Kids' concerts come to Largo: Justin Roberts
The scene outside Largo at the Coronet got a little crazy before Justin Roberts performed yesterday. The theater was packed to fire-code capacity. Distraught fans tried to beg or threaten their way in. Club owner Mark Flanagan, standing near the door, offered sympathy and refunds to a few who'd reserved tickets but showed up late and lost their spots. A few tears were shed.
What could cause such a commotion at the elegant home of Jon Brion and friends? The unannounced return of Amy Winehouse? A Jack Black New Year's pageant? A surprise set by comedy darlings Flight of the Conchords?
Actually, it was a children's show, set for 11 in the morning -- a semi-rare stopover from Roberts, a Chicago-based star of the whimsical indie-rock kids' music scene. The event, which did far better than anyone at Largo anticipated, signaled the much-loved venue's initiation into certified family fare.
Standing in the courtyard with his preschool daughter Mahalia, as a clown on stilts entertained the pre-show crowd, Mark Flanagan expressed delight at being able to welcome little ones into the venue. "It's Mahalia's birthday," he said as the blond cutie tugged at his knee. "That just worked out."
Flanagan is working on putting together a monthly children's show at Largo. He's talking to Tom Kenney, the voice of Spongebob Squarepants, about doing something, and is "in cahoots" with 826 L.A. about doing a books-based event. "We all have kids now," said Flanagan of himself and his famous friends (like Jack Black and Will Ferrell, both Largo regulars and family guys). Organizing entertainment their offspring would enjoy just makes sense.
The arrival of children's music at Largo adds another layer to the burgeoning hipster-family scene in Los Angeles. Unlike Chicago, where Roberts got his start at the Old Town School of Folk Music, or Brooklyn, which birthed the career of ultimate post-indie kids' star Dan Zanes, L.A. has the kind of sprawling landscape that keeps folks in their own neighborhoods (driving across town with your kid screaming in the car seat is just not fun) and makes it hard for family-style stars to emerge. Plus, heading into a nightclub during kid-friendly daytime hours is tough when the sun's shining so alluringly.
But boho-leaning parents love to turn on their tots to "decent" music, even in lieu of another Sunday of brunch and pony rides. Popular children's club experiences have migrated here from other climes -- the Brooklyn-based Kidrockers seems to have found a home here at the Echoplex, and Baby Loves Disco, the dance party born in Philly and now operating internationally, has its local spot at Cinespace in Hollywood. McCabe's and the House of Blues both have kids' shows, and there's the wonderful summer series at the Getty, not to mention the many events sponsored by Levitt Pavilions.
Still, a kids' concert series at Largo at the Coronet would add a new level of cool to the goings-on. The intimate theater, with its great acoustics and lovely stage, could make for some excellent family memories.
Roberts' set was a good start. An affable ringer for the R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills (in his pre-hair dye day), Roberts sings in a twangy tenor about field trips, babysitters, baseball games and other kid perennials, along with more contemporary subjects like stay-at-home dads. His "Willy Was a Whale" is a Noggin network classic, and the new one about the school crossing guard is good, too.
At Largo, Roberts performed on a toy-strewn stage with his trio the Not Ready for Naptime Players, a Radio Flyer scooter at his feet. Roberts proved himself adept at crowd-pleasing hand gestures and big singalongs. The kids had trouble staying in their seats, and forget about the club's usual no-talking policy. The dads I went with sat and read the L.A. Weekly while Roberts expounded (one feeds his kid a steady diet of show tunes and Jurassic 5, the other likes his children's music wilder, along the lines of the Wee Hairy Beasties), but I found myself pointing and waving when Roberts told me to, and singing along with his cute choruses.
More important, the kids loved Roberts, and they extra-loved being in this cool old theater with aisles big enough to dance in and comfy seats to sit in when they got tired. Those seats are the biggest challenge Largo faces in presenting children's entertainment -- kids like to wander, and their parents need to chase after them, or get to the bathroom fast, or to bend over and put a Band-Aid on an ouchy. And everybody needs room to dig in their rucksacks for some fruit leather.
Flanagan and company might be wise to err on the theatrical side when booking its children's shows, to give the kids a reason to stay in their seats (for a few minutes, at least). A special venue like this one could prompt children's pop faves to try new things. And you know what? I'd love to see Jon Brion try doing his patented one-man show for the kiddies. He's known for taking audience requests; I wonder what he'd do with "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes"?
-- Ann Powers
Photo credits: Ann Powers / Los Angeles Times
