Saturday, September 17, 2011

I want Hanson for my birthday every year.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Every time I see Hanson live, I turn into my 16-year-old self who saw them live at the Hollywood Bowl thirteen years ago, back in their "MMMBop" days. I saw them two years ago at the Kern County Fair, last year at the Depot, and again on Thursday night. The last three years, it's been a birthday present to me. I think they know.

(I'm going to post some videos, but be warned--my camera doesn't record sound very well.)

They started the show with "Musical Ride," which is fitting since the tour is called the Musical Ride Tour. This song was stuck in my head all during work the next day.

They started playing "Where's the Love" and I thought, "It's in Lindsle's shoe!!" I almost texted her. Maybe I should have.

They played "Go," which, if I'm not mistaken, is Julia's favorite. I thought of her.



They played "MMMBop," and I thought of all of you lovely people who, as amazing as you are, don't know any other song by Hanson. As much as I wish people would get over it, I still found myself singing and dancing along with a grin on my face.

They also played "A Minute Without You," and the look on Zac's face at one point was priceless. I could almost hear the internal dialogue: "Are these people really that excited to hear this song again?! I'll throw in my 'oh! yeah!' right now... Yep, made the crowd happy... my gosh, this is stupid... and really, really fun. So glad this is my job."

They played "Something Going Round," which is one of my favorites off of the Walk.



They played "If Only," and again, I thought of my Lindsey friend. She would have loved it. All of the jumping Taylor encouraged us to do during that song has left me with stiff legs and sore knees. Yes, I'm serious. But it was fun!

And my personal favorite off the Shout It Out album, "Give a Little."



I mean, can it get any better than lyrics like, "Make her blush when you put your hand on her hips..." "When you move in close, take your time..." "Leave an empty shoulder, let her move in closer..." "She loves to keep you in suspense..." "Wrap your arms around her body, tell her all she needs to know..." Pair that with fun melodies, a good hook, and some brass, and you've got yourself a really great song. It makes me dance every time I hear it.

When they came out for the encore (By the way, what's the point in leaving the stage if you know you're gonna be back out in less than five minutes? I mean, really... the encore thing is just dumb to me), they played "Madeline" because some guy was apparently holding up a sign during the whole show that said something about it being his girlfriend's birthday, and her name is Madeline, and will you please play it. So they did. Made me think of Jana, because Jana likes playing this song, too.



Then they played "Penny and Me" and "Tearing It Down," during which I think I finally lost my hearing and my voice, because we were encouraged by the band to sing and dance it out. Zac said, "This is it, guys, so make it count!"

The audience was surprising. Fake plastic barbie dolls with too much make up and too much hair. Dude-bros. Tattooed, pierced, and drunk chicks and guys. Hipster kids (boys and girls alike) singing along to every song. And, of course, the typical "I love you Hanson," kind of girls. I probably fall in the later category. Look. Like them or hate them, I don't care. I love them and I always will.

1 comment:

Christy said...

I had fun shopping with you for your birthday but then when your birthday actually arrived I felt like a slakker (?sp). I'm glad you had a good time at the concert - wish I had been there to celebrate with you.
Love you