Abbey Road

Now that I have a 13-year old daughter, I’ve been kicked back a few decades in time to when music was a prime focus of my life. It simply doesn’t seem to be any longer for some darned reason.

I saw The Beatles in Hyde Park live in another lifetime, but it looked like my daughter was probably going to be waiting quite awhile to see her hero - Hannah Montana, in reality Miley Cyrus, the 15-year old daughter of Billie Ray Cyrus.

The ticket scalpers had figured out a great way to beat the Ticketmaster computers for almost every concert so that none of the real folks could find seats for less than 300-400 bucks. That meant my daughter’s view of Hannah was going to remain on the poster in her room.

Then I realized she was serious about seeing the singer, one of the few she listens to that I actually like I must add. And low and behold, Billie Ray - a guy who seems to be pretty involved in his daughter’s career, thank God - and Miley take on the world and open up another concert in Chicago. My daughter finds tickets and says dad, what do you think of this for a birthday present?

                                                                                                                                                  Billy Ray Cyrus and daughter Miley, aka Hanna Montana

A hundred bucks seemed like a deal and Monday night three screaming girls and a mom headed for the concert. It was apparently packed. Standard concert fair with sisters Aly and AJ as openers and the kids went mad.

Listening to three screaming girls on the way back from the United Center and the show took me about 40 years. I’m glad there are still some musical role models for kids beyond the bad ones like Britney and Lindsey, two kids who - having grown up with troubled parents themselves - have now become their parents.

We can can affect how our kids grow up. Hang in there. And have some fun along the way. Maybe I’ll make the next Hanna concert with my daughter and her friends. John Lennon would have liked her I think.

Technorati tags: Hanna Montana, Billy Ray Cyrus, parenting, The Beatles, John Lennon, Miley Cyrus, Aly & AJ