Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manchester. Show all posts

Friday, December 6, 2013

Review: Hanson @ The Ritz

The Tulsa trio head back on a world tour and come to Manchester as part of the first leg in Europe

Hanson
****
Hanson
Skateboarding, long blonde hair and the MMMBop video's wholesome clips of gigs in the family living room are the first images most of us have of Hanson. That was 1997.
Now, the Tulsa trio - Taylor, Isaac and Zac - are married dads with (mostly) sensible hair. But the music remains.
They are celebrating an incredible 20 years performing together as a band with latest album Anthem, and kicking off their world tour in the UK at the intimate Ritz - a setting that suits them.
Lively Fired Up gets things going and the brothers sound flawless from the outset.
The crowd need no encouragement to go wild, but Where's The Love really helps them on their way.
It is the token acoustic section where they really excel, though.
Taylor may be the lead singer but Isaac and Zac transition into soloists with ease.
The siblings' harmonies are spot-on and are laid bare when a deadly hush descends upon the venue as they sing a beautiful acapella version of the Too Much Heaven by another famous trio of brothers, the Bee Gees.
Taylor breaks up the set by sharing songwriting anecdotes, Penny and Me leads the procession of singles down the decades, while A Minute Without You sparks a mass singalong.
After an hour of teasing us, they reach MMMBop, then a festive treat in the encore with a reworked version of Run Run Reindeer.
Usually, one mention of Hanson gets people humming their signature MMMBop, and unable to recall much else.
But, on tonight's showing especially, they are so much more than just that one song.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

MANCHESTER (UK) SETLIST 12/05/13

Fired Up
I’ve Got Soul
Where’s The Love
Scream And Be Free
Crazy Beautiful
This Time Around
————————————————————————
On And On
Penny And Me (Acoustic)
A Song To Sing (Acoustic)
Too Much Heaven (Acapella Cover)
Hand In Hand (Ike Solo)
Go (Zac Solo)
Lost Without You (Tay Solo)
————————————————————————
Juliet
Waiting For This
A Minute Without You
Tragic Symphony
Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’
Mmmbop
Get The Girl Back
In The City
Lost Without Each Other
————————————————————————
Merry Christmas Baby
Run Run Rudolph

Are these the most die-hard Hanson fans in the world?


Fans fly over from Greece and Germany to camp outside The Ritz Manchester for the pop trio.
Hanson, the American pop rock band of brothers from Oklahoma, may seem like one-hit wonders to many with their catchy 'MMMbop' track from 1997 (yes it was thatlong ago), but life-long fans of the band beg to differ.
A group of dedicated Hanson fans from across the UK and Europe camped outside The Ritz Manchester this morning in high wind and rain ahead of the band's gig tonight at the venue.
Chris Eason from Stoke-on-Trent, who, along with other fans from as far afield as Greece and Germany, had waited in a sleeping bag at the entrance to The Ritz since the early hours, said: "They're just the best. Youthful, energetic, committed, dedicated musicians."

The super fans were also waiting for Hanson to lead a barefoot charity walk around the city centre from 3pm this afternoon, however the band announced the cancellation of the walk via their Twitter page this afternoon, due to extreme winds in the city.

NEWS: Todays one mile barefoot charity walk is canceled do to 25mph winds in Manchester. We will still donate for all who register. -ITZ
 
Anneka Clark from Chester, who, along with her two sisters, was first in the queue, said: "We're waiting out because we couldn't bear to be at the back of a Hanson concert. We got here at 5am."
For more details on the Hanson gig this evening, check out our top five things to do in Greater Manchester tonight .