Mix 1023

Considering many people either have no idea who these guys are or think the only song they ever released was MMMBop, Hanson bought the house down at HQ last night! Playing to a sold out crowd, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson have come back to Australia to support their new record ‘Anthem’. Despite all three brothers being in different stages of illness, Zac has actually lost his voice, they pushed through and performed a wide selection of songs from their six albums. The crowd was extremely helpful, belting out all of Zac’s parts so he didn’t have to! Sickness can’t stop these talented men from rocking out, seeing Isaac’s guitar string snap was proof of that.

A solo song from each brother is something that fans really look forward to, unfortunately with Zac losing his voice he didn’t perform one but Isaac and Taylor certainly made up for his absence. ‘Hand in Hand’ is always a crowd favourite for Isaac’s solo and Taylor gave a wonderful tribute to Robin Williams before singing ‘Be My Own’, a song that was only released to fan club members. MMMBop was of course a highlight of the show for much of the crowd, taking the ladies back to their bedrooms in 1997, walls covered in Hanson posters and deciding which brother they wanted to marry. The guys new single ‘Get the Girl Back’ is just another song that had the crowd going wild! And with encore performances of “If Only’ and ‘In the City’ Taylor made sure to get the crowd jumping as high as they could.

Playing both electric and acoustic songs the crowd seemed captivated by the talent of these three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma. 17 years after the release of MMMBop, Hanson still manage to get the ladies swooning and the crowd jumping. Ever growing as artists, I for one can’t wait to see what they come up with next.

Opening act Adam Martin is an amazing talent, performing a mix of originals and covers his voice just melts the heart. Getting the crowd singing along to ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis was just one of the highlights from his set. Changing it up a little from previous shows was an interesting twist for those fans who have been to more than one show on the Anthem tour here in Australia. The crowd being happy and fired up for Hanson was his main goal and he did a pretty great job!
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AAA Backstage

It was a night of in-betweens as 90’s heartthrobs Hanson took at The Tivoli to guide Brisbane through their new album Anthem. Bringing along The Voice alumni Adam Martin as support the brothers three proved that they’re all grown up to a crowd that would have loved them either way.

Approaching The Tivoli on the opening night of the Anthem tour I pondered to my concert-mate (who was clad in a faded Hanson t-shirt) whether it would just be me and her in the crowd bopping along to Mmmbop. As we got closer I had to figuratively eat my words as the line stretched all the way down the street, around the corner and then around another corner. People really love Hanson, or more specifically people in their mid to late 20’s really love Hanson. Good to see their fan base has grown up with them.

Adam Martin, who was a contestant on the first season of The Voice, led off the night’s festivities with his own particular brand of acoustic indie pop. Being alone on such a stage with nothing but an acoustic guitar must have been daunting for the Melbourinite but he showed no fear and led the crowd through some inoffensive tracks, even eliciting a sing-a-long at one point. Lovely.

Hanson took to the stage amid screams that I thought were only present at a One Direction concert and launched into I’ve Got Soul, which as the title alluded, was quite a jazzy little number that highlighted how much Hanson has changed.

Anthem standout Fired Up did exactly what it was meant to as the crowd bounced off the walls singing along to this rock driven track. I would be amiss to not mention the amazing fired up sign that lit up in the audience during this track, Hanson definitely has fans committed enough to tackle electrical work for them.

Hanson got the crowd all fired up then abruptly left the stage to set up for an acapella number. All gathered around one microphone Taylor Hanson explained his and his brothers love and respect for fellow band of brothers The Bee Gees. Brisbane being the home of The Bee Gees, Hanson performed a pitch perfect rendition of their classic Too Much Heaven. I witnessed more than one case of severe swooning from the lady audience members during this song.

After this raw display of talent each brother took the stage individually to play a song. What actually took place was an interesting social experiment on the most popular of the three men. Eldest brother Issac began with a modest applause, youngest brother Zac performed his piano driven number to three “I love you!”s and one “Marry me!” plus a whole lot of screaming then middle brother Taylor playing to a screaming crowd and just one “I love you”. All in all, poor Issac.

The boys then played through another half dozen songs of their previous five albums before coming to the penultimate moment of the concert, the moment they played Mmmbop. The crowd predictably went nuts over the 90’s hit and it sounded amazing, however there was something a bit creepy about these grown men singing a song that so intrinsically connected to their teenage selves.

Fast forwarding to the future Hanson led on with most recent single Get The Girl Back a rollicking good number carried by a particularly forceful brass section. It was slightly disappointing that the brass in the song was simply a recording when played live but a good tune nonetheless.

Encore songs Watch Over Me and In The City pleased the crowd and left the whole concert on an upwards feel.

The Hanson boys have fought hard to stay relevant in the last decade, with five successful albums, their own music label and fans that scream like teenage girls at their concerts; it would seem as if they have succeeded. Musically, the guys nail it with their exuberant talent but to really get into the show I guess you gotta be one of those lifelong fans.

WA Today

“Crank it up, roll the windows down, go fast.”

That was how Isaac Hanson described the first track, titled Fired Up, from the band’s new album Anthem.

It’s a far cry from the group’s breakout 1997 hit MMMbop, but the eldest Hanson brother said similar themes have been present throughout their work.

“MMMbop ultimately is about trying to see the positive in the negative, trying to see the positive relationships you’ll have the in the face of challenge and strife,” Isaac said.

“Truth be told, that song in many ways was about us choosing to pursue music in spite of other things going on.”

“We decided that we were going to go forward with [a music career] because this is what we love and that has been a consistent theme throughout our whole career.”

Frontman Taylor said the song was partly inspired by “friends that didn’t get” the brothers’ early determination and passion for music.

“The cool thing about where we are and the fact that we’ve started so young is, I’m 30, but we’ve been doing this since we were kids,” he said.

“In many cases, we’re peers with bands that have maybe just put out a couple of records. There’s just so much more ahead of us.”

While there is a renewed interest in the group following the release of Anthem, their sixth studio album, the band said they had “never really stopped”.

“We were really at the beginning of the generation of people who grew up with web access,” Isaac said.

“Were it not for that, our ability to stay connected with fans, like our Australian fans, would have been practically impossible as we wouldn’t have been able to maintain that constancy, even when you’re busy somewhere else.”

Taylor said that history had brought them to a “good moment” where they felt they could appeal to fans of “different ages”.

“I don’t think we’re ever interested in pushing aside what we’ve done in the past, but of course you want to move forward,” he said.

“If you go to see a Hanson show now, you see a range of people we’ve literally grown up with, you see people who’ve discovered it halfway through and maybe only heard two or three albums.”

Despite the overriding theme, the band said their music has a new perspective. Each of the brothers is now married with children.

“We never really wrote about our autobiography, but I mean for sure in the love songs there’s a little bit more about keeping it together and staying true to things as opposed to the first infatuation with someone,” Taylor said.

“Really we’ve always written songs that were about things beyond ourselves and that’s part of what’s great about being an artist, being able to sit down and imagine a story and tell it.”

Youngest brother Zac is currently “under the weather” and so will likely miss out on some sightseeing, though he has still taken to the drums during the tour.

Taylor and Isaac said they were determined to check out some of Western Australia’s “natural beauty” for themselves. Taylor, “a photography nerd” is carrying around a vintage camera on tour to capture some of the sights.

“We’ve seen a lot, you see all the sights. Of course you see a lot of hotel rooms and airports and radio stations but we kind of take it in as you can,” said Isaac.

“Hopefully as we make Australia a regular touring stop for ourselves, only having been two years since our last run through the country, we’ll have a few days to see new things.”

Hanson will play Metropolis Fremantle on Friday night. Tickets are available here .

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/about-town/boys-to-men-why-hanson-are-embracing-their-boy-band-past-20140815-104i97.html#ixzz3AT0At0B3