Fresh Beat tickets go for more than a song
If you don't hang out with preschoolers, there's a good chance you've never heard of the Fresh Beat Band. But if there are talking toddlers living under your roof who are tuned into Nick Jr., you probably know the lyrics to their greatest hits by heart. Move over, Wiggles. A new Monkeemania for tykes has arrived.
"Good Times" and "A Friend Like You," two of Fresh Beat's signature songs, get regular play on the band's half-hour cable show. No doubt, these tunes and others will receive squealing sing-along support at Saturday's pair of matinee concerts at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury.
"We sold all 3,400 tickets in less than two days," says NYCB marketing manager Dan Kellachan.
That's a tragedy for many young fans. Alessandrea Debois, 4, of Levittown, for one. Her mom, Lisa, says she "went online right away," when tickets went on sale. But she never got through.
"I figured I'd get them later on eBay," Debois says. But when she saw tickets priced at $600 to $2,500 apiece, she said, "No way am I paying that for the Fresh Beat Band" -- leaving Alessandrea in tears of disappointment.
A friend in East Meadow paid $280 each for tickets for himself and his two kids, Debois said. "And he had to drive to Connecticut to pick them up from scalpers."
"We have no control over secondary ticket sales," Kellachan said. Tickets originally sold for $29.50 to $59.50, plus service fees.
Fans lucky enough -- or who paid enough -- to get tickets will "groove" (a term the show has resurrected from '60s lexicon) to the Fresh Beat. The band is made up of Twist (Jon Beavers in real life) on turntable and beatbox; Shout -- Twist and Shout: Get it? -- (Thomas Hobson) on keyboard; Kiki (Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer) on violin and guitar; and Marina (Tara Perry) on drums. All four sing and dance in outsized pre-K hipster attire in neon colors. The songs often feature innocent rap segments and break-dancing.
Recurring characters from the TV show's pastel "Sesame Street"-ish set include Harper of the Pizza Cafe and Melody of the Groovy Smoothie Shop.
If you managed to score tickets for your Fresh Beat kid-fan, count on spending more on groovy merchandise.
WHAT Fresh Beat Band in concert
WHEN | WHERE 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, NYCB Theatre at Westbury, 960 Brush Hollow Rd.
INFO Sold out (online sites such as StubHub and Vividseats priced tickets Friday at $300 to $800 each)
