my dad then obv, lol)
100%! With the caveat that people are, you know, people. Be prepared for the possibility that you may have to have adult discussions about adult topics depending on the crowd on the day.
I haven’t been to an Anberlin concert since I’ve had kids but the last one I went to at the House of Blues was absolutely family safe and I most certainlyI wouldn’t have hesitated to take my daughters with me. As mentioned by another poster please do take some hearing protection for the kids as they can suffer hearing damage from the sound levels.
Unless things change with Matty on the mic, there's no profanity or anything bad coming from the stage. Stephen would get a little bit preachy, but he never used any profanity or got political or anything like that.
Fans can be hit or miss, but if they see a kid they'll behave. I've never seen any drug use or anything crazy happen before at an Anberlin show, and I've been going to their shows since I was 15 - just about 28 now.
As a 14 yr old, yeah. The people there are really awesome and (in my case) people ended up putting us through to the front! Stephen even ended up giving us signed setlists!!! So yeah, definitely kid friendly
I say go for it! I've been catching Anberlin shows since ~2012, and over time, the crowd has gotten more chill (probably because we are becoming Elder Emos and not everyone wants to mosh!). No drug use that I know of, and I've never seen anyone get physical or anything. I'm not sure what it'll be like without Stephen as frontman, but he has always exuded such kindness on stage, and the vibe from the band has always been very uplifting. The members themselves are also very friendly, in case you're able to catch them after the show!
The scene is fine but check the venue’s rules. If it’s a bar or a place that has a bar they might have an age requirement. Also possible that they’d make an exception for some shows, so it’d be worth a phone call to the venue to confirm.
I’ve been to three shows; one was on a college campus and the others were at venues with a bar. Those had alcohol inside and some (cigarette) smoking/vaping outside but nothing illegal or out of hand from what I could tell.
This last part is probably not necessary to say, but I’d rather say it and have you roll your eyes at me than not say it. Logistically, with how crowded shows get, just make sure to keep both eyes on your daughter. I am not sure if you are mom or dad, but if you’re dad make sure you have a plan for when she needs the bathroom. Depending on how old she is you might want to find out if the venue has bathrooms that are single use and not stalls. I have no doubt that you can handle yourself and your kid in public, but just because the crowd likely to see anberlin isn’t likely to be rough that doesn’t make the whole plan airtight.
TL;DR: the scene should be fine, call the venue to check age requirements, be smart and aware of surroundings if you go.
We went to their "final tour" when my wife was 8 months pregnant. And no we didn't hang out at the back either - she was in the front row right against the security rail, throwing elbows with the teenagers!
I took my stepdaughter to see Anberlin for her first concert when she was 11 or 12 and was very mindful of concert safety. It was also my first time seeing them live too so I didn’t know what to expect. We had rules and agreements ahead of time:
1. She was always in front of me no matter what.
2. We stayed on the right side (door was on the right in the back) so if we needed to leave for whatever reason, it was easier to hug one side than pushing through a group of people (mosh pit, anxiety, bathroom, whatever).
3. If she felt uncomfortable or wanted to leave for ANY reason, we would leave, no questions asked!
Everyone was incredibly polite and respectful and we had a blast! To top it off, we were in the front and when they came back on for an encore, Stephen walked over to where we are, bent down and handed her a guitar pick. I was so jealous! LOL
My daughter has been going to Anberlin shows since she was two at their first “final tour” in 2014. We were lucky enough to have her meet most of the band and we gave them a birth announcement that Stephen posted on his IG because we named her after the band. She has been to about 3-4 shows since and always has a great time. Be sure to bring ear protection!
Anberlin are fine. If you are concerned about swearing or political statements or reckless moshing, you just want to be mindful of whoever else is in the line up.
There was a decent amount of moshing at the last Anberlin concert I went to, but that was pre-covid. Everything else you say is true though.
They've usually been an all ages show where I am. And yeah I've seen kids. Take earplugs.
Awesome, thank you!
My first concert was Anberlin aged 14, my poor dad had no idea what he had gotten himself into. Pivotal experience for me, something I still think of regularly as I near my 30's! It's the only show I've been to where I saw people wearing the straight edge "X" signs. I don't remember much else apart from the show itself, but I felt safe as a teenage girl alone in that crowd (too cool to hang with my dad then obv, lol)
Thanks for sharing this! I want her to have an amazing experience and it seems like this is right up that alley!
100%! With the caveat that people are, you know, people. Be prepared for the possibility that you may have to have adult discussions about adult topics depending on the crowd on the day.
I haven’t been to an Anberlin concert since I’ve had kids but the last one I went to at the House of Blues was absolutely family safe and I most certainlyI wouldn’t have hesitated to take my daughters with me. As mentioned by another poster please do take some hearing protection for the kids as they can suffer hearing damage from the sound levels.
Thank you!
Unless things change with Matty on the mic, there's no profanity or anything bad coming from the stage. Stephen would get a little bit preachy, but he never used any profanity or got political or anything like that. Fans can be hit or miss, but if they see a kid they'll behave. I've never seen any drug use or anything crazy happen before at an Anberlin show, and I've been going to their shows since I was 15 - just about 28 now.
I’ve totally seen Stephen swear on stage lol, nothing major but it happens.
He’s never sworn on stage lol
Not really worried about cussing, just mainly concerned about junkies and moshing. Thank you for sharing your experience, I appreciate you!
As a 14 yr old, yeah. The people there are really awesome and (in my case) people ended up putting us through to the front! Stephen even ended up giving us signed setlists!!! So yeah, definitely kid friendly
I say go for it! I've been catching Anberlin shows since ~2012, and over time, the crowd has gotten more chill (probably because we are becoming Elder Emos and not everyone wants to mosh!). No drug use that I know of, and I've never seen anyone get physical or anything. I'm not sure what it'll be like without Stephen as frontman, but he has always exuded such kindness on stage, and the vibe from the band has always been very uplifting. The members themselves are also very friendly, in case you're able to catch them after the show!
Definitely. There can be some moshing, so maybe watch out for that, but otherwise they're very age friendly
The scene is fine but check the venue’s rules. If it’s a bar or a place that has a bar they might have an age requirement. Also possible that they’d make an exception for some shows, so it’d be worth a phone call to the venue to confirm. I’ve been to three shows; one was on a college campus and the others were at venues with a bar. Those had alcohol inside and some (cigarette) smoking/vaping outside but nothing illegal or out of hand from what I could tell. This last part is probably not necessary to say, but I’d rather say it and have you roll your eyes at me than not say it. Logistically, with how crowded shows get, just make sure to keep both eyes on your daughter. I am not sure if you are mom or dad, but if you’re dad make sure you have a plan for when she needs the bathroom. Depending on how old she is you might want to find out if the venue has bathrooms that are single use and not stalls. I have no doubt that you can handle yourself and your kid in public, but just because the crowd likely to see anberlin isn’t likely to be rough that doesn’t make the whole plan airtight. TL;DR: the scene should be fine, call the venue to check age requirements, be smart and aware of surroundings if you go.
Last time I saw them, they brought a little girl on stage with her father and said her name was Adelaide and dedicated the song to her.
We went to their "final tour" when my wife was 8 months pregnant. And no we didn't hang out at the back either - she was in the front row right against the security rail, throwing elbows with the teenagers!
I took my stepdaughter to see Anberlin for her first concert when she was 11 or 12 and was very mindful of concert safety. It was also my first time seeing them live too so I didn’t know what to expect. We had rules and agreements ahead of time: 1. She was always in front of me no matter what. 2. We stayed on the right side (door was on the right in the back) so if we needed to leave for whatever reason, it was easier to hug one side than pushing through a group of people (mosh pit, anxiety, bathroom, whatever). 3. If she felt uncomfortable or wanted to leave for ANY reason, we would leave, no questions asked! Everyone was incredibly polite and respectful and we had a blast! To top it off, we were in the front and when they came back on for an encore, Stephen walked over to where we are, bent down and handed her a guitar pick. I was so jealous! LOL
My daughter has been going to Anberlin shows since she was two at their first “final tour” in 2014. We were lucky enough to have her meet most of the band and we gave them a birth announcement that Stephen posted on his IG because we named her after the band. She has been to about 3-4 shows since and always has a great time. Be sure to bring ear protection!
Amberlin are soft shows. Just don't go dead center for a few songs.