Laurie Berkner Band’s Birthday Party Concert, Pittsburgh, PA
A few months ago, a great college friend contacted me to let me know that the Laurie Berkner Band was going to be in Pittsburgh. At Heinz Hall, no less! We got tickets for the whole family, right behind their family. It was going to be great!
And then my family came down with the Viral Ick. In the end, only LittleBrother and I could go as we got sick first and were already well. But, really, it was okay that it was just the two of us. Why? We had a Special Day for “Just Us,” as he said repeatedly.
And it was a nice day. We met our friends at the Grille on Seventh, where just about everyone else who was catching the show seemed to be eating. You would think that a Cultural District restaurant would keep up to date with what shows were when, wouldn’t you? They ran out of kids’ menus. Yikes. Our meal was lovely, though LittleBrother was positively starving by the time it arrived.
Then it was off to the gorgeous Heinz Hall where we sat on the opera boxes. It was perfect because the kids had room to move, we could see the stage as we were on an end and, really, there were less people than on the floor so neither LittleBrother nor I felt overwhelmed.
Laurie performed for just under an hour and a half. Almost a bit too long for her target audience, but she kept the kids engaged enough that I only had minimal whining from LittleBrother right around the 1:00-1:15 mark. The site says that the show is 1:15, but we did run a smidge over. Maybe 5. I really would prefer an hour for a kids’ show. As an added bonus, the sound was not too loud, which was a major complaint of our family’s when we saw Thomas the Train on stage two years ago. This audio level was just perfect; neither too loud nor too quiet.
Laurie was as fun as ever. She made a big deal of birthdays — the theme of the show — and the entire audience sang “Happy Birthday” at one point. She sang my favorite songs — “F-A-M-I-L-Y,” “We Are the Dinosaurs,” and “B-O-O-T-S! BOOTS!” She only did two “new” songs, engaging the kids in songs that they didn’t know by adding hand motions. Being a true artist, her voice sounded just as lovely live as it does on Nick Jr. That was refreshing in itself.
Laurie is also a smart entertainer. She knew where she was and that parents have to bring kids to such a show, so she made quite a few mentions of not only the city of Pittsburgh but of the upcoming Super Bowl. In fact, she opened a gift from an audience member on stage. What was it?
A TERRIBLE TOWEL! And she knew what it was, which is awesome in itself. (Excuse the far away picture. My new long lens will be here on Tuesday!)
How was it to attend a kids’ band show as an adult? Mostly fine. Again, I think a lot of that is because we were in the opera boxes and removed from the general mayhem of the floor seating. I am a fan of Laurie Berkner’s music, so I didn’t really struggle in that way. I did notice some parents scrolling their smartphones during the show, so I’d assume they weren’t big fans. I would have done the same thing at a concert for, say, The Wiggles. Ick.
It was honestly a great time. I tell you this, especially my Ohio readers, because the Laurie Berkner Band will be in Columbus, Ohio on February 13. I am almost, almost tempted to take BigBrother as he missed out on this great show, but he has something special coming up in March. But I’ve never been to the Palace Theater and I kind of want to check it out! They have other shows coming up too in Washington DC and Rhode Island. So if you have a child who thinks Laurie Berkner is cool, you might want to catch a show in the near future.
[Disclosure: I received nothing to write this review. In fact, I'm out nearly $80 since BigBrother and FireDad couldn't attend the show due to the Viral Ick and I couldn't find anyone to go with us or to buy the extra tickets. That's life!]
