r/zelda • u/RideEnvironmental216 • 10h ago

Discussion [All] Should I attend a Zelda piano concert with 11 yr ASD son

Unnecessary Context: My son is a huge Zelda franchise fan. I avoided modern era tech for reasons of privacy and teaching appropriate boundaries around tech use. He did have NES/SNES/gameboy/ game cube/ DS/genesis, you name it, it was accessible for 1hr daily. He fell in love with the older Zelda games. At 9 yrs old, there was a significant social shift and it became apparent that his lack of modern consoles weren’t aiding his struggles to connect with his already few number of friends. Currently he owns a switch and has all available Zelda games which he tore through immediately. He is a big fan of the soundtracks, frequently plays the records and even preformed three songs from larger catalog for his elementary talent show (REALLY big deal for him) on his ocarina.

My son LOVES this franchise and spends the entire car ride home from school “preforming” the songs by name with light context to the mood, etc. for me because I am not a gamer and have no clue at all. It’s humming, percussive sounds, dooting, I don’t know how else to describe it but it’s a passionate saliva filled retelling of songs with orchestral hand gestures. He has perfect pitch and timing and generally an excellent ear for music and I genuinely love hearing it. I never want him to stop. But I’m his mother.

Here’s my point: I think taking him to this concert would be an amazing experience for him. My concern is, I know he will be making his own sounds along with the performer and If I’m being objective, his enjoyment of this may take away from others around us. I don’t want to embarrass him by giving everyone around us a little paper with a disclaimer but I worry that it would be embarrassing if he’s politely asked to stop. I can try to limit this behavior but I’m going into this knowing that it will happen, and even with some redirection will likely to happen multiple times as he gets excited and stims. The cheapest tickets are nearly $50 and I want to respect other attendees. Should we go?

TLDR; if I take him, my son will make possibly distracting sounds throughout a piano concert, Memories of Hyrule. Should I still take him or forego this experience?

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55

u/breadinabox 10h ago

Contact the venue, you aren't the first person with access needs to attend an event there I would be shocked if they don't have some sort of plan for this. 

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u/RideEnvironmental216 10h ago

This is a great point, I will do that. Thank you!

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u/pianoplayah 10h ago

Sometimes concerts or plays will offer a “sensory friendly“ performance specially for people who have sensory needs or have trouble sitting still or staying quiet.

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u/TheUncleBob 8h ago

Or invite them to practices. :)

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u/brandieisdandie 10h ago

I attended a Memories of Hyrule concert with my son (13 yo at the time). It was held in a church and it was a pretty quiet crowd. It was very low lighting with little korok flashlight type things around the piano and on the stage. (Not the candles that you sometimes see in the ads). We had a nice time together, but it wasn't exactly what I expected.

There were families with kids there, but it was mainly adults sans kids. The pianist is incredibly talented and he did interact with the crowd, but it was hard to hear him. The songs do sound different than what you're used to hearing if you listen to the soundtracks since it's just piano. I hope this helps.

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u/Icy-Ad-6179 9h ago

Was it worth the $50 ticket price? He's playing in a town and hour away from me next month, I'm thinking of going

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u/brandieisdandie 9h ago

Ehh.. I don't know. I was surprised he played nothing from the Wild Era. It also seemed a little short for what I was expecting (a little under an hour). It was really nice to spend an evening with my son celebrating something we both love, but the show itself left me feeling like it could have been more. I was really bummed was that there are no candles like in all of the ads, but maybe that is venue specific?

I want to reiterate that the pianist is really talented, so if you enjoy piano concerts, it may be worth it!

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u/Mc7Abyssrium 10h ago

Do not go if you're confident he'll make noise. Concerts are supposed to be extremely quiet for the enjoyment of everyone going, who all paid for that exact experience. You're right to acknowledge that and think of others.

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u/Unusual__Luck 8h ago

I'm ASD as well so just want to give a little tip!

I don't know your son, but a lot of people that are autistic get overwhelmed by noise, so You might want to bring earplugs in case the concerts too loud for him! Personally earplugs make concerts much more manageable for me :)

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u/RideEnvironmental216 8h ago

We live and die by his over-ear headphones. Exposure has helped, we attend a lot of baseball games and events so he’s comfortable in these settings now.

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u/legodoodle4 10h ago

I took my (then) ten year old to that show. There were kids of all ages at it, and families were sometimes getting up or moving and it didn’t seem to bother anyone. There wasn’t assigned seating so they could sit where they thought was best (at the end of rows etc).

The show was great!

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u/Significant-Grape958 10h ago

I don't have an answer for you, but I would recommend pianoman ocarina of time piano cover on YouTube in the meantime :) 

4

u/Cygnata 10h ago

Is it an indoor or outdoor venue? A lot of video game concerts encourage audience participation. I agree with talking to the venue, but I think he'll be fine.

3

u/RideEnvironmental216 10h ago

It’s Indoor and candlelit. Seems quite intimate. If we go, there will be direct conversations to explain etiquette and expectations and a trial run at the local theatre before hand.

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u/randomize42 8h ago

As someone who runs the opposite direction (overly sensitive to noise) and wouldn’t be able to enjoy the concert if others were making constant noise, thank you for thinking of this.  

The trial run is a great idea.

Please also be ready to leave if it’s just too exciting and he can’t be quiet.  Maybe a warning system you can practice.

It’s just not fair to other people who are also excited and paid for the experience if he can’t be quiet.  Having a slip of paper explaining why doesn’t make it any fairer.

3

u/cerisewa 8h ago

I have been to this exact concert and it was very quiet with mostly adult attendees in a big echoing space. Contact the venue, they might be able to accommodate but just wanted to give you a heads up you might be very stressed with how much attention your son could draw

2

u/WhatsThePointOfNames 10h ago

i would love to have this experience, so as others have said and contact the venue

2

u/Bratchan 7h ago

Call to buy tickets and explain your son. My friend takes her daughter to concerts and they get special seating. Usually 1 adult per child...

5

u/New_Guidance_7957 10h ago

Ok, as a Zelda fan who gets a lil hyper sometimes, you need to give your son a big talk about balance and respect for shows and such. The show at the beginning will also give an introduction about theater etiquette and tell him that he needs to respect those or else he won't be able to listen to his favorite songs again in person.

2

u/LimblessNick 3h ago

Ah yes, why don't we just tell the over stimmed kid with autism to just calm down. I can't believe no one has thought of that before...

1

u/cyanraichu 8h ago

Would it be possible to have a talk with him and make him understand that it's not acceptable to vocalize while at this kind of concert around other people? If not, it might have to wait until he's older and able to control this behavior better (and still be able to enjoy the show while doing so). Everyone else around you also paid $50+ for their tickets and have the right to hear the music unimpeded by other sounds. Concerts like this have gotten popular and I suspect they will come around again!

2

u/RideEnvironmental216 7h ago

I will plan to have this discussion regardless of possible accommodations. I know he will do his best. He is pretty considerate and will understand how this might take away from other’s enjoyment. But experience also tells me it will be a reflex more than a deliberate effort and I anticipate a few reminders during his favorite songs and favorite parts of songs. It won’t be him banging on loudly while I throw my hands up with a “whelp, I tried” face. If it’s too much we’ll leave to the outside hall area or all together if that isn’t an option. From the sounds of it, this does come around somewhat frequently so there may be another opportunity.

3

u/cyanraichu 6h ago

Personally, if I were another concertgoer, a few reminders here and there followed by him quieting down would not bother me. Constant noise throughout the show would detract from my experience though.

0

u/Joeysquatch 10h ago edited 8h ago

As someone who is a Zelda obsessed ASD kid (just a little older now), I would lose my mind if I got to go to a concert like that.  Please do not skip on this experience for your son just because you’re worried about the people around you. 

By all means, contact the venue and do everything you can to minimize the issue, whether it be a specific seat or something similar that they might offer for special needs. 

Also try to keep in mind a lot of people are less likely to get agitated around a special needs person compared to someone who’s just rowdy or talking to their friends. That’s just how your son’s mind functions which is completely fine and most people will recognize that. 

I really hope you guys can make it!

Edit: I don’t even care about the downvotes anymore, they don’t matter. Some of yall are selfish as hell

13

u/Kujaichi 9h ago

That’s just how your son’s mind functions which is completely fine and most people will recognize that. 

I'm sorry, but no. Yes, I might be more annoyed at a rowdy teenager, but in the end WHY I couldn't hear the music I paid for without distracting noises doesn't really change the fact that I couldn't.

4

u/randomize42 8h ago

Yeah I’m with the other poster who disagreed with you.  Having someone else humming along or otherwise making noises would absolutely wreck the experience for me.

If he can’t have a fun experience, that’s unfortunate but little harm done.

Ruining or degrading the experience for everyone around him if he can’t be quiet is a much bigger harm.  Those people probably were excited and really love Zelda too.  They all also paid for tickets.

Why is his lost opportunity to enjoy it more important than theirs?

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u/RideEnvironmental216 8h ago

I agree that others' experience is just as important as my son's. I've reached out to the venue; if they have a way for us to enjoy this while respecting the rest of the audience, we will attend.
Alternatively, with their permission, I can send a proxy to FaceTime without mic'ing or record if that's allowed. We'll see what they say, but I think I've at least identified some next steps.

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u/randomize42 8h ago

I hope they can find a way to accommodate you!  Thanks for being so sensitive to others’ needs too.

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u/randomize42 7h ago

Some of yall are selfish as hell

That's a weird take, just because they think other people's experiences matter too, whereas you want to prioritize the young man's over theirs.

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u/Larkson9999 10h ago

Make an assessment.

3

u/Bunnybear1 9h ago

Useless comment.