Sells Like Teen Spirit

The altercation between two concertgoers had turned physical and threatened to escalate when one combatant sounded the call guaranteed to bring down the iron fist of authority: “Mom--she’s hitting me!”

Peace was quickly established between the third-graders, as was the underlying lesson: Never underestimate the wide-ranging powers of Mom, a lesson the organizers of Nickelodeon’s All That Music & More Festival don’t forget for a minute.

Sunday’s tour stop at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine paraded 10 rising young pop acts before about 9,000 fans in a tight 3 1/2 hours, but as much as they sought the approving screams of the girls (mostly) and boys in attendance, promoters also set their sights on the moms (mostly) and dads who had mini-vanned them in.

It’s a canny way to break new acts such as boy group Take 5, teen singing sensation Sammie and pop/hip-hop trio LFO--slyly disguised cross-generational marketing.

R&B; singer Mya rejiggers the Jackson 5’s 1970 hit “I Want You Back” with lyrics of her own, Boston’s LFO (short for Lyte Funky One) recycles Yvonne Elliman’s 1978 disco hit “If I Can’t Have You,” and Irish female quartet B*Witched charts a hit with a new version of Toni Basil’s effervescent 1982 new wave dance single “Mickey.”

The product of crafty marketing geniuses who know they have a better chance of snaring young buyers if they also make sure to toss in something for the parents?

Perhaps. But it works.

“I do like B*Witched, and I think the whole atmosphere and presentation is really good,” said Cathy Mobley, 39, of Yorba Linda, on the way to the parking lot with her 7-year-old daughter, Maddie, after LFO’s show-closing set.

“The variety of groups and the length of each performance is good for these guys, and I like how they keep things interesting between acts with the people from some of their [the kids’] favorite shows on Nickelodeon.”

Added Dennis DeVille of Highland in San Bernardino County, who had Dennis Jr., 10, and Joe, 9, in tow: “The atmosphere is lively and there’s a lot of good music that’s fun for the whole family, and that’s rare these days.”

Sunday’s show followed Southland stops Thursday at the Glen Helen Blockbuster Pavilion in Devore and Friday at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The lineup also included R&B;/hip-hop singer Angela Via, Swedish teen star Bosson and Nickelodeon personality and hip-hop singer Nick Cannon, all of whom, except for headliner LFO, sang over recorded backing tracks.

If the live music quotient is low, the overall concept works efficiently as a new-pop sampler perfect for tiny attention spans--young or old.

Bosson sang just two numbers, Take 5 offered three, while the later acts managed a small handful, but still usually confined in sets that ran 30 minutes or shorter. The half-capacity amphitheater, and the steady exodus during LFO’s set, appeared to second the opinion of Duarte 17-year-old Jennifer Prodigalidad that “last year’s lineup with No Authority was better.”

Nevertheless, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of parents introduced infants and toddlers to the concert-going experience in a relatively safe, hassle-free environment.

Many of the tykes seemed more interested in spotting Tommy and Chuckie from the “Rugrats” series than any future pop stars. Older siblings, however, enjoyed guessing whether this year’s show would produce another Britney Spears.

“Bosson is the best!” said 18-year-old Angela Mach of Rosemead, in unison with her 15-year-old friends Courtney Vickers and Tracy Hernandez of Santa Clarita. They’ve been fans “for three or four months” of the singer with the fast-forward blond ‘do. (He’s been described as “the Swedish Ricky Martin,” though he sounded closer to Michael Jackson and his limited dance moves Sunday were hardly the stuff of La Sweda Loca.)

Through his Web site, the three had signed on as part of his “street team” of fan promoters, but it didn’t stop Mach from also talking up one of the even newer acts introduced on the festival’s smaller second stage.

“I think Dream is gonna blow up!” Mach said. “I’ve heard their song [“He Loves U Not”] many, many times and it’s really good.”

Before the music began, fans engaged in a variety of Nickelodeon-oriented contests and games set up in the amphitheater’s grassy foyer. Some, however, were a little too popular.

“They should have more activities. It took us--what?--45 minutes to walk through one,” said Danielle May of Yorba Linda, with her neighbor Jody Charpentier, who brought three children under 5 between them.

The kids weren’t complaining. After proudly showing off the necklace she’d won, 4-year-old Shawna May then paused only briefly to think when her mother asked, “Who is your favorite today?” Obviously already in touch with her inner bad girl, Shawna responded: “Angelica!” the big-league troublemaker from “Rugrats.”

A sign that the day’s performers had failed in their mission?

“They’re so young now,” said Charpentier. “Next year, we’ll definitely consider coming back.”