Marina, Shout, Lauren, Kiki and Twist
My daughter is a huge Fresh Beat Band fan. If you are not sure who they are, check out Nickelodeon or Nick Jr sometime. They are a pop band that does a kid show. The good thing about the show is that they don’t talk down to kids and give them a real love for music. I have become a fan of them myself.
When I heard the Fresh Beats were going on tour, I knew I had to get tickets. So in November, I logged into Ticketmaster, forked over $240 for two VIP tickets. It is a lot of money but I knew it would be an experience that my little one would never forget.
The concert was Friday at the Flint Center in Cupertino. We arrived about 45 minutes before the start of the concert. I spent another $60 for two t-shirts and a glow wand. (Mommy can’t say no!) We had to stand in line for our VIP package wristband. The VIP package gave us posters, laminated VIP cards and the opportunity to meet the band and get a picture after the concert. Once we got our wrist bands, it was off to our seats. FRONT ROW!!! We sat in the very front row just right of center. I was worried when I got the tickets that we would be too close to the stage for Lauren to see anything. Not the case. There was at least five feet from our seats to the stage. Plenty of room for all the little ones to get up and dance.
The concert was supposed to start at 6:30pm but the Fresh Beats didn’t take the stage till about 6:45p. Plenty of time for all the little ones to work themselves into a frenzy. The curtain opened and the opening theme song with no lyrics started. The stage was minimal. Just the band’s instruments set up on a riser toward the back of the stage, giving plenty of room to dance in front. The band came out and sang the opening theme song from the show. They looked amazing.
The concert was good. Now to be a bit critical, the band was singing to taped tracks and sometimes they were lip syncing. Can’t blame them too much for the lip syncing. They spent the whole concert dancing. They played a good selection of songs from the CD, talked to the crowd. They did take a 15 minute intermission. This was good for my little one, since she danced nonstop for the first half of the show. The second half of the show was the big hits for them, like Rock Star, Here We Go and then of course they closed the show with their signature show closing song, Great Day.
Lauren danced the whole time. The band was very interactive with the crowd. She was able to shake hands with Kiki and Twist.
After the show was over, the parents who forked over the big bucks for VIP tickets were ushered into a patio area. All the parents were handed a letter tickets which they would call out for you to line up to get your picture taken with the band. It was very organized and assured the worried parents and kids that everyone would get a turn. They had water and snacks set out which were quickly grabbed up. There was a little play area with a floor piano and a tunnel structure for the kids to crawl around in. There were two craft areas, for kids to create their own silver “rock” stars to take home. There was a dress up area where you could try on rock star outfits, play blowup guitars and bang on some bongo drums. There was a DJ spinning Fresh Beat tunes if you hadn’t gotten enough of them at the concert. At the back of the patio area, they had a nice backdrop for the band to pose for pictures.
Once everyone was in, the Fresh Beat Dancers (who are amazing) came out and taught a little bit of the Great Day dance. Kids and parents joined in. Then the big event, out came the Fresh Beat Band. The DJ then called out the first letter to line up for pictures. Parents be warned if you are going, no autographs, and you will have to take the picture yourself. They do not allow staff to do it. They do allow enough time to the children to talk with the band then a picture.
We were one of the last groups to line up for pictures and were second to last in line. I was worried that the band was going to be tired by the time we got there but I was so wrong. Each band member greeted Lauren like she was a long lost friend. Lots of hugs and smiles. They asked her questions and engaged her into a whole conversation. Thank god, I remember to bring my video camera and had it rolling. They even spoke to me. Saying they saw me grooving along and singing (which I was.) Kiki got up and gave me a hug. It was just the sweetest experience ever. Lauren just glowed and I couldn’t stop smiling. We got an amazing picture to capture the moment. We left the picture area and stuck around to see the band leave. They got up and waved to people. Lauren remembered that she wanted to tell Kiki about learning to play the guitar. She ran back, passed the security line and right up to Kiki who got down to Lauren’s level and listen so intently to what she was saying. She looked genuinely touched that Lauren is learning guitar because of her. She gave her the biggest hug. Lauren floated for the rest of the night. In her words, “BEST NIGHT EVER!!” I agree. I had a really good time and was impressed on how compassionate and wonderful the band was with every child they came through the line.
The only downfall to this whole experience is now Lauren is going to expect every concert to be this wonderful. Front row, meet the band, get hugs and general love from the band. Not sure anyone is ever going to top that. So thank you, Kiki, Marina, Twist, Shout and the amazing dancers for giving my daughter and me a night that we will never forget. It was a Great Day!
SJ Working Mom's Blog 