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The Wiggles and Wilco


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I'm a big Wilco fan and often listen to their CD's when I'm driving around with my 3 year old son. You know, Wilco is playing on the drive to daycare, swimming lessons, etc. Before his third birthday my son knew all the words to "Jesus Etc."

When my wife and I got tickets to the Lewiston, N.Y. Wilco show this past July, I secretly considered bringing my son to the show. He'd watched all the Wilco "AOL Sessions" clips as well as "Ashes of American Flags," so I figured he'd enjoy the show. This message forum even has a topic about taking kids to Wilco shows, but the kids being discussed were mostly pre-teens, not toddlers.

"The little grabber", as we call him, ended up attending the Lewiston show (with a set of earplugs). He had a blast and the next day, out of the blue, he asked "why did the drummer stand up on his drums?"

He also likes the Wiggles' music and, of course, I'll take him to see the Wiggles when they're in town next month. As I was buying Wiggles tickets it dawned on me that the Wiggles show cost more than the Wilco show!

I'm not saying that Wilco tickets are underpriced, I'm happy they are so affordable, that's the reason I've seen more Wilco concerts than any other band, except the Violent Femmes. What I'm trying to say is that I'm truly grateful the tickets are reasonably priced.

See you in Toronto.

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At Wilco's second show in Chapel Hill in '06 I saw a woman with a baby, as in infant.

 

The Wiggles are what's over-priced. You know, with some Halloween costumes and too much drinky-drinky, Mommy & Daddy can put on just a good of show as the Wiggles right there in the little tyke's bedroom. It's a money-saver and psychotic fun all at the same time!

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The Wiggles are what's over-priced.

 

+1 and Thank God my son has outgrown them!

 

Took my kids to see Wiggles a few years back, it cost a small fortune. Btw I was at Lewiston too....see u in Toronto. Bringing my 12yo daughter this time, her first big rock concert. Wilco shows are the best value in all of music.

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That's weird, I've never even heard of The Wiggles before but they're also coming here next month and their commercial airs on television every 2 minutes. If I see it one more time........ :realmad

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well, my son (4) loves the wiggles. i can't stand 'em. the best kids music i've found was this candian dude who sings about bears and moose. also, that they might be giants kids album was pretty awesome. that being said, my son loves fiest, neil young, and is always asking me to play Take It Easy by the Eagles. go figure. i have this secret fantasy that when he's 14 he's gonna come up to me and ask about 'this band called led zeppelin'. at that point i will drop whatever i'm doing and we'll rock out to Black Dog!

 

my other son is 2 and he is constantly turning all the buttons while i play my guitar. he always turns the distortion on and off. so, i told him when he's jamming with his buddies downstairs in several years, i'm gonna come down and turn off his distortion during one of his blistering solos:)

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I think I've said it before, The Wiggles weren't nearly as annoying as I was expecting. Some of their tunes have decent melodies and harmonies. Would I choose to listen to them? No. Can I tolerate it to see my kids happy? Yep. We (momd & dad) much prefer Dan Zanes, Justin Roberts, Ralph's World, Laurie Berkner, They Might Be Giants, and a few others.

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Its not the same since Greg left. I loved his voice. Sams good but no Greg. I think he only got the job cause he's on with Dororthy the Dinosaur.

 

I'm surprised the Wiggles weren't cheap. They usually only cost about $AUS20 to see them here (and I have a lot!). Are Wilco super cheap in America or do the Wiggles jack up their prices on tour?

 

Worst bit is I don't even have kids. (Fab Aunty, not some weirdo!)

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I think I've said it before, The Wiggles weren't nearly as annoying as I was expecting. Some of their tunes have decent melodies and harmonies. Would I choose to listen to them? No. Can I tolerate it to see my kids happy? Yep. We (momd & dad) much prefer Dan Zanes, Justin Roberts, Ralph's World, Laurie Berkner, They Might Be Giants, and a few others.

Agree on all counts, and I'll also second Wise Enough, who noted that the Wiggles aren't the same since Greg left. We took our daughter to see them two years ago, and she had a blast. In my view, though, the show (with Sam) was rather rote and dull; it felt like they were bored and going through the motions merely for the paycheck. Overpriced, yes.

 

They are returning to Milwaukee soon. Thankfully, my daughter, now five, has moved on. She now prefers Feist, Jenny Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, She & Him, some Wilco, and, yes, Hannah Montana. I have great hopes for the boy, who is 17 months old and appears to love The Beatles above all. In fact, a few days ago he sat and watched A Hard Day's Night with me for 30 minutes, just gazing at the B&W and bopping to all of the songs. Normally he won't sit for 5 minutes for anything, but he was completely engaged in the movie, even the dialogue stretches.

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Thanks for the great ideas, the They Might Be Giants CD is now on my list of cds to buy. I'll definately watch "Hard Day's Night" with the little grabber. His ears must be burning because this morning I overheard him doing a Wilco / Wiggles mash up of Wilco's "Monday" and the Wiggles "Big Red Car." He was sining "Choo Choo Charlie had a big red car..."

An excellent Canadian artisit for young kids is Raffi. "Singable Songs for the Very Young" has great song selections, arrangements and musicianship....for infants and toddlers.

Looking forward to Oct. 14 & 15 with Wilco and (less so) Oct. 22 for the Wiggles.

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Chuck E Cheese's band is no good. The songs start off okay, like they might be some sweet danceable hip hop, but then they sort of turn into soft rock. :lol

 

I disagree, they have more integrity than most animatronic acts out there right now. People always say "They're not as good as Country Bear Jamboree"- but who the hell is, that is playing currently? Sure, the 60's/70's Disney stuff is irreproachable, but if I want some solid G rated music from moving puppets I know Henson and Walt aren't going to be there to give it to me. I go to Chuck's to eat some pizza, and hear if there are any new songs in the set.

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We also drive around Toronto listening to the Wiggles and Wilco. Our son's first concert was at Burlington, Vermont watching Wilco and we're debating on taking him to the Wiggles in October. We had a blast at the all ages concert in Vermont and it was amazing how many families were there with their children. I sometimes think my son thinks that Jeff Tweedy is like the nudie suit Wiggle ;)

 

On a side note - if you're in Toronto we're opening a restaurant in the coming weeks called Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company Ltd. and it is themed around Wilco music. For example, Mermaid Avenue is our salmon sandwich, one wing is our turkey, cranberry sandwich, etc. See you at Massey Hall.

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On a side note - if you're in Toronto we're opening a restaurant in the coming weeks called Sky Blue Sky Sandwich Company Ltd. and it is themed around Wilco music. For example, Mermaid Avenue is our salmon sandwich, one wing is our turkey, cranberry sandwich, etc. See you at Massey Hall.

 

Outstanding! Where's your restaurant? How about the "Ashes Combo" - sandwich and a Diet Coke? Or the "Sunken Treasure" - prime rib sandwich? (Sorry, I know you weren't soliciting suggestions but I couldn't hold back!) All the best, I know where I'll be having lunch!

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Guest Speed Racer

Or the "Sunken Treasure" - prime rib sandwich?

 

That would be the crab cake sandwich. Pair it with a micro-brew and it's the Aquarium Drinker. The prime rib is the Wishful Thinking.

 

Other sandwiches:

The Man Who Loves You (Reuben, of course)

Outtasite (Outta Mind) - hot dog (order it 'Via Chicago' for all the fixins!)

Outtamind (Outtasite) - bratwurst

She's a Jar (PB&J)

Blood of the Lamb (gyros!)

Leave Me Like You Found Me (cream chipped beef on toast)

It's Just That Simple (grilled cheese)

Spiders (soft-shell crab sandwich)

Less Thank You Think (ham & cheese)

Barnyard Pimp (pulled pork)

 

Other specials:

Birds and Chips (chicken fingers and fries)

Forget the Flowers (salad of the day)

 

Pieholden Sweets and Candyfloss for dessert.

 

Sorry to hijack! : :blush Got bored at the office.

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Guest Speed Racer

The Wiggles introduced my kids to the joy of music, so there's certainly nothing wrong with that.

 

I never cared for children's music (except Wee Sing Silly Songs, but my family had a strict headphones-only rule for those tapes which I didn't understand until recently). I was a repeater, though. I would pick a song and repeat it until the tape literally wore out. John Fogerty's "Centerfield" was a huge track for me - my dad bought three separate cassettes of that before I was 10 - and unfortunatley Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons got a lot of play time in my room...

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Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons got a lot of play time in my room...

Me too, thanks to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack! I also recorded myself covering those songs. Something like ten years old, I bet I sounded awesome! I wish I had those tapes now, but I probably recorded over them with my sweet ass En Vogue covers.
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The restaurant is going to be at 605 Bloor Street West - down the street from Honest Ed's. I like some of the names and we're rethinking a couple of our names... We were thinking Kingpin for the pulled pork sandwich but I might have to change it to the Barnyard Pimp. And the "Ashes Combo" for a sandwich and Coke is a must.

 

We keep changing our minds on a sandwich title and maybe some of you can help. The sandwich is black forest ham and cream cheese on cinnamon raisin bread. Kind of like an updated ham and cheese. I was going to go with "Misunderstood" but I'm having doubts now.

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My kids (8 and 11) are HUGE Wilco fans -- it's all they will listen to. I've taken them to two shows (Tanglewoods and Lowell) and they've loved every minute of it. The shows and crowds are kid friendly for the most part. Just make sure to bring earplugs for the little one.

 

DSC04118.jpg

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  • 9 months later...

My kids used to like the Wiggles when they were toddlers. We took them to one Wiggles concert, and I liked that it was almost all music and singing. They are a quartet and feel a little Beatles-esque to me. At the concert a lot of the little kids ran up to the stage quite instinctively, and all danced in a toddler mosh pit up front. Cute.

 

Mine are only 5 and 7, and both love music. I'd like them to develop their own taste, but try to expose them to a range of genres. They like some of Woody Guthrie's

, and
. And we like the reggae on Maisy Mouse. I love hearing them humming tunes to themselves when they are busy building Lego.

 

In response to the original post, I do think that when bands tour other countries, they are more expensive. Wilco is sometimes more expensive in Europe than in the US. And Australia is far away for The Wiggles to be transporting the whole crew and all that equipment from.

 

I looked up this thread again because we were having dinner here in Dublin a couple of weeks ago, and noticed Jeff and Anthony from the Wiggles at the next table! (Jeff and Anthony started out in a pop band called The Cockroaches, in the 80s. And apparently most of the Wiggles outfit met back then.) We went over to say hello. Anthony said they were in Dublin to record and film the Wiggles 2011 Christmas Album with the Irish choral group

.

 

I got my photo* taken with them, and now my kids think I'm a rockstar.

 

wiggles.jpg

 

(*It's an Asian proclivity.)

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