Category | Arts & Living

Hanson trio comes to town

Published on October 30, 2007 by The Sentinel

    “They are amazing! I flew all the way from Australia! I’ve been to
27 shows on this tour. I took out a loan and lost my job! I have their
autographs tattooed on my back!”  

    These are the fanatic words of 22 year-old, Melissa
Vener. Whom exactly is this fan speaking of? Hanson - the triple threat
brother rock pop band of the 90’s that topped the charts with “MMMBop”
in 1997. Hanson, as well as their fans, have grown up together.

    The Roxy Theater in Atlanta was packed Oct. 16 with
women in their mid 20’s sipping on Bud Light and chanting the lyrics to
songs such as “Great Divide” off Hanson’s new album, “The Walk.”

    Taylor, 24, the middle brother and lead vocalist,
led the trio with his raspy soulful voice while passionately playing
his black grand piano and occasionally tapping a few keys on the two
keyboards that sat above.

    Isaac, 26, the band’s lead guitarist, was released
from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas one day prior to the
Atlanta show. He was hospitalized for thoracic outlet syndrome
(compression of blood vessels) in his right arm. But this did not stop
him from wowing fans with many guitar solos as Zac, 22, set the rhythm
on the drums.

    The stage was simple with two household rugs, one
underneath the black grand piano, and one where Isaac stood, as
multicolored lights went from the stage to the crowed creating a
club-like atmosphere. The trio sounded great as they sang perfect
harmonies of their old and new material including “MMMBop.” This year
marks their tenth anniversary in the music business. They thanked and
wished the crowd a happy anniversary while leading into the hit
single-and the crowd sang along every word.

   
Midway through the two hour set, Hanson took an intermission only to
come back with more energy to excite the crowd. Taylor, at one point,
jumped on top of the piano and led the band into the next song while
jumping to the floor on his knees at the height of the guitar solo,
just before leaping down in front of the stage to get up close and
personal with the lucky fans in the front row.

    Morgan Shirah, 19, of Charlotte, NC. pointed to her
left wrist where the Hanson symbol is tattooed, and explained, “They
are real. They write and play their own music, they are not like
everyone else. They are personal with their fans.”
  
    Hanson’s inspiration for this current album, “The
Walk” is to help those in Africa in need. Therefore, before each show
on the tour the band leads a mile-long walk in which fans can meet and
greet and also help raise money for the cause. Hanson supports AIDS
awareness and fighting poverty in Africa, and has since teamed up with
TOMS shoes during their current tour. If you log on to their website or
attend one of the shows and purchase a pair of TOMS shoes, a brand new
pair of TOMS shoes will be sent to a child in need in Africa.

    Hanson strongly promoted this movement at the end of
their show as Taylor urged the young people of this generation to make
a difference. The band concluded the show while singing the chorus of
“Great Divide,” a song inspired by their trip to Africa. They sang
these words a cappella: “I find hope and it gives me rest/ I find hope
in a beating chest/ I find hope in what eyes don’t see/ I find hope in
your hate for me/ I have no fear when the waters rise/ we can conquer
this great divide!”

    The show was filled with amazing energy and
breathtaking melodies of the bands old and new material.
   

    To find out more about Hanson and The Walk Tour, log-on to hanson.net or myspace.com/hansonmusic.

    Photos courtesy of Jessica Forkel