It’s Important to Teach Our Children What to Yell at Concerts

Content: Free Bird

Introduction: Not the greatest guitar solo (hello Jeff Buckley’s Hallelujah), not the best stadium rock song (hello Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer), not the most iconic southern rock song (hello Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Southern Rock), but the best combination of all three, Free Bird is number one with a bullet on the list of “Top Five Songs John is Most Likely to Yell Out at Any Live Concert Regardless of Venue, Genre or Audience.” I’m such a fan that Alicia questioned my “Johnhood” (her word, not mine) for not writing about it yet.

Dream’s Age at Introduction: 2

Reason for That Age: I want Dream to be old enough to really dig the rhythms, guitars and drums of the epic instrumental portion at the end. Babies bounce around to music at all ages (and Dream already responds very favorably to sea chanties, as evidence by his/her reaction to the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival we attended a few weeks ago), but I picture Dream fully walking, holding some sort of plastic guitar, and thrashing around with me to the guitar duet and drum work during the last 5-45 minutes of the song.

What I Want Dream to Get Out of It: I hope this begins a respectful relationship between Dream and southern rock, frequently the form of rock music with the most pathos and ethos. I suppose I also want Dream to gain further exposure to my “Johnhood,” but the poor kid is going to get that in spades already.

Be content,
John