Now, I'm about to confess something that, up until now, I haven't shared with anyone. But Robert decided to blurt it out at the last McCauley BBQ so now my hands are tied. So here it is: I like Hanson. There. I've said it. BUT! Before you judge me, do me the courtesy of at least checking out the videos below so you can see what they sound like now. And it's not like this. I swear.
It all started back in the summer of 2001. I was still a college student, living at home during the break and house-sitting for my parents who'd gone... somewhere to do something for a week. I can't remember. Anyway, the point is, while they were gone, I stumbled upon DirecTV's Channel 101. I can't recall why or how I came across the channel, but at the time it was showing a bunch of different concerts. I always like having music on in the background when I'm doing chores so it's possible that I flipped it on while washing dishes or something. The point is that I found the channel and watched "Hanson: Live at the Fillmore." And not just once. The concert was shown every three hours or so for an entire month so I saw that concert a LOT. A lot a lot. (Just ask Robert.) Because the more I watched, the more I learned the songs, the more I liked the songs and the more I enjoyed watching. It was a vicious cycle. But one that led me to buy that CD (This Time Around) and each CD released since then. I watched and listened to it so much even Robert began to like them and now he and I share in our enjoyment of Hanson.
Do I enjoy their earlier stuff, like "MMMBop" and "Where's the Love?" Not really. But it's also been 13 years since those songs came out and, unsurprisingly, the now 30-, 27- and 25-year old guys in the band don't make music like that anymore. They're much more... rock n' roll. Less overtly pop. But they were SO hugely popular with their teenybopper music that people still associated them with that style of music, even all these years later. Which is why fans like me have to hide our like of the band for fear of being mocked. It's a sad, sad story, people. The guys themselves are not unaware of their predicament; check out this clip from their 2005 documentary Strong Enough to Break*:
(Fast-forward to the 4:11 mark.)
Robert and I have actually been to two of their concerts previous to the one we attended last month** but you've never read about it here, have you? That's right. Because as soon as anyone finds out I like Hanson, I get odd looks. And it's just too tiring having to defend myself and them all the time! (It's really a sad story here, people. Can you see the pain I've been in? I know!) But, and I'm not exaggerating, every time we've been to a Hanson concert, we've encountered THE longest line outside the venue. We see a lot of bands at the smaller venues - the Fillmore, the Warfield, The Great American Music Hall - and Hanson always has the most fans queuing up to get in early than any other band we've seen. And their fans are very enthusiastic; there were several cars decorated in the parking garage for the show. One car even had an "I'd rather be listening to Hanson" license plate frame. Are there a lot of girls? (*sigh*) Yes, there are. But there are at least a few guys there, even if it they are just accompanying their girlfriends. Are there a lot of parents there? No. (People always assume the crowd is comprised of a bunch of 10-year-old girls but I promise you it's not!) The crowd is mostly a bunch of early 20-somethings but there are other people our age there. I will admit to still feeling a bit out of place because I'm not squee-ing over one of the guys (sadly, Hanson men are not Hot Men), but since the band was playing at GAMH, Robert and I did our youzhe and sat in the reserved seats above the stage so it wasn't quite so bad this time. (Actually, it's too bad I don't find Taylor attractive since, with the way the stage was set up, I had a clear shot of his buns (or, at least, the place where a butt would've been if he actually had one) for the entire show. I'm sure someone would've given their eye teeth for the Butt Seat).
Are ALL their songs fantabulastic? No. There is no band I like that I unquestionably love each and every song - it's not possible. But Hanson is good and much, much better than you think they are. I swear! Give'em a try. C'mon.
"And I Waited" (the song I like best from their current album) performed in L.A. last month:
"Thinkin' 'Bout Somethin'" (the first single from their current CD) as performed on Conan's "Legally Prohibited..." tour. See? Conan likes'em.
The videos from the night we saw them (September 21st) are not so hot, but this is an acceptable snippet from their a cappella segment:
* I watched the documentary on our trip to Hawaii back in '07. At the time, it was offered as a podcast on iTunes so I loaded it up onto Robert's iPod and watched it on the plane. It's actually a very interesting documentary about how Hanson was affected by the merger of their label with Island Def Jam and how, afterward, IDJ sort of poo-pooed their music. So, after fighting the label for 3 years, they got out and started their own label. It really is an interesting movie about the music business. Honestly! I'm not a huge, Hanson-obsessed dork, I swear.
** Several months ago, I'd mentioned in passing to my parents that both Keane and Hanson were going to be in town but that Robert and I didn't have the budget to buy tickets like we normally would. So my parents did a little investigating and wound up buying us the concert tickets as an anniversary gift.
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