The KPop Demon Hunters Oscar Performance Was Golden, But As A Parent, One Thing Bummed Me Out

As is the case for a lot of parents around the world, my six-year-old daughter is OBSESSED with KPop Demon Hunters. I’m talking birthday parties, Halloween costumes, toys, stickers (so many stickers), posters. You name it, and she either has it or is trying to get it. For the past couple of months, my daughter and I have been waiting to watch HUNTR/X perform “Golden” at the 98th Academy Awards. While that finally came during the ceremony, she was fast asleep before the opening verse.

I loved the performance (it was one of only two during the broadcast), but as a parent, not being able to take it in with my daughter after all the hype, all the sing-alongs, and all the memories, bummed me out. It wasn’t enough to ruin the experience entirely, but it stings. You know, this could have been avoided…

The ‘Golden’ Performance Was Way Too Late Into The Broadcast

By the time HUNTR/X got up on stage to perform “Golden,” it was already 9 p.m. here in Central Time, meaning it was three hours into the broadcast. My daughter held on for as long as she could in the early goings of the Oscars ceremony, but she was exhausted and ready for bed around the start of the second hour. Though she loves watching movies with me, she’s less than enthusiastic about hearing people talk about movies (for now, anyway). That said, there was no way I was going to force her to stay awake and be an actual demon before getting on the school bus the morning after.

I am not saying the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences needs to listen to a disgruntled father who’s bummed he missed out on what could have been a core memory, but I think they should have read the room. Kids are crazy about KPop Demon Hunters and kids go to sleep early (it would be 10 p.m. on the East Coast), so why not have the performance (and Best Song category) earlier in the night?

Sinners And KPop Demon Hunters Should Have Swapped Slots

There was one other performance during the broadcast (not counting Barbra Streisand’s resounding take on “The Way We Were” as part of a larger “In Memoriam” segment), and it was just as great. However, I think that “I Lied to You” from Sinners should have been later in the night, not within the first hour. With Ryan Coogler’s vampire being recognized in a record-setting 16 nominations (including top categories in the final stretch of the show), it would have made more sense to have the intricate, powerful, and star-studded performance later in the night.

Not only that, but it would have allowed parents around the country (at least those not living on West Coast time) to experience “Golden” with their young kids. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I got to show my kids this genre-bending and all-around awesome show, and it’s something I think we’ll be talking about for a while.

I am fully aware that I can go back and watch the replay with my Hulu subscription or a clip of the performance on YouTube, but this was something my daughter and I wanted to experience together as it happened.