Bringing kids up on stage...

**mikeehowe** · November 3rd, 2006, 10:26 PM

Is it just me or it getting kinda old that Mike always brings a kid up on stage? dont get me wrong im sure the kids that get to go up there are happier than shit. But i guess its more just the parents that dress their kids up almost in a costume and then go stand in the very front hoping that their kid will be "called upon". When Mike Ness first started doing it, it was cool because no one really expected it.

**Love_Pain** · November 3rd, 2006, 10:40 PM

Well, for one, Mike has expressed his distaste for online critiques, because a live show is really made for the audience at hand. Hence why he often repeats the same phrases and etc, throughout a tour. As well as the same set list in general. While we see and hear it several times because we get the recordings, or go to multiple shows, he probably thinks it's important that those that don't still get that message relayed to them. Just like he always tries to play a song for Dennis, he always tries to throw up respect to the originals, and to remind them that the kids and youth of today will be responsible for the world tomorrow... so we have to raise them right. So that's why while it does get old, I try to understand and overlook it because I know what he's trying to accomplish.

**CadillacTramp** · November 3rd, 2006, 11:25 PM

It doesn't happen every night anymore. When I saw them in Chicago this last time around, they went straight through the set, no kids, and hardly any talking.

**mikeehowe** · November 4th, 2006, 03:14 AM

I totally know what you mean, and its good that he pays respect to the "old timers" and brings up the "new generation". For me i guess it kind irks me the wrong way when you see these parents try so hard by dressing their kids up in and stuff. To me its seems like they're there more to get their kid onstage rather than see social d play.

**PainWillBeMyMotivation** · November 4th, 2006, 06:01 AM

I agree that sometimes it seems like exploitation and downright child abuse on the part of the parents. I remember about a year and a half ago a woman took her toddler who couldn't even speak and got on stage because it was the youngest kid there. It was disgusting.

**esn212** · November 4th, 2006, 09:29 AM

Its funny I've seen them half a dozen times and I've never seen a kid get brought up on stage or heard that speech.

And on the thing about the parents dressing their kids up there's a great bit by a standup comedian called Todd Barry where he talks about a dad dressing his boy up in a dead kennedys shirt because how else would everybody know how good his record collection is.

**nubus** · November 4th, 2006, 05:11 PM

Saw them last year three times. Hamburg,Berlin,San Diego.
Hamburg(1.show).He do try do to thr kids stuff doesn't work..He dont talking much.Next Berlin 4000 turns crazy.same set as in Hamburg.Mike don#t tell any stories.He just said that he can't believe that Social D.is so big here.He gives alot thanks to the amazing crowed.SD in SD! A band and a crowed.Bubbles and a fxxxx to the SD. Great! [img]biggrin.gif[/img] Mike is a human... [img]wink.gif[/img]

**sickreardongirl** · November 6th, 2006, 07:28 PM

I've thought about bringing my kids to a show that I would think would be safe enough for them, because they are growing up listening to Social D. My three year old thinks Mike Ness is my boyfriend, he doesn't understand why he can't just meet him. My nine year old knows the words to almost all Social D songs(with the exception of 99 to life [img]wink.gif[/img] So I would think it would be really cool if they actually got to meet the man. I wouldn't do it for my own satisfaction of showing off my kid, I would do it so when my boys grow up they can remember it. As for dressing them up, both my kids have had mohawks because they wanted them, I actually tried to talk my 9 year old out of it because I was worried he would get a hard time from his teachers at school. But lets face it if your mom is obsessed with punk music and Social D it's going to affect you, because especially when you're young your parents are who you look up to the most. So here's to my little punk rockers and the rest of the "new school".

Ethan