The Yo Gabba Gabba! crew overcoming their fear of the dark.
Six months we waited for this show which was also a Christmas present to our little friends Ryanne and Corin. Well, I know I wanted to go anyway but we bought two additional tickets since two adults without children present would’ve gotten the other parents to suspect we live in a gingerbread house.
So what is this? Yo Gabba Gabba! is popular kid show on Nick Jr. It caters to the pre-K crowd mostly. The usual stuff on eating vegetables, making friends, etc. accompanied to music and dancing. What makes it different from the competition is the hipster factor. The program appeals to the children’s parents (usually in their twenties or thirties) by having musical guests they know: Flaming Lips, Of Montreal, Hot Hot Heat, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World and MGMT. Somara and I got into it through the co-creator Chris Jacobs, aka Bat Commander of the Aquabats (who will have a new album in 2011, Hi-Five Soup).
It was a fabulous time…probably more for me than the kids. They became rather shy amongst the crowd of numerous children singing and dancing. I recall being the same way at their ages to the befuddlement of my parents. Corin did get into the groove after some popcorn by joining me on the walking/running/marching number.
My favorite part was when Biz Markie appeared. He led everyone through a few beatbox sounds and then he sat on the stage’s edge to invite a few children to join him on imitating various sounds. It was often comical yet adorable. I got to meet one child briefly, Maya, told her she was great and how she will tell people for years, she sat on Biz’s lap. Before he wrapped up, Biz Markie treated us adults with a chorus of “Just a Friend,” his big 1989 hit.
What a workout too. I never thought a live show for little kids was going to make me sweat this much. I’ve seen the commercials for Dora and the Wiggles so I figured we’d stay in our seats mainly, clap, sing along and dance a tad during a finale. Had I known ahead of time, I could’ve stretched a bit and worn my exercise clothes.
Show's over. Time to go home with our balloons and swag.