Lady Gaga is just two nights into her Australian tour and already parents have jumped on the flamboyant performer. They’re begging us to think of the children and calling for concerts to carry a classification similar to films and albums.
Personally I think the whole thing’s ludicrous. I’m not a parent, but if I was I wouldn’t take my child to see Lady Gaga. I have nothing against the performer or her brand of entertainment, but it’s one built on shock value. Her recent film clip for “Telephone” contains a healthy dose of violence and nudity, so I’d expect her live concert to feature similar elements. It’s just not something I’d expose a small child to, but I don’t condemn any parent who does.
While I don’t condemn any parent who opts to take their child to see Lady Gaga, I am critical of those who bring children to a show without being informed. I think it’s good parenting to be aware of the content of art your child is consuming and make a choice accordingly. If you want to expose them to entertainment that’s edgy, do it by all means. But don’t attend a performance blindly and then express your moral outrage.
I don’t see how we could possibly give concerts a ratings system. They’re live performances, and at their best completely unscripted. Consider an artist who lets a few f-bombs fly while bantering with their audience between songs. Should they play to a strictly adult crowd, or be forced to watch their language? What I love most about an evening of live music is its spontaneity. If we introduce ratings we lose that, which would be a very sad thing indeed.