‘Yo Gabba Gabba Live!’ premieres in Los Angeles to sold-out crowds

Yo Gabba Gabba crew says goodnight. (Photo by Kiley Lyons)

Right about now you may be asking yourself, “Who or what is Yo Gabba Gabba?” Trust me, I asked myself that same question about six months ago.

Aimlessly wandering through the magical wonders of cable television I stumbled upon a DJ (aptly named DJ Lance Rock) all decked out in an orange jumpsuit and furry hat, and five very strange looking life-sized puppets with names like Brobee, Muno and Foofa. Normally, at this point, I would observe the oddities on screen for mere moments before swiftly changing the channel to something more exciting — like watching a rerun of the Brady Bunch where Bobby breaks a vase in the house for 87th time. Unfortunately, during this channel surf my 18-month old daughter Alyce was passing through the living room, caught a glimpse of the musically-colorful show and was instantly hooked.

“Yo Gabba Gabba” first aired on the Nick Jr. network on Aug. 20, 2007 and became an underground hit with kids of all ages (college age included). The show was created by Scott Schultz (of the band Majestic) and Christian Jacobs (of the band The Aquabats). Similar to Sesame Street, the show — led by DJ Lance Rock (aka Lance Robertson) — takes its viewers through a series of short skits, songs and life lessons all based or centered around a unifying topic. For instance, one of the more recent episodes focused on art, family and dress-up.

What won me over with this show was the episode having to do with manners. I’m telling you, there is nothing better than hearing your two-year old run around the house singing a catchy tune like “Please, Thank You.” But then again, I am a stickler for social graces.

Much of the popularity of the show comes from the incorporation of reoccurring guests like Biz Markie and his Beat of the Day or Mark Mothersbaugh’s (lead singer of Devo) Mark’s Magic Pictures, as well as special guests who participate in the Dancey Dance segment. Some of the past Dancey Dance guests have included Andy Samberg, Elijah Wood, Mya and Tony Hawk. Popular alternative and indie bands have also joined the show and have included MGMT, Supernova, Shiny Toy Guns, The Shins and The Roots.

Related: More stories by Kiley Lyons | More SDNN Music page

So, the folks behind the scenes decided to take the show on the road and perform it live? Yep. And to sold-out crowds to boot. My wife, daughter and I drove up to the Shrine Exhibit Hall for the 11 a.m. show this past Sunday (Nov. 15, 2009). The Shrine Exhibit Hall is a large, open space that was transformed into rows of folding chairs for the parents and large open aisles for kids to dance in.

Upon walking through the hall doors, it became obvious almost immediately that this was a kids show. Stuffed animals, balloons and lots of sippy-cups, not to mention, kids melting down, random screaming and crying could be heard all over the place. It was very much like a preschool rock concert.

The show began about 30 minutes late and open up just like it does on television. Both kids and parents cheered with delight hearing the opening footsteps of DJ Lance Rock, and when it was time to yell “Yo Gabba Gabba!” the crowd did so with both excitement and enthusiasm. The show was high energy from start to finish with confetti, balloons and bubbles filling the air during the hour and a half show.

Snoop Dogg and Biz Markie in the crowd laying down the Beat of the Day. (Photo by Kiley Lyons)

The event played out just like a live action episode and the crowd ate it up. Now while the Lyons clan had seen some of the episodes and recognized a few of the songs, the majority of the crowd appeared to be Gabba-heads, because practically everyone was singing and dancing along.

Like the TV episodes, the live show also included special guests. Guitarists Matt Costa and Danny Garcia sang “They Are My Family” giving DJ Lance and the gang a much needed break. But the highlight of show was when Snoop Dogg stepped on stage to perform his own “Dancey Dance.”

While most of the kids didn’t know Snoop, the adults went wild and cameras and phones could be seen everywhere. Snoop Dogg also joined special guest Biz Markie for Biz’s Beat of the Day, even going into the crowd to get some kids to freestyle beat-box into the mic.

The third show of the national tour wasn’t without its’ glitches, but minor set difficulties and raspy voices aside, the event went without a hitch and my guess is that there are even more fans of the show, including yours truly.

Kiley Lyons is a regular music contributor for SDNN.

Tags: Biz Markie, Brobee, Christian Jacobs, Danny Garcia, Devo, DJ Lance Rock, Foofa, Mark Mothersbaugh, Matt Costa, Muno, Scott Schultz, SDNN, Shrine Exhibit Hall, Snoop Dogg, The Aquabats, Yo Gabba Gabba

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