It has been months in the making, but I finally did it.
I went to see Yungblud.
And yes, I realize that sentence might sound a little strange coming from a 63-year-old guy who grew up on Fleetwood Mac, Boston, Kansas, KISS, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Thin Lizzy, and all the great rock music of the 1970s. But that’s exactly why this whole thing caught me off guard.
Until late 2025, I had no idea who Yungblud was.
None.
I had never heard the name. I had never seen him perform. I had no idea what the Yungblud world was all about.
Then one night I was watching the Video Music Awards while working on the computer, which is something I do a lot. I usually have something on the TV in the background just for noise. They were getting ready to do a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, and I happened to look up.
There was this guy in the audience with a microphone. Jet black hair. Rock star attitude. A look that made me think he should be in one of those vampire movie series where everyone is young, pale, and dramatic.
My first thought was, “Who is this dude?”
Then he walked toward the camera, started singing, climbed onstage, and within about 30 seconds I was hooked.
This guy had it.
He had that old-school, 1970s rock star energy. The swagger. The attitude. The stage presence. And on top of that, he could actually sing.
That was my introduction to Yungblud.
Discovering a New Kind of Old-School Rock Star
After that performance, I started looking him up. I watched more videos, including his performance of “Changes” during an earlier Ozzy tribute. That one had a different feel. He was dressed in black, more serious, and really connected with the crowd.
By then, I was paying attention.
I wouldn’t say I was ever a huge Ozzy or Black Sabbath fan, but I respected the music. What caught me was the way Yungblud performed those songs. He made them feel alive in a way that hit me differently.
Of course, once you search for someone a couple of times, social media decides that’s your new life. Suddenly I was seeing Yungblud videos everywhere — TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, live concert clips, fan videos, stage dives, crowd surfing, screaming audiences, and people singing every word.
Then something interesting happened.
A Facebook post popped up from a guy I remembered as a popular weather personality in Oklahoma City. Around here, weather guys are almost rock stars themselves. He had gone to a Yungblud concert and posted about how it was one of the best concerts he had ever attended.
And he was about my age.
That got my attention.
I messaged him, mentioned that I remembered him from his weather days, and we talked a little about the concert. He said it was high-energy, incredible, and by far one of the coolest shows he had ever seen.
That’s when I started thinking, “Maybe I need to go see this guy.”
What Yungblud Reminds Me Of
If you’ve never seen Yungblud, here’s my best description.
Take some 1968 Elvis in the black leather — the jet black hair, the swagger, the attitude.
Mix in some Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler, especially the dancing, the stage movement, and the way they command an audience.
Add a little Steve Walsh from Kansas back in the 70s, running around the stage in shorts with no shirt on, jumping in the air, pounding on the piano, bringing that wild rock-and-roll energy.
Then throw in the crowd connection and emotional concert vibe of a Garth Brooks show.
Mix all of that together, and that’s what I saw in Yungblud.
He doesn’t feel like someone pretending to be a rock star. He feels like someone who wandered out of another era, got dropped into the 2020s, and brought a lot of that old concert magic with him.
I’ve liked newer artists before. Teddy Swims impressed me. Greta Van Fleet had a great vibe. But neither one made me think, “I need to buy tickets and go see this person live.”
Yungblud did.
Getting the Tickets
Once I found out he was coming back to the United States to promote his Idols album, I started checking dates.
The two closest shows were Irving, Texas and Austin. Irving made the most sense because my buddy Stayton lives in Grapevine, which is basically right there.
The concert was scheduled for May 28. I signed up for the Yungblud fan email list so I could get early access to tickets before they went on sale to the general public.
When ticket day arrived, I had my computer and phone ready. It was one of those ticket-buying situations where you’re watching the queue, seeing how many people are ahead of you, and knowing you’re going to have to move fast.
The tickets reportedly sold out in about a minute, and I believe it. They went fast.
I grabbed two tickets inside the venue. Then the next day, I decided to try for two more. I figured if no one else wanted to go, I could always sell them. But if I was going to make a weekend out of it, it might be fun to have a group.
I ended up finding two more tickets in the same section and on the same row as the first two — just ten seats apart.
So now I had four tickets.
I asked Denise if she wanted to go. She said yes.
Then I called Stayton and asked if he and Michelle wanted to go. They didn’t really know who Yungblud was, so I gave them the warning: he cusses a lot, says the F-word a lot, and likes to call the audience a certain colorful name.
They were fine with it.
So the four of us were going to Yungblud.
Why This Mattered to Me
Part of the reason I wanted to go is because I keep talking on the podcast about staying young, staying active, doing things, and not letting life shrink down as you get older.
I’m 63 years old. I don’t want to sit around acting like all my best adventures are behind me.
And here was this artist who seemed to have fans from age 8 to 80. Young fans, older fans, parents, grandparents, rock fans, punk fans, alternative fans — all mixed together.
For older fans like me, I think part of the appeal is that we recognize something in him. We feel that old rock concert energy. The kind we grew up around. The kind that made music feel larger than life.
I didn’t just want to hear the songs. I wanted to be in that crowd. I wanted to feel that energy. I wanted to see what it was like when everyone had their arms in the air and were singing every word.
I wanted to know if that feeling still existed.
The Trip to Grapevine
Denise took off work that Thursday, and we drove down to Grapevine. We got changed, got ready, and headed to the concert area.
The venue was in a nice area with restaurants, shops, and open space around it. We ate at Bar Louie, had a couple of drinks, grabbed some food, and then walked over to the venue.
By the time we got through the line, metal detectors, and everything else, we had about 10 or 15 minutes before the first act started.
Our seats were split — two on one end of the row and two farther down. Luckily, Stayton asked the people next to our other seats if they would switch. They were happy to move closer to the aisle, so we ended up with four seats together.
That was a win.
The Opening Acts
The first performer was Emily Wolfe from Austin.
She came out with a double-neck electric guitar and played a great rock set. She was a fantastic guitarist, had strong songs, and was a great surprise. Her set started around 7:15, even though the original start time I had seen was 8:00.
After about 30 minutes from Emily Wolfe, they changed the stage over for The Warning.
The Warning is a three-sister rock band from Mexico, and they were fantastic. High energy, strong songs, and a great live sound. One of their songs, “Kerosene,” has a video with a cool early 70s Camaro in it, which of course caught my attention.
They played for about 45 minutes, and by the time they were done, the crowd was ready.
Then came another stage change.
The lights went down. Rock songs were playing over the speakers. I noticed some Van Halen. Then they cranked up an Ozzy song, and everyone knew what was about to happen.
Yungblud was coming.
When Yungblud Hit the Stage
One thing I had learned from watching videos is that Yungblud often does something before he comes onstage. Sometimes there’s a camera following him backstage. Sometimes he’s with someone famous. Sometimes there’s some kind of pre-show moment shown on the big screen.
In Dallas, he rode up to the venue on a horse.
Yes. A horse.
We watched him on the big screen get off the horse and walk into the venue. His band got onstage, and then suddenly he came running from behind the stage, past the drums, and exploded out in front of the crowd.
And it was on.
The place went crazy.
Within the first minute or so, confetti blasted everywhere, covering the standing-room crowd near the stage. From there, it was just song after song, high energy, crowd interaction, banter, shouting, singing, and that wild rock-and-roll feeling I had been hoping for.
Everyone stood up. And I mean everyone.
I stood for the entire show. Most of the crowd did too.
There was a large standing area in front of the stage, then lower seating, then upper seating where we were, and behind us a lawn area outside the big open doors of the venue. The concert was sold out, and you could feel it.
The Best Moments
One of the big highlights was “Fleabag.”
That’s the song where Yungblud usually brings someone from the audience onstage to play guitar. For the Dallas show, he brought up a young kid, probably around 13 or 14.
The kid started the song and played guitar through the whole thing. Yungblud put him on his shoulders and held him up, which was a really cool moment.
Then Yungblud went out into the audience, where the crowd held him up while he sang. He was basically standing on people’s hands and shoulders.
That’s the kind of stuff you don’t see at every concert.
He was throwing water, running around, firing up the crowd, and giving everything he had. It was nonstop.
There was one point, maybe three-quarters of the way through, where I think he felt the crowd getting tired. He pushed them hard, basically challenging Dallas to keep up. And to be fair, he was wearing people out. The show had a lot of energy, and he expected the audience to give that energy right back.
They did.
The encore ended with “Zombie,” and the crowd went nuts. More confetti came down, and everyone sang along.
How Good Was It?
His performance was a 10 out of 10.
No question.
The crowd, the songs, the energy, the whole concert vibe — also 10 out of 10.
But the overall experience for me was probably a 9.5 out of 10.
The only thing missing had nothing to do with Yungblud. It was probably just me being 63 instead of 23 or 33. I loved going with Denise, Stayton, and Michelle, but it was naturally a little more laid-back than if it had just been me, Stayton, and Todd down on the floor acting like idiots.
If I ever go again, I’d want to be closer to the stage. Maybe even down in the standing area.
Because that’s where the real action is.
This is not really a sit-down-and-politely-watch kind of concert. If you want that, go see James Taylor. And I say that with respect because I like James Taylor. But Yungblud is a stand-up, sing, shout, jump, throw-your-hands-in-the-air kind of concert.
That’s what I wanted.
And that’s what I got.
Where It Ranks
The best concert I’ve ever seen is still Garth Brooks in Tulsa in 2015.
That one is hard to beat.
I had interviewed Garth right before that concert, which made the whole thing more special. It was his first show after a long retirement, and the crowd was insane. The show went almost three hours. He just wouldn’t stop. Every time he tried to end it, the crowd went crazy again.
I don’t even own Garth Brooks albums or listen to country music much, but living in Oklahoma, you know the songs. And that concert was unbelievable.
Yungblud is number two.
As far as rock concerts go, Yungblud might be the best rock show I’ve ever seen.
I’ve seen Styx, REO Speedwagon, Kansas, ZZ Top, The Beach Boys, Foreigner, Cheap Trick, and others in recent years. Most of those were great shows. But they are different now. A lot of those bands only have one or two original members. Some of the performers sit during parts of the show. Some shows are the kind where you sit for a few songs, stand for a hit, sit back down, and enjoy the nostalgia.
Yungblud was not that.
Yungblud was alive.
What Kind of Music Is It?
People put him in different categories. Some call him rock. Some say punk. Some say metal.
To me, he is alternative rock.
He has rock in him. He has punk in him. He has a little metal in him. Some songs almost lean pop. But overall, I’d put him at the top of the alternative rock world right now.
And I think his popularity is only going to grow.
If you get a chance to see him, I highly recommend it. Just know what you’re walking into. If you’re offended by vulgarity or the F-word, this probably isn’t your scene.
But if you like real rock-and-roll energy, crowd involvement, and the feeling that something unpredictable might happen at any moment, go see him.
And listen to the Idols album before you go. That way you’ll know the songs everyone around you is singing.
The Rest of the Weekend
The concert was Thursday night, but the whole weekend turned into a great adventure.
On Friday, we hung out in Grapevine, did some shopping, ate out, and just enjoyed the day. That’s part of what I keep talking about — staying active, getting out, doing things, saying yes to small adventures.
Saturday, we headed to Granbury because Stayton’s boat was ready. It was hot — around 96 degrees — and felt like a full-blown July summer day.
We took the boat out on the lake, which was fantastic. I love being on the water. We ate at Stumpy’s on Lake Granbury, one of our favorite places, then went back to their house and sat on the dock watching the sunset.
That night we watched Remarkably Bright Creatures with Sally Field. I had already seen it, but they hadn’t. It’s a fantastic movie and worth checking out.
Reconnecting With an Old Friend
The weekend wrapped up with something really special.
I had been in touch with an old friend from junior high named Mike Stearman. He had moved to Enid in the 70s, and we hung out with him in junior high and early high school. Then his family moved to Tulsa, and over time we lost touch.
I found him again years later and invited him to our wedding in 1998, which was really cool. Then we lost touch again. Later, I found him on LinkedIn and started messaging him every year on his birthday because, for some reason, I always remembered it was December 10. Mine is December 20, so maybe that’s why it stuck.
When I knew I was heading to Dallas for the Yungblud concert, I messaged him and said we needed to meet up.
So on Sunday morning, Stayton and I met him at 9:00.
We talked for three hours.
No wives, no distractions, just three guys remembering all the dumb, funny, crazy stuff we did as kids in the 70s. We easily could have talked for another three hours, but we needed to meet the wives for lunch and get back on the road to Enid.
That was one of the best parts of the whole weekend.
The Big Takeaway
So that was my Yungblud weekend.
A road trip to Grapevine. A sold-out rock concert. A weekend with good friends. A boat ride on Lake Granbury. Dinner at Stumpy’s. A sunset on the dock. A movie night. And a three-hour reunion with an old buddy from the 70s.
That’s a pretty great weekend.
And honestly, that’s the point.
Don’t sit at home and let life get small.
Go to the concert.
Take the road trip.
Meet the old friend.
Get on the boat.
Walk around the town.
Try the new thing.
You don’t have to act 23. But you also don’t have to act old just because the calendar says you’re older.
At 63, I went to a Yungblud concert and stood the whole time.
And I’d probably do it again.
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