DJ dad Lenny Pearce brought families together Sunday morning for a ‘Rave on the Rocks’ that transcended generations of music lovers

Bubbles floated through the air, subwoofers blasted the tunes of “The Wheels on the Bus,” and toddlers took over Red Rocks on Sunday morning.

Sippy cups and subwoofers aren’t usually paired up together, but the venue turned into a toddler rave party as families filed into the amphitheater for a one-of-a-kind music event.

Australian music producer Lenny Pearce began remixing classic children’s melodies like “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” and “The Wheels on the Bus” with synthetic beats, kick drums, and fast hi-hat patterns to create a genre he calls “toddler techno.”

Kelsie Jones was one of many families with young children who scored tickets to the sold-out toddler rave at Red Rocks. An avid fan of the EDM scene, Jones was looking for an age-appropriate outlet to share the world of EDM with her children, Brooks, age 5, and Carter, age 7.

“That’s what I like to do in my free time, what I would choose to do, you know, without kids, on a date night or something, would be go to a concert, go to Red Rocks,” said Jones. “And so yes, there was kids’ music, but it was my ideal event of something to do with kids.”

The event, Jones said, differed from other kid-centered activities because it embodied a quintessential Colorado experience. While the stairs at the venues presented some challenges for parents with babies and younger children, families like the Joneses embraced it like they would any other hike in Colorado.

“I spent probably about two weeks prepping my kids about that walk,” Jones laughed, “but I just try to tell them, you know, anything worth having is worth working for. And so it’ll be worth it when you get there.”

To parents like Jones, “Rave on the Rocks” was about more than just sharing a love of music and the unique concert atmosphere of the EDM scene at Red Rocks with their children; it was also a chance to share the experience of PLUR.

PLUR in the electronic dance music scene is an acronym for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect, a shared framework of behavioral expectations and values within the community.

“I actually was talking to them about one of my favorite things about that community is PLUR, Peace, Love Unity, and Respect,” said Jones. “That’s been the signature of what message the EDM world is trying to spread. I was telling them about that on the way up there, that this is what its all about.”

With most EDM shows taking place late at night and playing music at levels which is unsafe for childrens’ developing ears, there a few opportunities for parents to share the safe parts of the community with their children.

Kids at the Rave at the Rocks got to experience all the family-friendly aspects of EDM. Toddlers dressed up in their shades and neon shirts and bounced to the heavy bass beats of “The Wheels on the Bus,” immersed in a sea of bubbles.