<p>My nineteen year old daughter is joining college friends from across the country in Chicago in August for Lollapalooza. She will be making the trip via some combination of bus/train and will stay with a classmate who lives in the area.
My D is trustworthy and responsible and, although I’m sure she doesn’t tell me everything, she has told me a lot about her experiences with friends during her first year of college. They sound like a tight bunch who watch each others backs. She is hardly the most sophisticated among them (we live in a small midwestern town) but she has native good judgement.
I empathize with her happy anticipation of this event. However, I do have materrnal reservations. (I suppose I was motivated to start this thread after seeing the
“Just curious, what information do you expect when your daughter is going out?” thread.)
What am I looking for? Advice for me, for her? Reassurance?</p>
<p>Does she already attend college in another area? I agree that when people are less familiar with urban settings- they can get into trouble- but this is a good opportunity to improve her street smarts, I think.</p>
<p>Who is playing?</p>
<p>( Matt Cameron is going to have a busy summer- I think- he is not only the drummer for Soundgarden but with Pearl Jam who will be touring Europe & South America))</p>
<p>She just finished her first year at a college in an urban area. She has said that when her group of friends would go to clubs or concerts off campus, they would take public transport to wherever they were going (to save money) and jam into a cab (for safety’s sake) to return to campus.<br>
Lots of exciting groups that I’ve never heard of, according my daughter. :)</p>
<p>I’m jealous! I’d love to go. I’m the only mom who drags her kids to concerts.</p>
<p>Overall she’ll be fine – BUT the biggest thing at the all day concerts is finding an “escape” plan. Emphasis to her a buddy system – I know it sounds basic, but you can come & go from these events and it is best to know ahead of time if someone wants to leave to get something to eat, etc. that there is a plan of who will go with them. No matter who much I love music, I can’t stay at a festival the entire time.</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Chicago, but security at these well known festivals is usually VERY good. It will “appear” chaotic, but the under cover folks get violent outbursts under control quick. No matter what, it is a “business” and the backers protect the reputation & intergrity of the festival to continue selling tickets.</p>
<p>Also, it goes without saying – pound into her to ALWAYS be in charge of her own drink and do not accept any unopenned containers.</p>
<p>It will be fine, but as a Mom you may feel better if you locate local hotels that “in an emergency” she can get your charge card to stay. The best laid plans of college kids go awry when the place to crash it overflowing. A back-up plan is never a bad idea.</p>
<p>Just to ease your mind, maybe she could text you every 4-8 hours or so.</p>
<p>There have been very few negative incidents associated with Lollapalooza. I think the high price tag makes a difference. There have been shootings, etc., at some of the free lakefront festivals, but I would still consider them safe. The security is very good - Chicago police, many on horseback, plus private security staff. The booze is monitored - no bringing in your own stuff. My son has gone a couple of times with no problems.
Away from the festival, you will find more of the typical city problems and sometimes clueless or overserved people are targets. She needs to stay aware. As to the backup hotel, that is one of the most heavily booked weekends of the year - no cheap rooms within miles of Lolla. She should be sure that her friends have a spot for her and that she knows how to get there on public transportation. <a href=“http://www.transitchicago.com%5B/url%5D”>www.transitchicago.com</a></p>
<p>My son went for two or three years with some friends. Drove to Chicago from Connecticut and stayed at the condo of a friend of a friend. Had a great time. Came back exhausted but happy.</p>
<p>My post college daughter is thinking of going. The only slight kink is that I think this is probably about the time she should be moving. But all her favorite bands are playing!! She has friends that live in Chicago and is used to public transportation.</p>
<p>My kid just returned from Sasquatch, the NW version, and had a great time. She was exhausted but happy. I do think the security is well managed at these events and kids with good judgment tend to go with kids with good judgment and they do have each others’ backs. I actually feel quite proud of myself for agreeing that she could go and not requiring anything other than a text that they had arrived safely and some news about when she’d be back through the door. I feel like the expanded trust after a year of college is being rewarded with way more actual news about her thoughts and activities than I ever got when I was “on alert”…</p>
<p>I took D2 to Sasquatch for her 18th bd- we stayed at Wild Horse which is MUCH better than Gorge campground.</p>
<p>The Gorge is beautiful but the management of the venue sucks- however- they do run a tight ship. For instance- every single time- I wanted to go into the " beer garden" I not only had to show my wrist band but was " carded". @ 50 
They stick to their protocol.</p>
<p>Wild horse has a bus- that they use to shuttle people to the venue- My D didn’t want to stay for REM, who was the headliner one night- so she took the shuttle back to the campground. She normally was so anxious, that I was concerned about her finding the bus, but I couldn’t leave to help her- she was fine- although she did call me a few times to ask when I was coming back.</p>
<p>If I had known that seven months later she was going to be flying to India through Abu Dhabi by herself! :eek:</p>