Aquabats & Koo Koo Kanga Roo @ The Underground

The Aquabats are in Charlotte.  It seems unlikely, but there you go.

I got to the Underground at the start of Koo Koo Kanga Roo and instantly regretted not bringing my boys.  The guys are only 8 and have yet to see a gig and I seriously considered this one as at one time they were huge Yo Gabba Gabba fans.  But the dad in me said no, because it was a school night and well past their bedtime.  As I looked around the room, many parents felt differently.  Damn!  Koo Koo Kanga Roo's music is for the kids.  The pop tempo and topics (i.e., fart jokes) are definitely suited to a younger (at heart) audience.  The kids loved the final song that had them dancing under a parachute in the crowd.

To much fanfare and the audience's great pleasure, The Aquabats came on stage and proceeded to tear the Underground apart.  From the first notes of The Shark Fighter, complete with blowup sharks into the crowd, the Aquabats were on fire.  While video played behind the band, Bat Commander commandeered the show.  Whether singing or between song banter, he was on fire.  Pizza Day saw him pluck a lucky youngster out of the crowd, only to throw him out on an inflatable slice to crowd surf the entire song. The Aquabats Super Show Theme Song had young and old in their element and the frenzy just seemed to fuel the band more.  Near to the end of the set a cover of The Cars Just What I Needed was aptly played as a dedication to Ric Ocasek's passing only yesterday.  Burger Rain was a great finisher to the main set, but didn't come close to the encore.  Super Rad got everyone hyped again, the the Aquabats invited all the kids on stage to finish the night with Pool Party.  A fitting end to a fun night.

I would never pass on a chance to see the Aquabats again.  It's been a while since I left a concert smiling so often remembering parts of the night.

The Crap Facts:
This is my 458th concert.
This is my 4th concert at The Underground.

This is my 83rd concert in Charlotte

This is my 94th concert in North Carolina.

This is my 261st concert in the USA.
Koo Koo Kanga Roo are the 533rd band I've seen.
Aquabats are the 534th band I've seen.
Aquabats are the 500th time I've seen a band from the USA.