I have many guilty pleasures—but Hanson isn’t one of them.
I must have only been five or six years old when my older sister got her first Discman along with her first CD: Hanson’s debut album, Middle of Nowhere. Though I don’t vividly recall my first impressions of the young Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, my parents have very early photographs of my sister and I pretending to perform as the Hanson brothers in our childhood bedroom.
While I admit I lost touch with Hanson through a brief rebellious period, a few years back I rediscovered my love for the band, and developed a whole new appreciation for their music, their business model, and their relationship with their fans. However, when I tell people that Hanson is one of my favourite bands of today, I often receive a very puzzled look followed by a predictable line of questions: “You mean the little boys with the long hair? They sang the ‘MMMBop song, right?” Most people I talk to still see them as a pre-pubescent boy band in the ‘90s and are shocked to hear that they’re still around. What they don’t see is that Hanson has continued to write music, release six studio albums, start their own independent record label, tour the world, host regular live streams and meet-ups for their fans, brew their own beer, and raise support for several humanitarian causes.
I never had the chance to go to a Hanson concert when they were at the height of their fame, but I have made a point of attending every show they have played in Toronto for the past six years. This past weekend, Hanson brought their Roots & Rock ‘N’ Roll tour to Toronto for not one, but two nights. Though they no longer play massive sold-out stadiums, there were still hundreds of hardcore fans that lined up for hours in advance to secure a good spot within the intimately packed Phoenix Concert Theatre.
The first night featured a set of cover songs paying tribute to the music that has inspired the brothers from their early beginnings in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From opening the show with the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” to closing with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness, there was an impressive variety of music genres spanning multiple decades. While they performed a few of their own hits throughout the set, the covers provided a unique insight into the band’s history, which is something we don’t often get to see from our favourite bands. Some highlights of the night were their killer tributes to Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Sly and the Family Stone, Aretha Franklin, and an absolutely beautiful rendition of “God Only Knows” by the Beach Boys—but then again, I am a sucker for Hanson’s signature flawless harmonies.
To coincide with this portion of the show, Hanson also released a Roots & Rock ‘N’ Roll EP that features some of the songs they are covering on the tour, including their most contemporary tribute to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud.” This just goes to show how the band is constantly drawing inspiration from music both past and present, which is ever evolving and ever present in their own music.
To showcase this musical evolution, the second night was dedicated to Hanson’s own 20-year history as a band. They demonstrated their massive range with some of their biggest pop hits from Middle of Nowhere, along with their newer, more soulful material from their latest album, Anthem. The audience matched the band’s seemingly endless energy as the entire room sang along to every word of every song. This was a major reflection on the kind of commitment that Hanson fans have to supporting the music first and foremost.
In 2003, when Hanson decided to drop their major record deal in favour of creating the kind of music they believed in, they risked everything. By focusing on music as the base of their success, the band put full faith in their core fan base to follow them through the transition.
It is safe to say that the fans at the concert this past weekend were many of the same fans that grew up alongside the band and stuck with them from album to album, and tour to tour. This is something that Hanson is very aware of, and they always find a way to show appreciation for their fans, whether it is a two night concert, an exclusive fan club EP, or dedicating a simple thank you to “the ones who really care, ‘cause in the end they’ll be the only ones there.”
So although I often find myself having to explain my love of Hanson to the outside world, as long as they keep making music and touring, I will never feel guilty about dancing like a fool and belting out every song until I lose my voice in the chorus.