I vaguely remember being into Hanson for like five minutes in 1997. Middle of Nowhere was a great album but my heart belonged to quality entertainers like Whigfield, Aqua and Dannii. 15 years passed and I finally got to see the boys perform live. It turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. But to be honest, I didn't have very high expectations. These retro tours can be a disaster (Vengaboys, I'm looking at you!) but Hanson ticked all the boxes. They sounded great, dusted off most of the hits and subtly showed that there's more to them than "MMMBop" by playing some surprisingly good new material.
After an opening song I didn't recognise (not that you could really hear it over all the old lady screams), Hanson got the party started with "Where's The Love". Memory is a weird thing. I'd bet a lot of money that I haven't heard the song since the '90s but every line came flooding back. In addition to the feel-good factor of reconnecting with a song from your childhood, I couldn't help but notice that the Hanson brothers got a lot hotter with age. Well, all of them except Taylor. While he looks like he should be walking through a prairie, his voice and musicianship can't be faulted. The middle Hanson is the battery that keeps the band going and his energy was infectious.
Highlights for me were Zac's solo, Isaac's striptease (ok, he undid the top button on his shirt) and hearing songs I had completely forgotten exist like "Penny & Me", "This Time Around" and their 2000 Australian top 10 hit "If Only". Of course, nothing could top finally hearing "MMMBop" live and it was the religious experience I was expecting. Isaac looked bored but Taylor did everything but stand on his head to get the crowd into it - not that they needed any encouragement! The Hanson brothers, still have the ladies eating out of their hands after all these years. It's almost a shame they're all married and a have a million kids between them. I can't really criticise the concert. It was lovingly put together, well-executed and extremely entertaining. It would have been nice to hear 1998 hits "Weird" and "Thinking Of You" but no doubt they'll be on the setlist next time. All in all, this trip down memory lane was well worth taking.
EDIT: I'm told they did perform "Thinking Of You". I must have been taking a piss.
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