Fan Bands Provide Concerts for All Ages

When I first heard about The Shake Ups, I had no idea that “pony power pop” existed. I knew about fan bands from the Wizard Rock movement that came from Harry Potter, but didn’t know much about other fan bands. When given the opportunity to book The Shake Ups, a My Little Pony band, my staff and I jumped at it knowing they would be a hit with our patrons.

We’ve now hosted two concerts with The Shake Ups and I can’t say enough great things about them! Even if you’re not that knowledgeable about My Little Pony (which sadly, I have to say, I am not), you can still find lots to love about their shows. The music is infectious and upbeat and the atmosphere of the concert is so warm and friendly it’s hard not to leave without a smile on your face. It’s so much fun to watch the kids dance around and get excited when they realize there are other people who love Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash just as much as they do. At our most recent concert a few weeks ago, a patron stopped by and poked her head into the concert. She smiled and turned to me and said “Thank you. I had no idea this was even a thing and this is just  what I needed today.”

Hosting family concerts at my library is one of my favorite programs to offer. I love that it provides a great all ages outing and offers something for everyone. In our area, family concerts aren’t something you can find elsewhere-especially for free which gives us a good opportunity to provide something unique. Having a concert based around a certain theme is especially great for connecting various ages around something they have in common.

I also love having something fun at the library that connects something the kids are excited about with lots of library resources. We had so many My Little Pony books and DVDs available to check out at the concert and our patrons were thrilled to learn we had so much about their favorite ponies.

We’ve also hosted successful Wizard Rock concerts that have brought in audiences from tweens on up and seeing the multi-generational love for Harry Potter always makes me happy. It’s nice to see something that teens and parents can enjoy together.

This Fall we’re hoping to bring The Shake Ups back for a teen concert with their new Steven Universe music and I know the teens will love having another fandom based concert.

Have you discovered any fandom based bands? Have you hosted them at your library? I’d love to here about it!