Hanson

By Patrick Campbell

Artist:  Hanson

Date / Venue:  Sunday August 17th, The Powerstation, Auckland

Most would not expect a band of 90s fame such as Hanson to still have a massive following, especially not inNew Zealand. However, the packed venue of their first ever New Zealand concert showed they still did.

The crowd showed a massively unexpected variety of age, whilst mostly dominated by 18 and up, and there were a few younger teens, all dressed in Hanson merchandise and many with face paint on, showing the dedication to the band.

Jamie McDell opened for the three brothers, a simple set with just her and another guitar player on stage. Together they played for half an hour and she showcased her vocal talent and songwriting abilities to the crowd who sang along to her well-known songs. Closing the set with her new single Dumb, she left the stage and the anticipation and excitement for what was to come began to build.

Opening with Fired Up, the three brothers filled The Powerstation with a massive sound that was matched by the deafening screams of the fans. It was a energetic start to the set, and the momentum built until it reached a peak during Where's The Love, an older track that most of the crowd sang along to and danced around like they were all children again.

The set continued much like this, with the crowds reception of material from their most recent albumAnthem never managing to match that of the energy that erupted every time they played an earlier track.

In the middle of it all, the three brothers came to the front of the stage and performed a few songs acoustically, before Isaac was left to play a song alone, then Taylor did the same. Both showcased how truly talented they are as a family; having the ability to play piano, guitar, harmonica, drums, and harmonise vocals at the same time is something that very few sets of brothers can gloat about. Whilst the two solo songs were enjoyable, and Taylor's efforts to get the crowd clapping and singing along were nice, when the band was all playing together again, the audience was much happier.

When they did reunite on stage, they did so with a new energy. Launching into a string of fast paced energetic songs, the crowd was worked into a frenzy by Taylor and Isaac at the front of the stage. The last half of the set went by so quickly, ending with their most famous song MMMBop, and their recent single Get The Girl Back, both of which had the greatest crowd reaction of the night. Not one person was left standing still during the chorus of MMMBop, the band understood that it was the song that many people had come for, and they didn't shy away from that.

The thundering encore closed by a passionate rendition of It's a Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll) by AC/DC, the highlights of which were Isaac's incredible guitar solo, and Zac standing on his drums playing them before jumping off at the end.

No person was left disappointed at the end of the night, and they were more than happy when Taylor said that the band would love to come back very soon. The three brothers proved that it wasn't just their looks that got them fame in the 90s and they are definitely deserving of the career they still have today.