Wiggling to the top

Back in October, the Show Me Center almost experienced its first sell-out in three years when Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood came to town. The key word is "almost."

Though the crowd was big, it didn't hit the magical sell-out barrier. But now another group stands poised for a sell-out in a concert that may make many local music fans scratch their heads.

Preschool pop sensations The Wiggles will come to town Wednesday to open their latest U.S. tour at the Show Me Center. As of Tuesday, about 3,000 tickets for the concert had been sold, Show Me Center marketing director Shannon Buford said. With this show, 3,800 is a sell-out due to the large performance area the Wiggles take up. And Buford said he wouldn't be surprised in the least if the show gives the Show Me Center that elusive sell-out it has sought for the past few years. The Wiggles have to sell fewer tickets for a sell-out, but they're on the way. And Buford hopes discounting the formerly $29.50 ticket section by $5 will help.

"We're hoping to get there," said Buford. "We're kind of chugging along."

A sell-out would be welcome for Sam Moran. Wednesday's Cape Girardeau performance will be his first in the states as the Yellow Wiggle since replacing Greg Page in that position last year. Page -- a fan favorite -- had to leave the band due to health problems, leaving his yellow "skivvy" (the Wiggles' word for shirt) to Moran.

"It's a little bittersweet for me," Moran said Feb. 8 from the band's native Australia. "You never want to see a friend of yours go out in that way."

Wiggle history

Almost anyone with children under 5 years old knows the story of the Wiggles. The children's group started out 15 years ago in Australia as a bunch of early childhood education majors in college with musical backgrounds. They combined the two, and a worldwide phenomenon was born.

The group really hit big in the United States in 1999, when they introduced themselves to America by playing in a Wal-Mart parking lot. Since 2005 the group has played 300 shows to more than 1.5 million people in the United States, boosted by their twice-daily show on the Disney Channel.

With a crew that includes a friendly pirate (Captain Feathersword), a prehistoric pal (Dorothy the Dinosaur) and an oversized canine (Wags the Dog), among others, the group has captivated children and adults across the country with educational songs about topics like eating fruit and brushing your teeth.

The appeal, say parents with young Wiggles fans, is that the songs written by the Wiggles transcend age barriers in their catchiness.

Stephanie McGee of Cape Girardeau has two Wiggles fans in her home, 7-year-old Chase (one of the original American Wiggles fans who've stayed with the band) and 3-year-old Emma. Through her two children McGee and her sister- and mother-in-law have had so much Wiggles exposure they find themselves singing the songs when they're together without the children, she said.

With superfans like Chase and Emma in the home, the Wiggles are everywhere, McGee said.

"We probably have every toy they have made," she said.

Michelle Hohler of Jackson keeps a Wiggles CD in her car for the enjoyment of her 3-year-old daughter, Abby.

"You get the songs in your head pretty fast," Hohler said. "They're not bad. They're kind of catchy."

Both Hohler and McGee said they bought tickets for the show as soon as seats went on sale.

The Wiggles chalk up their sound to diverse influences, from Moran's classical music and voice training, to Murray Cook's affinity for rock like the Rolling Stones and U2, and Jeff Fatt's obsession with polkas. Moran said all of those styles play into the Wiggles' sound. And being a children's group allows the group to play with diverse sounds instead of being pigeonholed into one category, he said.

"Some bands feel like they're a rock band and can't be doing reggae all of a sudden," Murray said. "We can play reggae, or whatever else, whenever we want."

Accessible

Murray said the Wiggles make a conscious effort to make music that is both accessible to children and the kind of infectious pop adults can't resist.

"A lot of the music that we make is basically music that we would like to listen to, as well, and it just has children's themes to it," said Moran.

Moran says the Wiggles are now beginning to see a testament to their longevity in their native land -- children who grew up listening to them are starting to become parents themselves, maintaining their love of The Wiggles and passing that love on to their own children.

Saying goodbye

Of course, those Wiggles fans will miss Page, one of the group's founding members. But Moran has been touring with the group as a Wiggly Dancer for years, so he's intimately familiar with The Wiggles style. At shows in Australia, he's already taken the reigns as the Yellow Wiggle for welcoming audiences.

"There's a little bit of nervousness, but this is what we do. We've been doing it for so long now, and we just really love to do it," Moran said of going on in Page's absence.

Nor does the group try to hide the change in personnel. Before the show, they play a videotaped message from Page explaining why he left the group and introduce Moran as his replacement.

"We don't try to pull the wool over the children's eyes," Moran said. "It's also important for the audience to see the video from Greg, as well, as a chance to say goodbye and hello."

Moran promises he won't be the only new aspect of The Wiggles on this tour: The entire show is different from previous tours, with some new songs thrown into the set, as well.

The set will doubtless impress the legions of young Wiggles fans who will pack the Show Me Center that night, wiggling through song after song. For now the parents who will escort their children to the concert have a challenge -- making the young ones wait until Wednesday to see their favorite entertainers.

"It's been a little trying to get her to understand it was going to months, then weeks," Hohler said. "Now it will just be a couple of days."

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 18