“Yo Gabba Gabba!” is a children’s television series that aired on Nickelodeon from 2007 to 2015, revolving around a band of friendly toy monsters and a magic robot that come to life with the help of host DJ Lance Rock to share adventures, stories, and lessons through the power of music and dance. While their music is targeted towards children, many grown-ups love them, so much so that they have gotten the chance to perform at the Coachella music festival more than once. Alongside their music, they are also known for inviting musical guests onto their show to sing their episode-related songs. Some of their star standouts are Weezer, My Chemical Romance, MGMT, Taking Back Sunday, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. They have followed this trend of celebrity appearances in their spin-off series “Yo Gabba GabbaLand!” on Apple TV+. This Saturday at Coachella, the band and a handful of collaborators went out and performed their beloved songs, both new and old, and it seems that their set was the most popular.
Yo Gabba Gabba!’s colorful and trippy performance brought tons of joy to their audience. But how did a band meant for children rack in so many adult viewers, specifically ones who actually wanted to see them perform? The answer may lie in creators Christian Jacobs and Scott Schultz’s reasons for creating the show. MSN shares a quote from Schultz, who said, “We are kids at heart, and when we had our first children, we didn’t want to just put them in front of kids’ television and leave them, we wanted to participate with them, and that felt sort of limited.”.
A sense of inclusion is very evident in Yo Gabba Gabba!, as they often encourage viewers to dance, sing, and play along with the cast, as seen in special segments such as Biz’s Beat of the Day, Dancey Dance Friend of the Day, DJ Lance Dance, and drawing with Mark Mothersbaugh.
They even brought their games to Coachella, as Los Angeles Times says that “Members of the crowd sang along to tracks like ‘Don’t Bite Your Friends’ and played games similar to Simon Says.”.
Now at Coachella 2025, the audience was there participating live, dancing and singing along to the music, just as the show creators and cast would have wanted people to. Unsurprisingly, all this excitement and energy came off as pretty overwhelming to some viewers, as Blunt Magazine recalls the celeb packed performance at first glance sounding “Like a parody: DJ Lance Rock leading a puppet dance party featuring Flavor Flav, Thundercat, Weird Al Yankovic and Portugal. The Man. In practice though, it worked.”.
Coachella and Yo Gabba Gabba! are both very important to the music entertainment industry in their ways, and when combined, the world is given unique performances made for all ages to enjoy. Hundreds of fans and festival goers alike adored their 2025 show, a memorable experience for everyone. Given Yo Gabba Gabba!’s fun and friendly nature, it’s safe to say that they truly outdo most children’s entertainment.
