It¡¯s 1997, and my two sisters and I are watching TV Hits, when three brothers with lustrous locks and angelic voices appear on my television screen. It¡¯s Hanson, and they are singing what will soon be an iconic pop hit of the ¡®90s, ¡®MMMBop¡¯. We rush into our local Sanity music store and buy their album, Middle Of Nowhere, playing tracks like ¡®Where¡¯s The Love¡¯ and ¡®Thinking Of You¡¯ religiously on our Discmans, while we argue over which brother (Issac, Taylor or Zac) we will marry. As the middle child, the obvious choice for me would be lead vocalist and keyboardist, Taylor. Flash forward almost two decades to Friday August 8, 2014, and I am elbowing my way through a crowd of predominantly female 20-somethings that are flooding The Enmore Theatre to see the band of brothers perform.

Local singer-songwriter Adam Martin, who made his debut as a contestant on The Voice two years ago, sets the tone for the evening with his string of sweetly-sung acoustic tracks. Comprised of mostly original songs, the 25-year-old crooner throws in the odd cover here and there to break up the short set. Oasis¡¯ ¡®Wonderwall¡¯, in particular, gets the audience singing and swaying along with the ebb and flow of the enduring anthem. It is almost enough to inspire a clich¨¦ lighter wave, however, lighters remained in jacket pockets during the performance ¨C fans are probably saving their precious lighter fluid for the headline act.

No need for introductions, the Hanson brothers humbly take the stage. Dressed in all black, with button-down shirts and vests, the trio is greeted with thundering applause and near deafening squeals from the mob of fangirls (my squeals included). Wasting no time, they dive straight into opening track, ¡®Fired Up¡¯, with its funky riffs and Taylor¡¯s soulful vocals, the song remains true to its name and fires up the crowd. The siblings then take fans back to a time of bell-bottom pants and feathered hair, with disco-esque track, ¡®I¡¯ve Got Soul¡¯, before rolling into old school favourite ¡®Where¡¯s The Love¡¯. The excited mob has reverted to a squealing mass of red-faced pre-teens at this point, singing along loudly and circling their fingers in the air every time Taylor sings the line, ¡°It makes the world go ¡®round and ¡®round and ¡®round.¡±

With the energy in the room reaching a cresendo, the brothers dive into the anthemic ¡®Scream And Be Free¡¯, which allows youngest brother Zac¡¯s strong vocals to really shine as he hammers away at his impressive drum kit. Encouraging audience participation during the song¡¯s chorus, the Hanson lads have formed an amateur choir out of fans by the time the song fades out. Taylor, perched at the piano, plays the opening chords to ¡®Thinking Of You¡¯, and fangirls¡¯ hearts are on the verge of cardiac arrest when the band eventually reach the chorus, ¡°Fly the wings of an eagle/Glide along with the wind/No matter how high/I¡¯ll be thinking of you the whole time.¡±

As the song draws to a close, Taylor, who has recently shorn off his trademark shaggy locks, takes a moment to address the audience, saying: ¡°You guys are unstoppable tonight,¡± which, naturally inspires an influx of screams from punters. ¡°I wanna hear you say, ¡®You can¡¯t stop us¡¯,¡± he continues, beckoning the crowd to sing along, he takes the opportunity to slide into sassy track, ¡®You Can¡¯t Stop Us.¡¯ A middle finger to Hanson haters, the punchy guitars and thumping drums of the song fill the space, and the band¡¯s exceptional musical ability mimics that of a seasoned rock ¡®n¡¯ roll outfit.

After a short interlude the trio return to the stage, acoustic guitars at the ready, to play a stripped back run of songs, beginning with ¡®On and On¡¯ ¨C a song written purely for their dedicated fan club ¨C and following on with ¡®90s throwback, ¡®Weird¡¯. Putting their guitars aside, Issac, Taylor and Zac demonstrate their incredible vocal ability with their cover of the Bee Gee¡¯s ¡®Too Much Heaven¡¯, which sees the brothers singing completely acapella. Their harmonies are on point, however, it is difficult to hear them at times beneath the howls and excited chatter of the audience. Bathed in a glow of iPhones, the three singers take the chance to steal the limelight, with a string of individual acoustic songs. Issac straps on his guitar, while Taylor and Zac flaunt their piano chops. Despite the crowd¡¯s waning attention ¨C many fans are more interested in heckling the trio and taking selfies than listening to their intimate solo set ¨C each prove that they are talented musicians in their own right.

As a band of 22-years, a career is almost as lustrous as Zac¡¯s locks, the brothers showcase their multi-instrumental abilities as Taylor jumps behind the drums, allowing Zac to handle lead vocals and piano for ¡®Juliet¡¯. Heavy on the piano, light on the heart, the track gets the room bouncing, before swinging into songs, ¡®You Never Know¡¯ and ¡®Tragic Symphony¡¯. The ground is shaking with the thunderous stomps of hysterical fans as the band plays the opening to ¡®A Minute Without You¡¯ and I am immersed in a time of chokers and plaid shirts. Oh, wait that¡¯s just the crowd. Jumping straight into ¡®Penny & Me¡¯ there is a chorus of ¡°awws¡± echoing throughout the venue, as fans slowly fall in love with the ¡®90s wonder kids once-again. That¡¯s the thing about Hanson. They demand to be loved. And loved they are, as they dive straight into the hand-clapping, guitar chugging ¡®Give A Little¡¯, which immediately glides into the unmistakable opening riff of their biggest hit to date ¡®MMMbop¡¯. The crowd is in a frenzy, moving and shaking while they attempt to sing along with the chorus, ¡°Mmmbop, ba duba dop/Ba du bop, ba duba dop/Ba du bop, ba duba dop.¡± I¡¯m not sure if anyone actually knows the lyrics, or the meaning of the song, but the crowd¡¯s energy is electric nonetheless.

Finishing up with nostalgic ballad, ¡®This Time Around¡¯, with lyrics like, ¡°We¡¯re on our way this time around/And we won¡¯t go down,¡± the track seems fitting. They end on a high note with rock ¡®n¡¯ roll jam ¡®In The City¡¯, which showcases Issac¡¯s swagger on the guitar, while a tambourine-toting Taylor works the audience as he sings, ¡°Do you love me, do you love me, do you love me.¡± It¡¯s a rhetorical question, but judging by the volume of screams he¡¯s provoking, I¡¯d say the answer is YES! Instruments down, and the trio are met with deafening cheers and applause. With the promise of their return, Taylor jumps into the audience, before eventually joining his siblings backstage. Fans are left to stand in the dark theatre, heads reeling and ears ringing, in the wake of a night of ¡®90s pop hits, hysterical fangirls, and a musically impressive live show that left no fan wanting ¨C well, if you overlook the fact that they didn¡¯t play ¡®Man From Milwaukee¡¯ (My childhood self is still crying over this).

Hanson At The Enmore Theatre ¨C Setlist:
1. Fired Up?
2. I¡¯ve Got Soul?
3. Where¡¯s the Love?
4. Scream And Be Free?
5. Thinking of You?
6. You Can¡¯t Stop Us?
7. On and On (Acoustic)?
8. Weird (Acoustic)?
9. Too Much Heaven (Bee Gees cover) (acapella)?
10. Hand in Hand (Isaac solo)?
11. Get So Low (Zac solo)?
12. A Song to Sing (Taylor solo)?
13. Juliet?
14. You Never Know?
15. Tragic Symphony?
16. Thinking ¡®Bout Somethin¡¯?
17. Waiting for This?
18. A Minute Without You
19. Penny & Me?
20. Give a Little?
21. MMMBop?
22. Get the Girl Back?
23. Something Going Round?

Encore:
24. This Time Around?
25. In the City