Because my punk rock inner child bristles at the notion of paying outlandish fees levied by ‘the man’ whilst buying concert tickets online, I sometimes get shut out of concerts if I wait too long to get myself to the venue box office to purchase them at face value. Then the darn things sell out. Oops. Case in point: my wife is still ticked off about a Decemberists concert we missed many moons ago, back before they were playing amphitheaters, all because I didn’t want to fork over an extra $9.75 or $12.25 or $14.50 or whatever per ticket to the well-known ticket broker monopoly. We’ll never get the chance to see that fine band in a small theater again but I contend that on principle I was correct. My wife, however, disagrees. Fortunately, I’ve got a live music car hack that solves this problem going forward.
I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of a clever bloke. Of course, I’m helped by the fact that the 2017 Kia Sportage sports a boss Harmon/Kardon speaker system that is capable of bringing our favorite bands to life wherever me and the family are. The result of my cleverness and the Sportage’s music tech is that I now use outrageous concert prices and obscene ticket broker fees to my advantage. Take that, evil ticket agency monopoly! Here’s my live music car hack inspired buy the gorgeous 2017 Kia Sportage!
Ever since my family saw The Avett Brothers and Lake Street Dive tear it up at Red Rocks outside of Denver last summer, we’ve felt that every other concert we’ve seen since then has lacked that special something. To be fair, it is impossible for any venue to compete with Red Rocks’ rugged ambiance and the cool, crisp Colorado air. It acts as a chillaxing counterbalance to the intense musicianship on stage. That’s why, these days, we sometimes skip the expensive concert experience altogether and instead, pack up some sandwiches, a few really great craft root beers (room temperature, natch) and reusable bottles of water, and hop into a sleek and comfortable 2017 Kia Sportage. We then head in the complete opposite direction of the venue when one of our favorite big bands are in town and make our own Red Rocks-esque venue somewhere beautiful nearby. We watch as the sky’s color palette shifts and swirls, and then is overtaken by a sea of stars. We eat, drink, laugh, crank up the band’s newest album and dance inside and out of the Sportage. There are no fees on these family concerts under the stars, just great memories and food crumbs in the seats.
The Pop Ups arena-rock-ready lead track on their debut album Inside Out brought my kids to The Arcade Fire, a band I saw through teary eyes win the Grammy Award for Album of the Year a few years back. To think that a true indie band, on one of my favorite labels, Merge Records, did the unthinkable and I was there to see it. Now, my girls and I dance like no one is watching to the incredible Canadian art-rockers as the music comes loud and proud from the insanely great 2017 Kia Sportage and the bombastic Harmon/Kardon speakers.
This summer, we won’t be rocking out to Frank Turner and Jason Isbell because their Philly concert is not only $45 per ticket but also comes with over $10 in fees. That’s insane when you multiple that by 4! It’s also the same night as one of my Kidchella family concerts at the Smith Memorial Playground, so instead we’ll spend the following Saturday in some cool, inviting open space, munching on snacks, drinking root beer, and screaming along with Turner’s “Photosynthesis” and slow dancing to Isbell’s “Flagship”.
Here’s a great sounding Spotify playlist I put together with songs from all the bands I mentioned in this 2017 Kia Sportage Car Hack story (plus a Phantom Planet tune in honor of where I first drove this fine automobile). Enjoy!
Not only is the 2017 Kia Sportage changing the way families can enjoy live music together but Kia itself is recognizing the changes in modern fatherhood. Check out this awesome Kia Dadding video starring your truly and a few of my friends!
Disclosure: I have partnered with Life of Dad and Kia for this promotion.
