We just took our kids to their first rock concert. This may seem akin to child abuse. I mean, really, a rock concert for children? I didn’t go to my first one until I was fourteen, it being a seminal rite of passage for the teenagers of my generation. Just for the record, I went to see the Stones in 1980. I know, I’m old… sort of.

But bear in mind, this wasn’t just any old rock concert. We went to see Dan Zanes and Friends, the hugely popular band out of New York City that has been bringing fun and creative music to the toddler set for almost ten years. He tours regularly, and if you ever get a chance, I recommend checking him out.

For those of you unfamiliar with him, Dan Zanes first made a name for himself in the eighties fronting the band the Del Fuegos. After their breakup, he did some solo work before moving to Brooklyn and becoming a father. While jamming with some of the other parents from the playground, he realized that he could make hip and cool music that the whole family could enjoy, and Dan Zanes and Friends was born.

The group itself is an eclectic mix of musicians, all of whom are proficient on multiple instruments (a requirement, it seems). While several of them have moved on to work on other projects, the current incarnation of the band retains the same multi-cultural spirit, an ideal that Zanes promotes during his live performances and in his music, which is a wonderful mix of nursery rhyme standards and whimsical originals.

Zanes himself cuts a pretty interesting figure up there on stage, with his loud suits and his even louder hair. As a cynical rocker who grew up on a steady diet of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, I had some issues, but after seeing him perform and listening to him speak, I’ve found that I can’t help but like this guy. Not only is he a talented musician and composer, but he’s humble, and he’s a father, which earns him points in my book.

The concert was taking place up in Burlington, the “big city,” and it took all of five seconds for us to decide to drive up to see him. In a throwback to my days of following the Dead, we packed up the car and road-tripped up to catch the show.

Now the first thing that struck me about the concert was the makeup of the audience. The children were young, many of whom were still wearing diapers. Audrey and Nicholas, at the ripe age of seven and four, respectively, were practically octogenarians.

Then of course, there were the parents. It didn’t take long to figure out that they were predominantly college-educated urbanites who were socially and environmentally conscious, which in a city like Burlington, is very much the norm.

And here they were, just like us, taking their kids to a rock concert. At some point it becomes clear that it’s not just about their kids musical tastes, and I think Dan Zanes has really found a niche for himself, albeit a rapidly growing one, producing music that even mom and dad would be proud to rock-out to.

As the lights dimmed right on schedule (you can’t be tardy when you’re catering to children) and the band filed onto the stage, everyone went wild. Most of them probably had no idea what was going on. How could they? And then, out came Dan Zanes, in all his glory.

The band immediately kicked into gear and proceeded to perform many of our favorite songs, which of course we all knew by heart. The music was not too loud, thankfully, and Ruth and I had to resist the urge to get up and dance for fear of obstructing the view of the children behind us.

Dan Zanes did his best to engage everyone, encouraging us to sing along, even if we didn’t know the words (whatever that means). He shared interesting anecdotes about many of the songs, and whenever possible, he encouraged people to be socially conscious and of course, to have fun, going so far as to force all of us uptight parents to get up and dance.

At the end of the show, the band employed their unique closing routine, winding things down by playing a waltz, of all things. They then filed offstage and continued performing and singing amongst the audience.

It was a special chance for everyone to get up close and personal with the band, and when the music was finally over, they continued to mingle with the parents and children. Needless to say, we were all were thrilled.

After the show, our ears thankfully not ringing, we had dinner and went back to the hotel, basking in the glow of our first Dan Zanes and Friends concert. We were exhausted after a long day on the road followed by the show, so we quickly drifted off to sleep, but before I finally dozed off, part of me wanted to check Dan Zane’s website to see where his tour was taking him.

And maybe to get some ideas as to where our next road trip might take us.