Comedian Paul Scheer expected to find a lot of reluctant dads at Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour concerts in Inglewood, California. He imagined men begrudgingly tagging along, fulfilling their chaperoning duties for their daughters.
“I arrived expecting to find grumpy dads, muttering things like, ‘I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift,’” Mr. Scheer, 50, recounted. “But by the second interview, I realized I had completely misjudged the situation.”
Interviewing 50 fathers in the SoFi Stadium parking lot, Mr. Scheer, a Swift fan himself and a dad of two boys, uncovered a touching display of dedication. He later compiled these heartfelt moments into a short documentary titled “Swiftie Dads,” which he shared on YouTube that December.
Many of these fathers had traveled for hours with their kids, sometimes just to experience the concert from outside the venue. Others successfully navigated the intense online battle for tickets. A common sight was dads dressed in themed outfits, proudly sporting friendship bracelets – all driven by a shared desire to bond with their children, as Mr. Scheer observed.
While research indicates that mothers in heterosexual relationships continue to shoulder most of the unpaid childcare and household responsibilities, a new trend is emerging: Gen X and millennial fathers are engaging with their children’s lives more actively than ever before. This involvement extends to pop music, where many dads aren’t just enduring their kids’ musical choices but enthusiastically embracing them.
Echoing Mr. Scheer’s observations from the Eras Tour, Dave McCarthy, a 56-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, showcased his vibrant spirit. He donned his reliable Red Sox visor alongside a sparkling gold sequined bow tie and blazer to join his 21-year-old daughter, Kate, at a Taylor Swift concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
His outfit was a playful homage to Swift’s ‘Fearless’ album, a record he and Kate first bonded over when she was just four, singing “You Belong With Me” right in their living room.
During the concert, Mr. McCarthy was seen passionately singing along to many of Swift’s biggest hits, enthusiastically jumping and even shouting “I’m feeling 22” at the perfect moment. His daughter, Kate, explained that after years of listening to Swift’s music together, the lyrics “had no choice but to seep into his brain.”
“His sheer enthusiasm is incredibly uplifting,” she commented.
Mr. McCarthy also embraces his younger daughter’s love for country music, having happily joined her at concerts for artists like Zach Bryan, whom he described as “low-key fire,” and Morgan Wallen, who was “mid” in his estimation.
“You only get one opportunity to share these experiences with your child,” Mr. McCarthy reflected. “Since they were born, my life has revolved around their activities. I join them in everything, and I’ve cherished every single moment.”
His wife, Liz McCarthy, expressed her gratitude, saying she feels “very, very lucky to have Dave as the father he is.”
She recalled taking Kate to a One Direction concert years ago, where a father next to them spent the entire show reading a newspaper. “Now, I see Dave at these concerts, fully immersed and enjoying himself – sometimes, I think, even more than the girls do!”
Naturally, this isn’t the first generation where fathers have connected with their children through music. For decades, mothers, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and other caregivers have also played a crucial role in taking young enthusiasts to concerts.
However, pop music, particularly artists with massive teen and youth fan bases, has often been perceived as a more feminine space, making some heterosexual men feel like outsiders. For instance, Taylor Swift’s audience is estimated to be over 70 percent female, and a recent Billboard survey revealed that 80 percent of K-pop listeners in the U.S. are women.
Today, many fathers are moving beyond simply sharing their own musical preferences; they’re embracing a two-way exchange where their children’s tastes genuinely influence their own. By attending these concerts and listening to music that often explores themes of girlhood, some men are developing a deeper empathy and understanding of their daughters’ worlds.
Historian Augustine Sedgewick, author of ‘Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power,’ points out that fathers actively participating in leisure time with their children is a relatively modern phenomenon, largely emerging after World War II. He suggests that the rise of social media has further bridged generational gaps in music, making it simpler for parents and children to share and follow the same cultural trends.
“Enjoying singing and dancing should never be labeled as exclusively feminine or childish,” stated Dr. Sedgewick. “Perhaps fathers and children sharing music could be a powerful way to dismantle some of the—in my opinion, artificially imposed and incorrect—gendered stereotypes often associated with music, art, and broader culture.”
And it’s not only the ‘Swiftie dads’ who are wholeheartedly diving into their children’s pop culture passions.
At the 2025 U.S. Open, tennis star Novak Djokovic, 38, delighted fans by performing the “Soda Pop” dance from the animated musical film “KPop Demon Hunters” right on the court, a special tribute for his daughter Tara’s eighth birthday.
“She’ll be grading my performance tomorrow, since she taught me the moves herself,” Mr. Djokovic quipped at a news conference, adding, “We regularly practice various choreographies at home, and this one is a family favorite.”
Likewise, Ryan Senegal, 44, from Manteca, California, has enjoyed “KPop Demon Hunters” with his 9-year-old daughter, Sabine, countless times. The film’s soundtrack is a constant during their car journeys, and for Halloween, Mr. Senegal went all out with matching costumes. Sabine became the pop star Zoe, while Mr. Senegal transformed into the demon Mystery Saja (purple wig included) and even the large blue feline, Derpy, for another gathering.
Mr. Senegal shared that his own father struggled with addiction and was largely absent during his upbringing. “That experience profoundly influenced my approach to parenting,” he explained. “I genuinely don’t mind making a fool of myself. People might call it ‘cringe,’ but I don’t care. My daughter enjoys it, and that’s what matters.”
Anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, author of ‘Father Time,’ suggests that these shared experiences offer physiological advantages for both fathers and their children.
“The very act of caring fosters more caring, creating a reciprocal cycle,” Dr. Hrdy explained. “This level of intimacy impacts your endocrine system. Higher oxytocin levels mean you’re more inclined to bond, and it can even contribute to a longer lifespan.”
For his daughter’s 15th birthday, Christian Lopez, 51, from Carmel, Indiana, endured an all-day wait for Olivia Rodrigo to perform at last year’s Lollapalooza festival in Chicago. He attended with his wife, Leslie Lupton, and their daughters, Zadie, 15, and Darien, 12. When Rodrigo began singing “Pretty Isn’t Pretty,” her poignant ballad on body image and beauty insecurities, the audience was visibly moved to tears—Mr. Lopez included.
A widely shared video captured Mr. Lopez swaying gently to the music behind his daughters. As Rodrigo’s lyrics about skipping meals and using makeup to hide insecurities sank in, he glanced at his weeping daughters and the other girls in the audience, his expression shifting to a look of profound sorrow.
An embedded TikTok video shows Mr. Lopez dancing with his daughters at the Olivia Rodrigo concert, highlighting the emotional connection many parents share with their children’s favorite music.
“These girls are all incredible, and then that song starts, and suddenly they’re all crying about how they don’t even eat cake on their birthdays,” Mr. Lopez shared in a video interview. “It brought me to tears. I kept wondering, ‘Why? Why are they denying themselves that joy?’”
The family makes an effort to attend as many concerts as possible. Mr. Lopez noted that the Olivia Rodrigo concert, in particular, gave him a profound new insight into his children’s emotional lives.
“We are deeply involved in every aspect of their lives,” Mr. Lopez stated. “I’m there for their travels, sports, homework, you name it. Yet, my 12-year-old was crying out about not feeling pretty when she looked in the mirror, and it made me question, ‘Am I somehow failing them?’”
After the experience, he assured them, “When you have those kinds of feelings, you need to feel comfortable coming to us and telling us, if you choose to. Our door is always open.”
Audio production by Tally Abecassis.