MANHATTAN — The night belongs to the kids. Tiny girls, dressed in red, at their first concert. Tweens, in tutus and Seabrook High jerseys, a nod to the fictional school that Addison, Zed and the gang attended in the movies, singing along. Teens, in “I ❤️Malachi” T-shirts and sequinned shorts, shrieking from the depths of their souls.
Core memories were being made at the sold-out “Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide” tour at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 21 — under the glow of neon lights and beat of high-energy pop. It’s fueled by years of the dual Disney movie franchises and soundtracks on repeat, both seeping into young fans’ consciousness like an IV drip.
“I started getting ready at 6 a.m.,” Leah, 8, tells me excitedly before the show featuring Descendants stars Kylie Cantrall (Red), Dara Reneé (Uliana), Malia Baker (Chloe) and Joshua Colley (Hook) and Zombies cast members Malachi Barton (Victor), Freya Skye (Nova) and Mekonnen Knife (Vargas). “My favorite part was putting on the makeup.”
Leah’s mother, Jennifer, was on glam patrol, helping her daughter pull together the Red-inspired strapless jumpsuit and heart necklace that helped transform her into a Wonderland princess, complete with red extensions in her ponytails. The pair, from Yonkers, N.Y., wore matching glitter makeup, and mom was on point with her Queen of Hearts T-shirt.
A daughter and mom duo — Leah and Jennifer — at the “Descendants/Zombies: Worlds Collide” tour. (Suzy Byrne/Yahoo News)
While the drive to be there may come from the kids, it’s the parents footing the bill — and, boy, are they good sports.
Jennifer says she spent “close to $1,200” on tickets for their mom-daughter day-to-night out, which started with a preshow soundcheck and Q&A, part of a VIP package. They have zero regrets. The tickets were purchased in November 2024, when they first went on sale, so they’ve long been paid for, which softens the financial blow.
Zero regrets
I walked around MSG asking parents how much they spent on tickets — the total ranged from $100 to $600 per person. Despite the price tag, there wasn’t an iota of buyer’s remorse.
Tatiana, 9, had her Zombies dreams come true, getting to see her favorite character “Nova!!!” (Freya Skye) in the flesh. Her parents from New York’s Long Island spent “over $1,000” for three tickets — and dropped an extra $55 for her new tour sweatshirt.
Kylie, 14, was treated to the show by her mother, Myra, who laid out $800 for their two tickets.
“I hope it’s worth it,” Myra, who lives in Manhattan, says, before smiling and adding, “It will be.”
Clara, 8, and her mother, Megan, came from Rhode Island to see the daywalkers and the nightwalkers. Their two tickets were purchased through a school fundraiser for $550. But — ka-ching. In addition to travel costs (gas), they stayed at a hotel, and Clara’s brother and father went to a Yankee game while the ladies were at the concert, so it was still a $1,000-plus day.
For many, it was a gift — like Ariel from Manhattan, who turned 6 the day of the show.
Ariel’s mom shelled out $500, giving a hot tip while breaking it down: She paid $400 for one VIP ticket, which allowed Ariel to rub elbows with the cast, including taking a photo with them and giving them friendship bracelets. Her mom bought the cheapest seat she could find for herself for $100 — because an adult with any level ticket can accompany their child to the VIP portion. For the show, they only used the one VIP seat with Ariel sitting on her mother’s lap — or, more practically, standing up dancing. So mom saved $300, and her daughter still got the best perks.
Others we talked shared their totals: two tickets for $400, two for $500, two for $800, three for $700, three for $900, four for $1,200 as well as responses like “more than I paid for the Jonas Brothers last weekend,” “Oh, God — don’t ask” and simply “a lot!”
Parents I spoke to paid anywhere from $100 to $600 a ticket to attend the concert.
Dress code: costumes and “red, red, red, red, red”
The ticket prices didn’t include merchandise. I perused the booths and concert T-shirts cost between $40 and $45 (there were tour-specific ones and each performer had their own), sweatshirts $55 to $65 and sweatpants ($60). There were also posters ($10), lights ($20-$35) and an Addison pom-pom ($25).
I asked employees at a merch stand how much their biggest sale of the night was. The top answer was “$450 so far,” delivered by the cashier with an eye roll. Of course, many fans came outfitted. Several girls told me they bought their Malachi-themed shirts on Amazon, which my research later showed cost approximately $19, so it paid to plan. Though some had the shirt and the Malachi flags, another $19, bringing it up to $38.
Young concertgoers dressed up in their Descendants- and Zombies-themed best. (Suzy Byrne/Yahoo News)
There were so many Red and Nova costumes in different varieties. I saw a lot of “rebel”-themed Descendants shirts, like “Rebel at heart” ($17.49 on Walmart) and “I’m a rebel” ($9.80 at Old Navy).
Clara’s mom talked about starting to get their outfits ready a month before the show. Her daughter’s T-shirt had to be ordered, but everything else was a “hodgepodge” of things they already owned, including their coordinating shirts.
Sabrina, 6, and her mom, Sam, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., spent two hours getting ready together before the show. Daughter had a costume, hair bows, fishnets and fingerless gloves while mom was styling too — and flashing her own hint of red.
From check-in to curtain call
The investment from parents extended beyond finances — it also required time. The show started at 7 p.m. and ended around 9:50 p.m., with a 15-minute intermission. But for those who attended the VIP part, check-in began at 3:50 p.m., making for a six-hour event. The parents we spoke to were surprisingly positive about the length of the show.
From soundcheck to the main performance, parents and kids alike were buzzing throughout the show. (Suzy Byrne/Yahoo News)
When we asked Ariel’s mom for any tips she may have for getting through the long evening with a 6-year-old, she said nothing extra was necessary.
“It’s just about having fun together,” she says. “We’re singing. We’re enjoying.”
Madison, celebrating her 13th birthday, was there with her mom, who shared that she left her corporate job in 2024 to dedicate a year to spending extra time with her daughter as the girl entered her teens.
“Stuff like this, I would never do — and now here I am,” says the mother, who is NYC-based.
A set list of fan favorites — and kudos to the parents
During the show, the adults genuinely seemed to be having a good time alongside their kids. While I gulped coffee to stay awake, I was struck by the big energy of moms singing along, hitting beach balls, snapping photos of their kids and catching confetti.
Ariel, Sabrina and Clara dressed to impress for the concert, attending alongside their moms. (Suzy Byrne/Yahoo News)
Dads were fewer, but the enthusiasm was still there. When the performers told people to get out of their seats, they were right there.
Cantrall and company cycled through the hits from both franchises — from “Someday” to “Red” — and each performer had a moment to shine with a solo.
The performers — ages 15 to 23 — were like Energizer Bunnies. While there was some lip-syncing, the show was a nonstop dance party. One minute they were on the front stage, the next on the back. They walked through the crowd, high-fiving fans and then popped up on the backstage cam — always in motion.
What else stood out: None of the performers are original cast members. Still, the audience was all in. Fans screamed when they paid tribute to the original actors — like Dove Cameron and Sofia Carson — with onscreen montages. But the franchises are rolling right on without them.
True to Disney form, there were a lot of affirmations between songs. The cast told the crowd: “Love yourself!” “Anything is possible!” “You are amazing inside and out!” It felt very Disney meets Mel Robbins.
And as the night wound down, the cast recognized the real heroes.
“Hug your parents,” they said — knowing exactly who made the night possible.