Cheesy pop invades Detroit

Thousands of fans "mmm-bopped" and "spiced up their lives" last week at The Palace, where Hanson and The Spice Girls drove sold-out crowds wild.

ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily Isaac Hanson gets emotional on the acoustic guitar.

Hanson

By Amy Barber
Daily Arts Editor

Hanson's appearance at The Palace last Tuesday was not merely a concert. It wasn't even a major event. When Isaac, Taylor and Zachary "mmm-bopped" onto stage, it was more like a phenomenon.

My parents used to tell me stories about audiences at Beatles concerts back in the '60s - thousands of young girls screaming at the tops of their lungs, security dragging passed-out fans away from shows, legions of signs reading "I LOVE YOU PAUL!"

While Hanson is a far cry from the Beatles of the '90s, the stories my parents told me became more and more vivid with each shriek.

ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily Zachary Hanson sings background as he plays lead drums. Not bad for 11.

Tens of thousands of high-strung teeny-boppers screamed so loud before, after and even during each song that it became difficult to hear the music.

And fans held up signs like they were going out of style. "I LOVE YOU ZAC!" "WILL YOU MARRY ME TAY?" One sign even read "HANSONS ARE GODS TO US!"

It would have been impossible for the quality of any performance to live up to what fans seemed to expect, but Hanson's music came surprisingly close.

The band came out strong, opening with the upbeat "Thinking of You." The boys kept up the same tempo throughout their electric set, complete with Isaac on guitar, Taylor on keyboards and Zac on drums.

Instrumentally, Hanson was extremely entertaining. At 17, 14 and 11, it was amazing to see how well the guys jammed together. They basically recreated their studio sound throughout the show, and did so remarkably well.

It was surprising that the band never faltered vocally, considering that puberty has been changing the voice of Taylor, who sings lead on most tracks. Taylor was still able to hit high notes on a number of songs. Changes were only noticeable on a few tunes, such as "A Minute Without You," which had to be performed in a lower key to accommodate Taylor's altered voice.

After injecting the crowd with electric jams, Hanson slowed down a bit with an acoustic set. Sitting on comfortable chairs with a homey backdrop behind them, the boys created a relaxed atmosphere, despite the unstoppable jumping and screaming of fans.

The highlight of this set was "With You in Your Dreams," which Isaac, Taylor and Zachary dedicated to their deceased grandmother. Played beautifully and sincerely, the song proved that Hanson is more than a thoughtless, bubble-gum pop group.

When the acoustic set ended, it didn't take long for Hanson to return full speed ahead with more adrenaline-inspired electric rock.

The band played a number of covers from the old days (yes, even Hanson has old days), doing a superb job with oldies such as "Summertime Blues" and "Give me Some Lovin.'"

The covers were especially successful because they actually entertained the parents in the crowd, who were clearly only in attendance as a favor to their children.

One of the only disappointments of the night was unfortunately also the most highly anticipated part of the performance. "MMM-bop," the last song Hanson played before the encore, was played in a lower key for Taylor, and thus not as impressive as the original version.

The song, which sounds better acoustically, was backed very heavily by electric instrumentals. Issac didn't even play the famous, catchy little guitar intro. He instead jumped right into heavy chords, starting the song off on the wrong foot.

Minor imperfections aside, Hanson also did a spectacular job entertaining in areas other than music. The band really knew how to treat its adoring fans. Every time one of the boys spoke, The Palace went nuts. So they spoke a lot.

They knew the perfect times to sneak in a "How's everybody feeling tonight?" or a "We dedicate this song to all the girls out there."

After leaving the stage for the first time, Zachary returned with a squirt gun large enough to soak everyone in the first 20 rows, but not nearly large enough to cool the place down.

And the lighting was excellent - flashing a variety of bright colors across the stage all night and illuminating the entire venue during high points of songs.

For two hours, Hanson owned The Palace, putting on an amazing show in every aspect of entertainment.

The guys proved that, while they're no Beatles, they may be more than the year's biggest one-hit wonder.

08-03-98