Reddit User Got Rock Fan Boyfriend Imagine Dragons Tickets + It Didn’t Go Well

Birthday gifts can always be a little tricky when it comes to relationships. Case in point – a 25-year-old Reddit user has shared her story of buying her boyfriend Imagine Dragons tickets only to have the joy of doing so quickly dashed and leaving her questioning if it was an "a-hole" move to do so.

Posted in the Reddit thread AITA (Am I the Asshole?), the writer reveals that she is a 25-year-old female that is three years into her relationship with her music loving boyfriend and decided to get him concert tickets for his birthday.

"Him and I are not into the same music so we don't go to many shows together, but when we have gone together it has been very fun," she writes. "My boyfriend loves bands. I don't really know how else to put it it. He listens to a lot of rock music by these bands I've never heard of. Imagine Dragons are coming to our city this summer. I know who they are and I know they're a band, so I figured this would be an awesome present for my boyfriend. I got us the tickets and was very excited. My excitement was short lived, it turned into sadness very soon."

Setting the stage, she continues, "I bought him some other smaller things, but put the ticket confirmation in an envelope with the card I made for him. He opens the envelope and I'm met with a 'Uhhhhhh … what?'"

She explained that she wanted to get more into the music that he likes, but he replied, "This is not the music I live. Just because a band has instruments doesn't mean it's what I like."

After the boyfriend explained that she should try to get her money back or resell the tickets, she felt his response was hurtful and it led to tears. She then offered, "He is now upset saying that it's basically like I got him nothing for his birthday since I won't resell the tickets to get different tickets and that I won't suck it up and go with him after he made it very clear how he feels."

Though she initially admitted that he "likes bands" and prefers "rock music," odds are pretty good that his reaction leads you to suspect he was looking for something a little heavier. Though Imagine Dragons tend to get lumped in with rock at award shows and on the Billboard charts, the band leans on the poppier side of the spectrum and there are many different subgenres of rock and metal, as we've detailed in the gallery below. That said, Imagine Dragons are far from shoegazers onstage and do put some thought and entertainment value into their live shows.

After spelling out the story in the Reddit thread, one of the first commenters stated, "It’s the equivalent of taking someone to a restaurant and forcing them to eat food they don’t like, and calling it a gift. Then you’re surprised and get mad when they don’t like it? You could’ve just looked at some of his playlists to see what artists he likes before actually booking the tickets."

She then responded, "This comment here is making me thing that I may have overreacted and not be as much of the victim as I thought."

Another commenter offered, "OP’s gift is at that same level as 'Aunt/grandma who doesn’t really know me' level of gift. Like my grandma once got my brother, who plays piano, some weird CD collection of some random piano playing singer. Cuz 'they both play piano.' My brother was already moved out but he stached it in one of my parents’ drawers in the living room that wasn’t ever used so it remained there for years."

Yet another added, "It is the thought that counts but there was no thought here. Made worse by the fact that it's an event not an item so you can't just put it in a cupboard somewhere, you're going to be expected to actually use the tickets if you accept the gift."

After reading through the comments on the thread, she wrote, "I spoke to my boyfriend and apologized. After reading these responses I’ve learned that I was acting selfish. My gift showed him that I know nothing about his taste in music, and more than likely that’s why he got upset. I am going to sell the tickets, and he apologized for hurting my feelings. He said that we can find another show and he will split the price of the tickets with me."