Talking ’bout my old generation

Generation X — you (and I) are old and getting older. Monica Eng’s story in the Chicago Tribune explains: For many of us who attended Lollapaloozas more than a decade ago, the prospect of returning to this hipster music festival can make us feel a little creaky. I mean, can we really feel comfortable coming ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

Generation X -- you (and I) are old and getting older. Monica Eng's story in the Chicago Tribune explains:

Generation X — you (and I) are old and getting older. Monica Eng’s story in the Chicago Tribune explains:

For many of us who attended Lollapaloozas more than a decade ago, the prospect of returning to this hipster music festival can make us feel a little creaky. I mean, can we really feel comfortable coming back as people whose lives of late-night carousing and multiple piercings have been replaced by late-night feedings and multiple strollers? According to Lollapalooza founder and dad Perry Farrell, the answer is a resounding “Yes!” That’s because this year’s Lollapalooza features a special family area called Kidzapalooza, where all children under 10 get in free with a ticketholding adult. “Since I started Lollapalooza I’ve had three children and I’ve become very aware of the fact that there aren’t many family-oriented activities geared towards parents like me . . . Lollapalooza Parents,” says Farrell. “Kidzapalooza gives us something we can share with our whole family–a festival with family-oriented entertainment and activities that can educate and enliven the spirits of our kids, while also giving us a place to hear great music for our own ears.” It’s also a way to expand the reach of the festival and test new waters for this event that is in the process of reconceptualization. But it is also a boon to rock-loving parents who thought that their minivans, Diaper Genie skills and multiple offspring had exiled them from Coolville forever.

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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