Kidz Bop, really: A Kidz Bop concert may seem funny to the outsider, with little children ages 5 to 12 screaming at the top of their lungs. However, one must remember a hard fact: this is their Beatles. And for one night only, the Crest Theatre was their Liverpool.
For the uninitiated, the Kidz Bop brand has been around for 15 years. Each of the 28 records released since 2000 feature a cast of children singing over re-recorded and reworked versions of modern hits.
Kidz Bop’s recent Sacramento soiree drew a capacity crowd of both adoring and adorable fans, featuring a cast of dancers, backup singers, solo artists and more costume changes than a Las Vegas act. At the core of the Kidz Bop crew, however, were the ultratalented singers known simply as the Kidz Bop Kids: Grant Knoche, Bredia Santoro, Ashlynn Chong and Matt Martinez.
A brief conversation with the merchandise vendor and one of the performer’s fathers yielded some little-known information: the singers have a three-year contract; all kids in the show travel with a teacher-advocate and their parents; and all shows are scheduled as fly-in dates on weekends to make sure that school is the top priority.
Highlights of the show, which lasted over 100 minutes, included male singers Knoche and Martinez singing and serenading two younger fans from the crowd, as well as a spirited version of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” that had everyone on their feet.
Another hilarious addition to the night’s program was a brief Q&A session where any fan could ask questions about how the performers attend school, their favorite letter and special things each of the performers can do, such as impersonating Daffy Duck.
And while most live children’s events are brief for very good reason, everyone stayed for this nearly two-hour show. During the short intermission, kids bought flashing Kidz Bop microphones, T-shirts and compact discs and returned for the second set to party like it was 1999.
(SN&R)