Dan Zanes, Diapergate Revealed

Turns out that Dan Zanes is not to blame for the no-free-baby policy at the Somerville Theatre. You wanna blame somebody? Try the law, according to Maure Aronson from WorldMusic/CRASHarts, the presenter of the Zanes gigs.

"The theater has an occupancy limit of 899," said Aronson, the organization's founder. "I’m just a renter. Those shows sell out. If 200 people show up with six month olds and there’s an horrific event, god forbid, then what? The regulations are in place for the safety of people. I’m not about to break them."

I told Aronson that at the Regent Theatre, for example, babies are admitted without a ticket. (As long as they're held by a parent.)

"You can’t compare Dan Zanes, who is a pretty popular performer, with something going on at the Regent," he said, adding that the Arlington theater is smaller and more community-centered.

And then Aronson took issue with the whole idea that anybody could criticize Zanes for charging $22 for adults, children, and babies.

"Why would somebody pay $250 on some kind of scalping ticket to see the Jonas Brothers. Why would somebody spend $50 to see "Sesame Street" and not complain about it? But about Dan Zanes, where the ticket is $22, it’s an issue. This is a very affordable ticket for a quality family entertainment experience."