Only Human
For almost two weeks now, fans in the UK and across Europe, have sung, danced, walked, clapped, shouted, queued and much more for the sake of Hanson.
With just two shows left before the Anthems are silenced for a while, we take this opportunity to thank the band and the individuals who make this happen for so many.
It is also a chance to reflect on what has characterised this leg of the tour and celebrate the moments.
From Glasgow to Solothurn and on to Milan, audiences have comprised locals, new fans, people whose only Hanson experience was back in the day and a large number of hard core followers who have turned the tour into a grand one.
Before singing This Time Around, Taylor has asked people if they’ve been to a show before, acknowledging the dedication of all from the one time show goer to the ardent traveller.
Many familiar faces have metaphorically followed the tour bus, greeted it warmly outside venues and worried ever so slightly that it may get one too many parking tickets.
The reviews of the shows have been exclusively positive and the predicted energy and devotion of Hanson to their craft has fired people up from the opening notes to the last goodbye.
And Hanson has repeated the promise over and over, that if the audiences will return, so will they.
In fact at one show, Isaac Hanson made it sound like a contract that was signed and sealed there, on the stage in that very moment.
Moe events held across Europe have underlined the seriousness of the relationship that exists between Hanson and their fan club members.
The promise of an intimate exchange and close up moment with the band drew many ex members back into the fold for at least another year. Some, knowing that it may be a little while before this is repeated, travelled to more than one event and turned a tour into a celebration of their relationship with meaningful music and inspiring musicians.
But other relationships were also cemented during the tour.
Friends on facebook met for the first time, unofficial Hanson fan groups met in the queue, people whose only connection was twitter, hugged and chatted before shows and old friends whose Hanson history goes deep, were reunited.
In so many ways, for so many people, the Anthems of 21 years of Hanson music, soared and moved in a beautiful space, bringing the past into the present and offering a glimpse of the future.
For surely this music and these musicians are going no where except further up and further into the depths of their potential.
The set lists for these shows followed a format, with a handful of rousing songs from the 6 albums setting the tone, followed by an acoustic set with solos. The third part of the show mixed up hits with songs to suit the time and place and the ending was music to raise the Christmas spirits.
Some of the best moments of the shows were when an unexpected title crept in, for example Taylor’s rendition of Weird in London, or Zac’s solo version of Call Out My Name.
Too Much Heaven, was flawless on each and every occasion and depending on the acoustic of the venue and the attention of the audience, the experience came as close to securing a little heaven on earth as was possible. After all Hanson are only human.
But Isaac Hanson, at moments, found a mojo that raised the tone of the show from brilliant to sublime.
His confidence on stage, his dexterity with the guitar and his risk taking with melody, added some rare seasoning to the taste of this music and performance and I’m not sure I can find the right words to capture it.
Watch youtube and see if you can, but don’t worry too much about semantics.
It is there, like all of the Hanson experience, to be enjoyed.
There are plenty of reviews of shows on the internet and even more great moments captured on film for you to find.
What will stay with many however, long after the videos have become over familiar and the post tour blues have floated away, is the sheer sincerity of Hanson.
From going out of their way to say happy birthday to fans, walking barefoot in the rain, to delivering killer performances night after night and finding new ways to engage with their audiences, Hanson prove that they have enormous capacity to draw on inner resources of creativity and energy.
Recently in an interview, they talked about the expression “to be only human” and they questioned its meaning, suggesting that being human is about fulfilling potential rather than accepting inadequacy.
If what we see when Hanson take to the stage is expressive of their humanity, then no wonder so many find it life enhancing and keep coming back for more.
For we are all only human, but for Hanson and their fans together, there lies the promise and the reason to celebrate.
