Gig Review: Hanson @ Town Hall, Auckland - 27/06/17
Celebrating 25 years
of Hanson togetherness, and 20 years since the release of their debut, Middle
of Nowhere, the official Middle of Everywhere tour finally reached Auckland,
and if you’ve ever been curious to hear what a few thousand (mostly female)
screaming Hanson fans sounded like, then Auckland Town Hall was the place to be
last night.
The Town Hall is a
majestic, beautiful heritage building with lavish Edwardian Baroque design and
plush interior, there is a sense of something special when you see anything in
such a spectacular setting and just added an extra touch of class to an
outstanding night.
Opening for Hanson was
Christchurch band, nomad, with a distinct Indie Folk sound. They played strong
and tight, capturing a lot of enthusiasm with what would be the calm before the
storm. Their short but sweet set included a cover of Dave Dobbyn’s Slice of
Heaven and was well received with plenty of singing from the crowd and impressing
us all with their harmonies and brilliant stage presence. After finishing the
last song of their set, the anticipation in the room just ballooned. One mention
of the name, Hanson, had scores of cheering and clapping to what I thought was already
loud decibels levels. How wrong I was.
Now, if you’ve ever
wanted to know the typical age range of a Hanson fan, or the more hardcore “Fansons”
(of those I saw on Tuesday night) you’d be right in thinking the average is
between late twenties to mid-thirties, with a good smattering of fans falling
into slightly older age brackets and a good handful of young, new fans. It’s
never too late to jump on the Hanson wagon as Isaac Hanson and Taylor told the
crowd of their earlier meet and greet with some fans, some who were attending
their very first Hanson show, while others proud to admit it was their 150th.
The screams, shrieking
and other noises of adoration were in full force, along with the occasional
attempts at manhandling Taylor Hanson from some of the front row ladies, and
plenty of hearty, “I love you Taylor!” keeping the rest of us whole heartedly
amused, with big, stupid grins on our faces, and no doubt, the band on their
toes. Zac, Taylor and Isaac, along with their two session musicians, really entertained,
and if the screams from the crowd were any louder, I wouldn’t have been surprised
to see those windows shattering. It was exactly what we wanted a Hanson concert
to be.
They played an
outstanding, two-and-a-half-hour set (including encore) and looking around, I
had never seen such a show of happy, beaming faces. Pure nostalgia. The night
was electric, and those decibels reached new levels when they busted out Where’s
the Love (from Middle of Nowhere) a stunning rendition of Madeline (also Middle
of Nowhere) and the jaw dropping acapella of The Bee Gee’s, Heaven, and Bobby
Day classic, Rockin' Robin.
The set list spanned
an incredible, thirty- one songs, with plenty from all their albums, including
new single, I was Born. Their energy was infectious. I loved every second down
memory lane, from past to present and there wasn’t a single person who didn’t
look like they were having the time of their life. It’s safe to say they will be
back to our shores in no time, and with a final bow, Isaac, Taylor and Zac left
the stage, leaving us all completely satisfied.
Hanson, thank you.
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