This blog is brought to you by Jennie Smythe, CEO & Founder of Girlilla Marketing.

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This summer, we did what all good parents do: we took our two minor children to Las Vegas.

While I can certainly say I’ve never seen so much of The Strip in the daylight, I had the time of my life watching my kids experience AC/DC live at Allegiant Stadium. It was also my first time seeing a band I’ve loved for literally my whole life.

I can’t think of a big event in my life that didn’t feature AC/DC somewhere in the soundtrack. When my son was eight and chose “Back In Black” as his baseball walk-up song, I knew I was doing deep spiritual work. (As an aside, my daughter walks up to Tears For Fears and Billy Joel, so kudos to years of forced car-playlist listening.)

What struck me during the show—other than the fact that it was SO LOUD, and I LOVE THEM FOR THAT—is that AC/DC is simply who they are.

They haven’t changed themselves to react to trends. They haven’t tried to become relevant to a new generation. They’ve remained relentlessly, unapologetically themselves.

And somehow, that has made them relevant to every generation.

Judging by the number of shirts purchased and devil-horn headbands being worn by kids who weren’t alive for most of their catalog, they’ve become a trend without ever trying to chase one.

But there was something else about the night that stayed with me.

At a time when we hear so much negativity about the music business, it was awesome to experience the entire thing simply as a fan.

I bought tickets. Yes, they were expensive. They were also worth it. We had no problems getting into the building. Every employee we encountered made sure we knew where we were going. The people sitting around us talked to my family and shared their stories.

We happily stood in a VERY long merch line, and no one complained. Instead, everyone paid attention to the opener, The Pretty Reckless, who absolutely crushed.

And when we made our way to our seats and back several times—because, kids—we did it without eye rolls or complaints about walking in front of someone’s camera. Every “excuse me” was met with a smile and a “no problem.”

Community.

For one night, I wasn’t thinking about algorithms, ticketing debates, content strategies, social platforms, or everything the music business supposedly needs to fix.

I was a fan. My kids were fans. Thousands of people around us were fans.

And AC/DC reminded me of something I think applies far beyond music:

You don’t have to chase relevance to remain relevant.

They’re online in a meaningful way that works FOR them. They aren’t trying to fit in. They aren’t trying to sound, look, post, or behave like whatever is having a moment.

They know exactly who they are.

Cool is cool.

Be good…online and in real life,
Jennie