Unlike many of her peers, sophomore Taylor Dix doesn’t shy away from spending time with her mother in a public setting.

In fact, she actively encourages it, as the mother-daughter duo frequently attend concerts with one another as company.

Jamie Dix, Taylor’s mother, attended her first concert in college. Since then, she has attended over 100 concerts – often with her daughter.

“I started taking her at such an early age. I don’t think she ever said no,” Jamie said. “We just started her at an early age.”

Taylor herself has attended roughly 80 concerts. One of her first concert experiences was at a Mariah Carey concert as a four year old. Since then, Taylor has frequented the concerts of a variety of performing artists.

“I enjoy seeing the performers because it’s like a one in a lifetime experience,” Taylor said. “And it’s always fun just to hang out there and see them perform.”

In addition to their love of the concert atmosphere, Taylor and Jamie’s shared love of country music also allowed the duo to find common ground in regards to their tastes in other genres of music.

“We see artists that we both love and really enjoy,” Taylor said. “So when we’re there seeing them perform, it’s just really fun to see them.”

Their especially large soft spot for the stylings of country artists most often leaves them attending concerts that showcase that genre of music. According to Taylor, Luke Bryan has been one of her favorite country music artists for a very long time. As a result, she’s seen him in over ten different performances.

“He’s just a really good performer and I always enjoy seeing him,” Taylor said.

Jamie feels that concert-going helped strengthen the bond between her and her daughter a great deal.

Spending time with one another has lead Jamie to appreciate the time she has with her daughter while she is in high school.

“We both love music in general, and going out there and seeing our favorite songs, and watching the show,” Jamie said. “You just get to enjoy the moment.”

Despite how tired she now finds herself at the end of the day, Jamie believes that the experience is something she wouldn’t trade for the world.

“I had a lot more energy 10, 15 years ago,” Jamie said. “You just prepare [and] I know it’s going to be a long day and I’m going to be on my feet for five hours. It’s worth it by the time it ends.”
Taylor’s friend, sophomore Kyli Quile, has attended a concert with Taylor. While she enjoyed the experience immensely, Quile marveled over the effort and time management she sees Taylor and her mother show on a regular basis when planning their attendance.

“I think they’ve just made it a priority and a hobby,” Quile said, “They’re really invested in it.”

She thinks that the activity serves as an amazing bonding exercise for the two, through the uniqueness of the memories they are able to create together, as they spend time with one another.

“It’s making the memories,” Jamie said. “I mean, you can buy your kids anything in the world, but you can’t make memories with that.”

Taylor also says she enjoys the bond she creates with her mother while they are both in attendance at these concerts.

“I like going to concerts with my mom because it’s just a great bonding experience for us and it’s just really fun to be there and see them perform,” Taylor said. “[Since] she just started taking me at a really young age, it’s just been something we’ve done together.”

Their experience with other concert-goers has been largely positive, as they tend to meet kind, family-oriented people, who also enjoy the carefree mood of concerts.

“I meet very fun people; they’re always nice to talk to and easy to communicate with – they’re just so fun and friendly,” Taylor said. “Everyone is so nice and all the live music is just fun to see.”