As a father of three girls and older brother to two sisters, I’ve seen my share of teen bands. Back in the day, I drove my sister and her friend in my black five-speed Firebird to see New Kids on the Block at Brendan Byrne Arena in NJ. The music was awful, but it was fun driving the bus.


A few weeks ago I took my girls to see Rex Orange County (website) at the sold out Radio City Music Hall. Rex is skinny 21 year old Brit (real name Alexander O’Connor) that has a talent for writing catchy songs with upbeat melodies. Despite knowing only a few of songs, he was pleasantly entertaining.

Donned in dark suits and ties, Rex and his band made 6,000 screaming fans very happy with a fast moving  show (once it started) that featured his first album “Apricot Princess” and songs from his new release “Pony”.  Kudos to him for nailing it on the follow-up record with a host of original sounding songs that are uniquely him, but not a repeat of his first album. In case you’re wondering, I would say Rex is kinda like a cross between Ben Folds and Ed Sheeran.


Needless to say the cost of these type of tickets is crazy, but I’m a sucker when it comes to helping my kids explore their musical passions.