Slug dancey dances with 'Yo Gabba Gabba!" at Target Center

I've seen him on Letterman, Conan, at the Wiltern Theater in L.A., and in front of 15,000 enraptured fans at Soundset, but Slug proved just how big a star he is Saturday by making a surprise appearance with the "Yo Gabba Gabba!" kids TV crew at the Target Center. The Atmosphere rapper came out in the second half of the show as the "Dancey Dance" guest, the instructional dance portion that has been filled on the TV show by the likes of Jack Black, Sarah Silverman and Adam Samberg. Slug's routine went something like this: "Stomp! Stomp! Out! In! Out! Now Squish It!" The kids loved it. Slug himself actually seemed a little nervous, but then it's quite a leap from performing with the mostly immobile Ant on stage to dancing goofily with Foofa and Brobee.

I'm not sure if there was any back story to Slug being there other than they wanted a local music star, but I'm guessing he might have crossed paths with the Aquabats -- whose singer co-created "Yo Gabba Gabba" -- while on the Warped Tour. Slug's teenage son is probably passed the age where "Yo" carries any street cred, but it should win him points with his new son due in a few weeks.

The rest of Saturday's show (the first of two) was as giddy an affair for the toddlers in the crowd as it is for teens and 20-somethings attending an Atmosphere gig -- and for the adults, it was way more fun than the usual schmaltzy kids show. The grandparents seated behind me were laughing uproariously during Biz Markie's beatboxing set, especially when he wandered into the crowd to hand kids the mic. Both Biz and the Aquabats were on stage all of five minutes, making it probably the easiest pay day they (or any of us) could ever hope for. No wonder they both booked gigs afterward.