Koo Koo Kanga Roo Sold Out Show at Amsterdam Had An Average Age Of 7 And It Was As Cute As You Could Imagine

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The local metal scene is amazing, I’m in love with all of the local hip-hop and rap music. Are you more into just good old fashioned rock n’ roll? We have some amazing bands in that scene up here in the Twin Cities too! Children’s music? Although not one of the more mainstream genres out there, we are killing the game when it comes to unique children’s music. That’s how I found myself at Amsterdam Bar & Hall yesterday evening surrounded by toddlers and their parents.

Kicking the show off at an early 6:15 start time was Superfun Yeah Yeah Rocketship. Although everything online says this act is a two piece, last night (or yesterday afternoon depending on how you want to look at it) SYYR came in the form of a one man band with a backing track. With interactive songs and a shining personality that matched the sequence on his jacket, Corey Goodman instantly had the young crowd feeling good and moving around. With fun beats to match the quirky lyrics, much like the headliner, SYYR’s music is kids music that is made to be tolerable to the parents.

Just a song or two in, Corey could be spotted on the ground of the sold out show scooting around the audience. I watched as the kids around me lit up like a freaking Christmas tree as Corey went by. To say there was a sense of magic as the kids realized how close they were to the performer would be an understatement. Although to me I was just watching a guy in tights scoot around on a floor that my friends and I have puked on multiple times, to these kids it getting to be just inches away from a true rockstar and you could feel that in the air. SYYR’s set was short just like the attention span of the little ones in the audience. Last night was my first time seeing SYYR but I would die to see him perform at a 21+ show (no, that’s not a joke). Much like the headliner, there’s something about SYYR that would translate far too perfectly into a room of drunk twenty and thirty somethings.

Things moved quick last night (or yesterday afternoon) which was a thoughtful nod to the struggle that parents were inevitably facing when it came to keeping their kids entertained. With a kids menu and kiddie drinks that came hand in hand with the beers that were constantly flowing out of the taps, I’d like to take a moment and praise Amsterdam and their staff for how hard they tried to make this a truly magical night for everyone involved. Sure, the show had it’s flaws including the parents that refused to leave their kids’ sides and ended up obstructing the view of anyone behind them, but Amsterdam did a great job of making it a safe place for all of the kids. With a lost kids station in the back and staff constantly monitoring the place, all I could think was that if I ever have a child (knock on freaking wood people), I would love to bring them to an event like this. Thank you to all of the staff at Amsterdam. Seriously. You all were saints last night.

The crowd erupted as soon as Koo Koo Kanga Roo took the stage. Now, I’ve seen these guys more times than I can count at this point but every time I’ve seen them it has either been at an outdoor block party or at a 21+ show. Last night (or afternoon) was the first time I had ever seen them perform for a crowd that was mostly made up off literal toddlers. I definitely felt a little out of place and found myself holding back when it came to doing all of their fun dance moves but that’s okay. Yesterday’s show wasn’t my show to get rowdy at– it was a show for the kids and it was a beautiful thing to watch.

Hailing from right here in the Twin Cities, KKKR has truly made waves in many different scenes. With a cult like following in the punk scene that may have something to do with their tours with Frank Turner and The Smith Street Band, KKKR is one of those bands that my friends think I’m crazy for obsessing over but, as soon as I take them to one of their shows, it makes sense. The amount of fun you have just letting loose to their quirky lyrics is something that I’ve never found the right words for.

So maybe there were no twenty somethings throwing PBR cans through the air last night and there was no mini-mosh pit as there has been in the past when I’ve seen KKKR but there was a full blown dance party and I was finally able to see this band in their element. The thing that struck me the most was the fact that their set really didn’t change. They don’t curse in front of the kids (obviously) and then I realized that they barely curse at the 21+ shows. They encourage kids to get involved and dance just like they do at their 21+ shows. Brian and Neil (the two fanny-pack wearing men behind this ingenious project) truly have something special and the way they make that work for so many different kinds of audiences without changing much of anything is something that truly blows my mind.

So maybe I felt a little out of place yesterday and was a bit overwhelmed by all of the kids running around me and hanging on my legs (I don’t know why but kids freaking love me) but I think it just kind of added to the quirkiness of the show. Yesterday was unlike any other show I’ve ever attended but, at the same time, it was the same vibe of every other show I go to. I left the night with a giant smile on my face like I would after any other amazing show.

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