Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! Tour Review {#yogabbagabba}

Although I'm ironically not all that big of a fan of being surprised, I do love surprising others... particularly my children. There's just something about the innocence and excitement in their eyes when they open a most-wished-for toy, hear we're going somewhere fun or simply find a special treat waiting for them after lunch.

So, considering how much they have been loving Yo Gabba Gabba! on television lately, I was thrilled to be able to surprise them with a visit to see Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! when the tour came to our neck of the woods.

As I had kept the show a complete secret from the girls, they were mostly in the dark until we arrived at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee.

As we were walking to the theater, Big Sister E started to pick up on the fact that many other kids arriving were holding Yo Gabba Gabba! plush toys, while it took until Little Sister B looked up at the actual stage for her to call out, "We're going to see Yo Gabba Gabba!!"

While none of us knew exactly what to expect, we anxiously awaited the start of the show with Little Sister B turning to me every minute or so saying, "I SO EXCITED!" with a big grin.

As I looked around the theater at all of the other kids (mostly ranging in age from 1 to 6), it was easy to see that they were in agreement. Plus, it was just too cute to see all of the toys, shirts, shoes, blankets, hats and much more that were adorned with Yo Gabba Gabba! characters — we even saw a sweet little girl around 18 months old that had a full Yo Gabba Gabba! tutu dress that was beyond adorable.

Before we knew it, the lights were fully dimmed, the music was starting and there was DJ Lance right on the screen in front of us.

But what would a live show be with characters on a large television? Only seconds after saying hello to everyone, DJ Lance disappeared off of the screen and... there he was in person!

Of course DJ Lance wouldn't come all by himself, and, after pumping up the crowd for a minute, the whole Yo Gabba Gabba! gang was there, dancing and waving and spreading the joy even further.

The following 80 minutes (with a 15 or 20 minute intermission halfway through) were filled with singing, dancing, laughing, wiggling, jumping, spinning and much more.

DJ Lance and the gang kept the whole show moving along at a pace that kept the audience entertained and excited, without any hint of boredom (from being too slow) or confusion (from moving too quickly).

There were fun guest appearances by saxophonist Mike Park and hip hop legend Biz Markie...

Biz also brought a few lucky kids onstage and let them try out their own beat box skills!

...as well as various characters that made an appearance for some fan favorite songs. What would "Party in my Tummy" be without some dancing healthy food coming down the aisle to liven up the show...

...or insect friends taking the stage during "I Like Bugs?"

While the energetic, colorful performances fit perfectly with the baby-toddler-preschool-aged crowd, I also really appreciated the positive messages that many Yo Gabba Gabba! songs promote.

DJ Lance, Brobee, Foofa, Muno, Toodee and Plex touched on it being okay to be scared of things (e.g. the dark) because everyone is afraid at some point, eating healthy, sharing, playing nicely... even learning how to hug in "Hugs are Fun."

Add in the confetti drop at the start and end of the show and the explosion of bubbles partway through and there really wasn't much more that this show could have included to make this a Yo Gabba Gabba! experience to remember.

When the cast announced that it was time to say good-bye, I have to admit that I was amazed that the time had flown by so quickly (maybe I was just too busy dancing and singing along?) and I wasn't surprised to see so many kids sad to see the show come to an end as well.

DJ Lance and the Yo Gabba Gabba! friends gave their own waves...

...while all of their young friends waved back in response...

...and we headed home, where I'm sure that our household wasn't the only one with kids that were ready for an early bedtime due to all of the excitement.

All in all, I had expected that my kids would have a good time, but I didn't know that they would have such a great time! There wasn't a single complaint of wanting to leave early (something Little Sister B is known for at nearly every show or event we attend) and both girls sang and danced with the best of them.

If you have a Yo Gabba Gabba! fan at home, be sure to check out YoGabbaGabbaLive.com to see if the 2013 tour is coming to a stop near you. You're not going to want to miss this fun opportunity to Get the Sillies Out and make some amazing memories at the same time!

My family was provided with tickets to Yo Gabba Gabba! LIVE!: Get the Sillies Out! in order to facilitate my review, however, all thoughts and opinions are honest and my own. We truly had a blast!