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 150^th.

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.