1. Where’s the Love
2. Great Divide
3. Thinking Of you
4. Get Up And Go
5. Running Man
6. Been There Before
7. Worlds On Fire

8. Carry You There
9. Strong Enough To Break
10. I Will Come To You
11. Deeper (Isaac solo)

12. Madeline / Hold On Im Coming
13. Waiting for This
14. Minute Without You
15. Twist and Shout
16. Lost Without Each Other
17. MMMBop
18. Something Going Round

19. Don’t Stop Believing

1. Where’s The Love
2. Great Divide
3. Get Up and Go
4. Hey
5. You Never Know
6. Been There Before
7. This Time Around
8. World’s On Fire

9. Carry You There
10. Penny and Me
11. A Song To Sing
12. Use Me up- Zac Solo
13. Never Been To Spain
14. Waiting For This- (Back to electric.)
15. Crazy Beautiful
16.Minute W/O You
17. Twist and Shout
18. Lost W/O Each Other
19.MMMBop
20. Something Going Around

21. If Only
22. Gimme Some Lovin

OC Register

In the spring of 1997, as a high school senior eagerly awaiting graduation, I was unfortunately without a car. My friend Rick drove a used Chevy Blazer (and therefore me) and owned one CD: the single version of Hanson’s “MMMBop,” which he played continuously.

Rick had purchased the disc after hearing the song on the radio, but once it became a No. 1 smash in almost a dozen countries — and the moppety mugs of Isaac, Taylor and Zac were plastered all over TV — Rick “lost” the CD, eventually claiming he’d never even owned it.

This backlash was all too common in the late ’90s and early ’00s, and while it may never be cool to listen to Hanson (or at least cop to listening to Hanson), the three-piece from Tulsa never really went away — the band of brothers is currently putting the finishing touches on its as-yet-unnamed eighth LP (due in 2010) and touring the U.S. behind a mostly-acoustic EP titled Stand Up, Stand Up.

On Saturday, the group’s Use Your Sole Tour bopped into L.A. Live’s jam-packed Club Nokia (it stops Wednesday at House of Blues Anaheim), and while Rick was noticeably absent, the adoring legion of Hansonites were out in force to support the band that most of them never stopped supporting.

It was eerily reminiscent of a Phish or Grateful Dead concert, as the (heavily female) fans near me rattled off recent set lists, discussed best-ever versions of songs and recited how many shows they’d seen on this particular tour. One thirtysomething woman claimed the Club Nokia show was her 200th Hanson show.

I’ll let that one sink in: 200th Hanson show.

During the two-hour headlining slot, the trio catered to this tirelessly loyal army of fans with continuous interaction, playful (if not contrived) stage banter, stripped-down acoustic numbers and even a few covers voted into the set by fans.

Opening with “Where’s the Love” and closing with a cover of the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’” (featuring not only the three stellar opening acts — Hellogoodbye, Steel Train and Sherwood — but also members of Rooney and, if you can believe it, “Weird Al” Yankovic), Hanson played a set of 20 or so songs that showcased the band’s catchy, hook-laden, gospel-tinged pop. And the audience knew ever single word.

Here’s the deal: if you’d never listened to Hanson, only knew “MMMBop” from the radio, and someone told you that an unnamed up-and-coming blue-eyed soul trio was playing Club Nokia, you’d be hard-pressed to tell its songs apart from anything John Mayer has released to mainstream radio in the past five years. Even the teenybop tunes have been updated and given more powerful punch.

The songs are solid — upbeat, piano-based pop/rock songs, louder than you’d expect, with electric guitars and synthesized horn lines — even if after two hours the formula gets repetitive, while numbers like “You Never Know” and “Crazy Beautiful” would have benefited greatly from an in-the-flesh three-piece horn section. (That would definitely up the Hanson Authenticity Ante.)

At least from a rabid-fan perspective (and I’m solely judging by the amount of screaming and applause around me), the night’s highlight came when the band trotted out a series of new songs. After beginning electric with the U2-sounding “World’s on Fire” and continuing acoustic with “Carry You There” (both from the new EP), the band left the stage except for drummer Zac, who positioned himself at brother Taylor’s white upright piano for “Use Me Up,” a supplicating plea that wouldn’t sound out of place on, dare I say it, one of the half-dozen albums the “retired” Ryan Adams is undoubtedly preparing for 2010.

Heartfelt and tender without sounding wimpy or trite, “Use Me Up” should not only enter Hanson’s regular rotation, but stand at its forefront as a shining example of a light-years-away move from the sugarcoated teen shtick the band popularized in the late ’90s.

And speaking of “MMMBop” … yeah, they played it, after Hellogoodbye playfully teased the intro during its set. Isaac didn’t seem tired of picking out the intro, Zac wasn’t put off by the 4/4 drumbeat and Taylor sang it as if he had rarely performed that one song that made Hanson overnight celebrities 13 years ago.

It reminded me of an interview in the ’80s, when Jimmy Buffett was asked if he ever got tired of playing “Margaritaville.” Without skipping a beat, he responded (and I’m paraphrasing) that his most popular song had been paying the bills for years — how could he ever stop playing it?

“MMMBop” helped Hanson sell over 10 million copies of its major-label debut, Middle of Nowhere — and it’s been paying the bills for years, during which time the brothers could easily have slipped into one-hit-wonder obscurity. They haven’t, however, which is not only a testament to their incredibly dedicated fan base but also their desire to be taken seriously by the music mainstream.

Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, Hanson ain’t going nowhere. And now that my friend Rick has an 11-year-old daughter, maybe he should dig up that “MMMBop” single — a new generation of Hanson fans might just be waiting in the wings.

(Hanson plays tonight at House of Blues San Diego, $32.50-$47.50, and Wednesday at House of Blues Anaheim, $30. Photos by Bryan Johnson.)

Layolan

Hanson and Hellogoodbye

Club Nokia

800 W Olympia Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA

Saturday, Nov. 7, 6:30 p.m.

$24 online, $30 day of show

Hanson, of 1990s boy band fame, and synthpop group Hellogoodbye team up for what they’ve called the “Use Your Sole Tour.” The Hanson brothers have come a long way from their 1997 hit “MMMBop,” and will be playing music from several of their seven studio albums. Hellogoodbye is gearing up for a new album, and on Saturday, concert-goers may get a listen of their new song “When We First Met.” Steel Train and Sherwood are also scheduled to perform at the event.

Pre-Order Kris Allen’s album now on iTunes

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01. Wheres the Love
02 .Great Divide
03. Get Up And Go
04. Hey
05. You Never Know
06. Been There Before
07. This Time Around
08. World’s On Fire

09. Carry You There
10. Penny and Me
11. I Will Come To You
12. Use Me Up (Zac solo)
13. Love Me (Taylor Solo)

14. Crazy Beautiful
15. Waiting For This
16. Minute Without You
17. Twist and Shout
18. Lost Without Each Other
19. MMMBop
20. Something Going Round

21. Don’t Stop Believing

Golden Gate [X]press
Music group Hanson performed in front of Malcolm X Plaza the afternoon of Nov. 5 to bring attention to issues around the world.

The American rock ‘n’ roll band, made up of brothers Isaac, Taylor and Zach Hanson, started in The Village at Centennial Square by having the crowd to take off their shoes and walk barefoot with them to the plaza.

Since 2007, Hanson has partnered with shoe company TOMS doing “The Walk,” where they walk for one mile before giving a concert in an attempt to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa as well a number of other causes. For every person who put their name down on their list, Hanson will donate $1 to these efforts.

“We’re raising money to aid those that are less fortunate,” Taylor Hanson said. “This is not an awareness walk, this is an action walk.”

Hundreds of SF State students screamed and hollered as they walked with the band one mile from The Village to the plaza.

“It’s a great opportunity to speak to people and do something together,” Taylor Hanson said as he set out on the walk. “Even though there’s a million causes, a student can have an active role in creating change.”

Youngest brother Zach Hanson echoed his older brother’s message of hope to change the unfortunate conditions in particular parts of the world.

“We don’t need a government or nonprofit to reach out,” Zach Hanson said. “We got all the tools we need. Walks are just a way to provide people with a way to start.”

Not only did SF State students decided to join in on the march for a good cause, fans from all over also joined in.

“This is our second walk,” said Lauren Connelly, 19, who attends City College of San Francisco. “We did the Petaluma walk last year. It’s a great cause.”

When Hanson took the stage on the plaza, they performed three songs and they closed it with the crowd favorite “Where’s the Love.” Fans, however, were disappointed when the group did not perform their hit song “MmmBop.”

But Allie Berger, 20, was able to get Zach Hanson’s signature on her sweatshirt and said it was “The biggest day in my entire life.”

Hanson’s next stop will be at UC Los Angeles on Nov. 7, followed by the University of San Diego on Nov. 8.

Star Tribune

In the six years since he left the Twin Cities for Los Angeles, Har Mar Superstar has always come back with a surprisingly long list of names to drop, ones straight off the A-list like Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller, Kate Moss, the Jonas Brothers, Red Hot Chili Peppers and, most recently, Eva Mendes and Ellen Page.

So it was more surprising to hear the singer/actor/whatever-you-got-for-me-performer talk excitedly about the less starry group of people he met at a recent excursion to a songwriting camp with his close pal Adam Green of the Moldy Peaches.

“It was me and Adam at the Hanson brothers’ ranch in Oklahoma, with Weird Al Yankovic, the guys from Morningwood, Miles from Fastball,” Har Mar recounted by phone from the road last week. “It was intentionally a weird bunch, and really inspiring.”

Clearly, nothing is too weird for Har Mar. His journey to MMM-Bop Ranch was on the long list of answers to the question, “Where you been?”

Ridiculously conspicuous during the mid-’00s, the artist formerly known as local indie-rocker Sean Tillmann, 31, has been noticeably off the radar the past couple years. He hasn’t put out a Superstar album since 2004’s “The Handler.” His only on-screen appearance of late was a bit role as a fighting coach in Barrymore’s rollergirl comedy “Whip It!”

Returning to town tonight for a Varsity Theater gig behind his new disc, “Dark Touches,” the HMS explained that most of his work of late — and you knew he wasn’t just lying low — has been behind-the-scenes.

“I’ve actually been busier than most of the people I know who are in bands putting out records full-time,” he said.

Foremost among his ventures is a new sitcom called “Stitch N’ Bitch” with “Juno” star Page. It’s now in development at HBO (so confirms the Hollywood Reporter) and will star Page and “Arrested Development’s” Alia Shawkat as young hipsters in Hollywood who desperately try to blend in, with Har Mar playing himself and co-writing scripts.

“Ellen, Alia and I are all from smaller towns and all know what it’s like making a jackass of yourself trying to be cool enough for Hollywood,” Har Mar said with a giggle.

His other projects of late have included a music-video-remake show called “Shoot to Kill” (shelved during a VH1 regiment change), plus he’s co-written a screenplay with “Die Hard With a Vengeance” and Mac commercial star Justin Long.

He never lost interest in his bare-all music career, though.

“Har Mar tours are the most fun I have, so it’s constantly on my mind,” he said.

“Dark Touches” features Har Mar’s trademark sexed-up, come-hither R&B sound with a heavier dosage of dance-floor grind. As with “The Handler,” the music is often way more sophisticated than the tongue-wagging-in-cheek lyrics would have you believe. He again collaborated with Twin Cities-reared producer-to-the-tween-stars John Fields, plus a guest list that includes members of the Faint, Neon Neon, the Bird & the Bee and his former Perpich Center for the Arts classmate P.O.S.

The phallic single “Tall Boy” is already earning him newfound notoriety. His performance of it last month on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon” — fully clothed, by the way — went to the top of the Google Trends list the next morning. Its Mendes-starring video also earned a spot on Entertainment Weekly’s “Must List.” All of which leaves one wondering if the starlet for whom the song was written might’ve actually had a hit with it.

“We sent it to Britney’s people and they said they were interested, but then they sent it back, I think because of the content,” he recalled. “It might’ve been a bad idea for her, but I was totally fine with keeping it.”

All these unrequited flirtations with TV shows and hit songs raised a rather blunt and serious question: Has Tillmann actually been able to make a decent living as the Superstar all these years?

“There were questionable times when I’ve been broke,” he admitted, “but now I own a house in L.A. and I haven’t had a 9-to-5 job since I was 18, so I think I’ve done all right.”

azstarnet

So, what have the brothers Hanson been up to since making ‘tween girls swoon and making the world go “MMMbop” in the ’90s?
Isaac, Taylor and Zac have since started their own indie label, released their fourth studio album and ventured into humanitarian work, all while raising seven children among them.
Their most recent album, “The Walk,” released in 2007, shows the band’s versatility, with songs ranging from the blues-infused, piano-heavy title track to the uptempo dance track “The Running Man.”
The band Sherwood opens for Hanson at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Rialto Theatre. General admission tickets are $22 in advance, $24 at the door. Reserved balcony seats are $25. 740-1000.