Thousands wanted to go, seven hundred secured tickets, and all converged on Dee Why RSL for the Wiggles 25th Anniversary Reunion. Through the night they sang classic songs from their childhood, including “Hot Potato” and “Rock a Bye Your Bear,” withstanding a blackout at the end to enjoy the opportunity to be kids again.
The Wiggles original members, Greg, Murray, Anthony and Jeff, or the Yellow, Red, Blue and Purple Wiggles respectively, disbanded in 2012. While Anthony remains part of the new Wiggles band, and Greg and Murray work on the business side of the band, the four had not played together before the concert apart from three refresher practices in the days leading up to it. No one could have guessed it, however, as they played through their classic songs and led the audience in synchronized dance moves.
The Wiggles four were not the only ones to reappear. They were accompanied by fellow Wiggles veterans Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Henry the Octopus and Wags the Dog. Many audience members reminisced wearing dinosaur tails and pirate costumes, but the concert took a more adult turn at times, with one person waving a cigarette lighter during “Wags the Dog,” and the suggestion that notoriously sleepy Jeff could be woken up with VB. Not to lose their squeaky clean image, the band quickly glazed over the moment, with Murray saying he did not know what VB was, and Greg telling him ““Very bad. We want something to wake him up, not make him even sleepier.”
Decades of experience performing to overexcited children clearly equipped the Wiggles with the tools to deal with any eventuality, so when Dee Why RSL suddenly experienced a blackout near the end of the concert, they still gave the audience a beautiful conclusion to their night, with an acoustic version of “Hot Potato.“.
When asked if he would do it again, Blue Wiggle Anthony was quick to say yes:
“I just want to do it again… I reckon maybe head down to Melbourne for the next one. We haven’t booked anything, but everyone after the show was just buzzing. It would be great fun.”
