We had a great day. It was a super way… to spend …some time together.

Yes, I was singing those words as I typed them. And if your kids (or you?!) watch the Fresh Beat Band, you probably read them in song.

My girls are obsessed with the Fresh Beats. Not only is the Fresh Beat Band their favorite show, but they even told the teachers at camp to call them Marina and Kiki. The teachers actually believed those were their middle names, because they were so serious about it.

When we found out their tour had a stop in our area, we bought tickets immediately. Somehow me managed to keep it a secret until today, when we pulled Lira out of school early to go to the 3 o’ clock show at Wolf Trap. Side note: why would they perform on the second day of school? I know Virginia schools shaven’t started yet, so I’m calling this DC Public School discrimination, and I won’t stand for it! The NoVA soccer moms must not want to mingle with my grimy, city children….

Kiki, Marina, Twist and Shout put their rockstar jackets on and rocked the Wolf Trap Pavilion in a way it has never been rocked before. A few thoughts and observations:

1. The parents like this band at least as much as the kids.

2. Twist was not wearing the same outfit that he wears on TV. If you’re going to wear the same outfit through hundreds of episodes, why change it for the live show?
3. Wolf Trap looks really nice with it’s wooden construction, but don’t be fooled. Run your hand across the railings and you’ll end up with a hand full of splinters. Just ask Lira.

4. They teach the whole “encore” thing at an early age. I’ve never understood encores. Why not just play all of your songs instead of pretending you’re done and coming back to sing your top hits? Dave was screaming “we want more! we want more!” while everyone else shouted “Fresh Beat Band! Fresh Beat Band!”
5.  Two 30-minute sets with a 15 minute intermission is long enough. Trust me.
6.  Lawn seats might be the way to go. We splurged for the “Loge” seats, whatever the hell that means. I was surprised to see that we didn’t have our own private lodge. Not really. But what’s a “loge” Do you know?

7. Prepare for tantrums when your child figures out they can’t jump over the ledge and on to the stage with their favorite band. Zana is definitely a crowd-surfer in the making. Is crowd surfing even still cool?

8. The new Marina is hotter than the old one, according to Dave.
9. “Twist’s rap flow is up there with Jay Z, Dilla and Snoop.”— Dave’s friend Marc Wear, who was also at the show with his family.
10. Tired parents with cranky kids will run your ass over in the parking lot. This may be a Nick Jr. crowd, but they drive like they’re leaving a Megadeath concert and heading for the bar.

“A great day” might be headed your way too. The Fresh Beats are touring the country through mid-November. See them at your own risk. And prepare to “go bananas… na-na-na-na-na-na-let’s go bananas!”