It wasn’t all that long ago that I used to go out with friends to H Street to see shows at night. Now I am back on H with a new show-going friend. Like me, he is enthusiastic about live music and likes to jump up and down! So it’s all pretty much the same, except that now we go out late mornings, pre-nap.
On a recent Saturday, AJ, age 2.5, and I went to Pie Shop DC to check out a new-to-us band: Rocknoceros. Pie Shop DC, well known for Baltimore Bomb Pie, Samoa Cookie Pie, Steak-Mushroom-Onion-Gruyere Pie (yum), is also home to semi-regular Saturday morning kids concerts, featuring popular local kiddie acts.
I prepared AJ by talking it up: “We’re going to a rock show!” He was into it. “Rock show,” he said, with a mischievous glint in his eye. On our walk over, he picked up rocks from the sidewalk and put them into his jacket pockets.
On arrival, we were met by a young woman taking tickets. “Rock show!” AJ told her. Then he showed her the rocks from his pockets. She swooned.
We headed upstairs. The venue was new to me, having opened in fall 2018. It’s a fairly spacious, long and narrow room, with the stage at the back; a long bar and tables down the middle; and in the front, the exit to a sunny roof deck. The bar was not staffed, but thoughtfully, a cooler of water and cups were placed at the end. Also, you could get food and refreshments from downstairs and bring them up.
I want to make sure to also note that the bathrooms were very clean. I looked all around and everything looked quite kid-safe, especially for a space that usually holds adult concerts.
We took our positions as the Rocknoceros members got set up. Rocknoceros are three Gen X guys who have been friends since their childhoods in Fairfax, Virginia, and they have been playing together as Rocknoceros since 2005, when they had young kids. They have stage personas: Coach, Williebob and Boogie Bennie. They have said that their music is Beatles-inspired, and that fits. It’s not annoying kid music, but catchy pop with clever lyrics that adults can easily enjoy.
As the show got underway, I observed my little guy’s concert behavior. I noted his propensity to get up by the stage, front and center. Just like mama! My pride dissipated as I had to step in to stop him from getting rowdy and trying to climb onstage.
After the show, he wanted to go out on the roof deck to join other kids who were playing out there. A few families gathered, having retrieved orders from downstairs. They had pie, and some of them had (pre-nap!) beers. I was among compatriots!
This was a great way to spend a Saturday morning with AJ, and I highly recommend it. Here’s the lineup of upcoming kids’ shows:
- Saturday, April 13: Here Comes Trouble 4 Kids
- Saturday, April 20: Rocknoceros
- Saturday, April 27: Rocknoceros
Check out the schedule and link to tickets at the Pie Shop events calendar.
Cory and AJ: you both ROCK!!!