Seeing My Favorite Band’s Best Album Live With My 15-yr-old
The stars aligned once again, as they have of late, and I was able to watch my favorite band’s best album performed live with my youngest.
It’s been an embarrassment of rock riches, really. Kade and I saw Foo Fighters at Boston Calling (they reviewed that one here), Smashing Pumpkins at the Garden (reviewed here), and Red Hot Chili Peppers at Fenway (here) over the last few years.
This time it was Seattle emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate, touring for the 30th anniversary of their groundbreaking 1994 album Diary. We actually caught the band together last summer and had a big rock moment. But this show was different.
My Favorite Band’s Best Album: Diary Transcends Generations
Sunny Day Real Estate dropped Diary on May 10, 1994: the same day Weezer debuted. I wouldn’t discover the album until ’95, but when I did, it became my soundtrack. It’s all I listened to the summer before I started college. It’s one of my all-time favorites.
When Kade turned 12, I started playing some of these faves for them. Diary stuck. Like me, they were drawn to the emotional dynamics, the powerful drumming, and puzzling out Jeremy Enigk’s enigmatic lyrics and vocals. Now it’s one of their all-time favorites, too.
These beloved albums of my youth I’ve always considered to be dear friends. They were there with me during my formative years, helping me discover myself, and soundtracking moments both good and bad. To have them now be dear friends of my kid puts me over the moon.
My Favorite Band’s Best Album: Diary Live Lived Up to Expectations
As soon as SDRE announced the Diary 30th Anniversary Tour, I cuffed tix for me and Kade. My brother Nate did not know this, so he also bought me tickets for my birthday. No matter: we three hit the show together, and ended up meeting more friends. A festive vibe.
My expectations were high. Again, this is my favorite band’s best album–a dear friend–being performed live. And seeing Sunny Day last summer and the previous fall, I knew they were still damn good live. What they did with Diary at Big Night Live, though, was next-level.
The band came on stage and “warmed up” with “8” from their sophomore album. They then played through Diary flawlessly, capturing the energy and emotion of the 30-year-old album, while making updates here and there that better suited the 2024 version of SDRE.
I sang, I screamed, I even cried a bit. All while my 15-year-old air-drummed alongside me. We hugged after the final notes of album closer “Sometimes,” capping off an all-timer of a rock show that now became a core memory. My favorite band’s best album with my kid. What a time.