THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT: They Might Be Giants, World Cafe Live, December 9, 2006
MA PHAWKER REPORTS: For a minute there toward the end, during “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” when the shorties were tired out and the gin and tonics were kickin’ in, it almost felt like we grownups had gotten one over on the kids we had squired to the show.See, one of the many chapters missing from the parenting books is the one discussing the wretched entertainment you’re doomed to sit through — the animated movies that don’t make any sense, the cheesy kid-friendly musicians, the unconvincing birthday party Princesses, anything “On Ice!” So spending a Saturday afternoon with They Might Be Giants at World Caf? Live downstairs almost felt like pulling a fast one on the wee rockers. And though it was officially a kids’ show, a benefit for Brooklyn-based Generation Schools, the set list wasn’t all from the children’s albums. There was “Dr. Worm,” “Istanbul,” a sing-a-long “Why Does the Sun Shine?” and “Stalk of Wheat.” That last one is featured on the “Here Come the ABCs” DVD, so a lot of the kids knew it and rocked out. Sadly, no “James K. Polk,” but I won’t complain. The tables went fast, so people brought their plates of buffet food and plonked butts down on the main floor, turning the place into a lumpy landscape of coats, strollers and empty juice boxes. And with the bar open, the whole thing had a kind of happy hour-campout kind of feel to it. The dad in line next to me at the bar (Diet Coke and bottled water, please) walked away laden with $53 worth of gin and tonics in plastic cups. The Giants were joined onstage by the Deeply Felt Puppet Theater, which features Robin “Mrs. Flans” Goldwasser, who also sang “In the Middle,” that bouncy belter about crossing the street safely. In honesty, I can’t talk about the puppet performance, because we made a trip to the bathroom (first in a series) and missed most of it. Still, I have to say: it’s nice to go to a rock show and be able to see over the heads of most of the crowd. A [FLICKR]