Monday 11 November 2013

Everybody Needs an Anthem



Music is a universal language. It is timeless, it is thought provoking, it is passion personified. Music provides us with an escape, it can strengthen bonds between people, and it lets us know that we are not alone. That being said, everyone has their favourite genres and their favourite artists. Every night I get to spend to physically spend with my favourite bands is a special night.

Saturday night, I got to spend my evening with my all-time favourite band, Hanson. I can't begin to explain why they are my favourite band; they just are. The musician in me loves the fact that they write their own songs and play their own instruments (and play more than one), and the humanitarian in me loves their charity work. And the insane fan in me is willing to wait 24+ hours at the venue with my ticket to get the best spot I can for the show. I arrived at The Danforth Music Hall at around 7pm Friday evening. There were already 7 people in line, and two of them let me sit in their car until security let us line up camp out at 1:30am. The security guard, who was there for the previous night's shindig, was awesome. He gave us hand-warmers and two pillows. The pillows were old and stained, but they were a godsend. I spent the night in a folding chair with a fleece blanket around me and my comforter over my head. It was -2 degrees, but with my 7 layers of clothing, plus my blankets and hand warmer, I was quite toasty.

I slept from about 3am ‘til 4:30am, and my friend, Holly, arrived around 5:30am with more blankets and two chairs. Two more friends, Sharon and Shannon, arrived at 6:30 and 9:30 respectively. And there we waited, on Danforth Avenue waiting for the band that introduced us to each other. I met Shannon in May 2004 at MuchMusic waiting for Hanson to come out a driveway. We were talking about The Moffatts. We then went our separate ways never dreaming we'd see each other again. Flash forward to August 17th, 2004. We met again in line for what was my first Hanson concert at The Docks (now Sound Academy). I met Holly and Sharon on July 31st, 2007 in line for an acoustic concert at the Guvernment. We have all been good friends ever since. Hanson brought us together.

Thank you, Hanson, for bringing us together.

Three PM marked the start of the walk, a campaign of sorts Hanson has been doing since 2007 and the release of their album, The Walk. With the exception of their 2010 Shout It Out tour, they have done one mile barefoot walks (weather permitting) in every city they've come to. I have partaken in six walks, and they have all been special for different reasons. On my first walk, which was not barefoot because it was after an early December snowstorm, I met Isaac and the words he said to me in conversation ended up helping me get through my grandmother's passing three weeks later. It is one of the few times in life that I have felt fate intervened. That walk was also snowy and wet. Subsequent walks have been cold, rough and sandy - and all have brought home the importance of a pair of shoes. Many of us would never think of wandering around town barefoot, because it seems like a very disgusting thing to do. Actually, no, it’s because we don’t know what it’s like to not own a pair of shoes. Have you ever taken a step outside in your bare feet? I have done four of my six walks barefoot, and after the walk in Sayreville over crumbling pavement and gravel, I was thankful to be able to afford a $20 pair of shoes every time I need one. There are children around the world who do not own a pair of shoes, and because of this they cannot go to school or are forced to walk miles over dirt and stones without a pair of shoes. To us, a pair of shoes is a standard, meaningless thing, but to a child in a third world country, a pair of shoes means the world. Not only that, but for every person who walks, Hanson donates one dollar to one of five areas of their campaign that help provide for those in need – providing clean drinking water; giving a child a pair of shoes; making health care available to everyone know needs it; AIDS care and research; and Free The Children, which helps build schools around the world (and is building one in my hometown). Every walk I have done, I have put my dollar to something different. This time, my dollar went to healthcare.

Walking along Danforth Avenue at the beginning of the walk.

A mid-walk chat with Hanson.

Seven PM finally rolled around and the doors opened. We were let in and found our way to the stage. I ended up separated from my friends by one person who refused to switch spots so I could enjoy the show with the people I was there with instead of by myself. But aside from that, and the woman behind me who had no respect for the opening act, the concert was awesome. The opening act was a man named David Ryan Harris. I enjoyed him and his music. He had a jazzy blues feel and while his songs told stories, he also used his music to tell a story. During one of them, he included bits from other songs – Your Body is a Wonderland by John Mayer, Slow Hand by Conway Twitty, and even his own version of Adele’s Somebody Like You. As a musician, I enjoy listening to the artists and bands Hanson chooses to showcase at their concerts, regardless of whether or not I like I end up buying a CD or even liking them. Each artist on the stage in front of me is talented and deserves to be shown respect by the audience. They are putting their hard work out there for you to see, and that is not an easy thing to do. I once performed a song I had written during an open mic night at The Free Times cafĂ© on College Street. I was scared as hell and hoped to God that everyone listening would like the lyrics I had written and the music I, and a friend of mine, had put together. I know what it’s like to put something like that out there; I know what those nerves feel like. It is for that reason that I give my full attention to the artist playing in front of me. They deserve it.



David Ryan Harris entertaining us.

Hanson took the stage around 9:30 and opened up with Fired Up, the leading track off of their latest album, and tour namesake, Anthem. They followed it with I’ve Got Soul and then took us back to 1997 with Where’s The Love. We were brought back to the present with Scream and Be Free and then taken back to 2000 with This Time Around. Another trip to the present was brought to us by Already Home before they left the stage for a quick change over. When they came back, they all picked up acoustic guitars (save Isaac to picked up his mandolin) and started their acoustic section with a song from the 2013 Membership CD, On and On. Then came the song I dread hearing the most. With You in Your Dreams. Now, when I say I ‘dread’ hearing it, it’s not because I don’t like it. No, it’s one of my favourite songs of theirs. I dread hearing it because of how well I relate to it. I have lost several loved ones over the years, but my first experience of that was being told, upon waking up, that my uncle had passed away overnight. The opening lyrics to the song are, “If I’m gone when you wake up”. I have, literally, been told a loved one has passed away upon waking up. The more I’ve experienced death, those lyrics have changed meaning slightly, in that, no longer seeing a physical body is when I truly realize that person is gone and is never coming back. Another lyric, “And though my flesh is gone” also hits close to home, especially in the four years since my father passed away. He was cremated and no longer has a physical body. I swear, I could put together a soundtrack of my life using only their songs.

After With You in Your Dreams, Ike gave us a challenge. That challenge was to see just how quiet we could be. Well, being quiet is not something us Hanson fans do well. But, it was an accepted challenge nonetheless. The three of them gathered around one mic and sang one of my favourite Bee Gees songs, Too Much Heaven. A cappella. I love it when Hanson sings a cappella, because it really showcases their harmonies and how well their voices fit together. Not to mention, this song has two key changes. Their key changes were flawless.

Covering "Too Much Heaven".

After their Bee Gees cover, Taylor and Zac left the stage for Isaac to do his solo. His solo was my favourite track on Anthem, For Your Love. He dedicated it to fans who had asked him why he didn’t get a solo track on Shout It Out, as well as the couples and hopeless romantics in the audience. I took the ‘hopeless romantic’ to heart, because, well, I am one. But, there was something else he said that resonated with me. “Every girl deserves a man who will fight for her.” Thank you, Isaac. This was also one of those moments when I wondered why he was married and not to me. Upon the end of For Your Love, Zac took the stage and performed a past membership CD song, Need You Now. It was the second time I’d heard him perform that song, and it was awesome. Taylor was last out for his solo. He sat down at the piano and performed “another sad love song”; Save Me, much to the audience’s happiness.

The band returned after Taylor’s solo to do, Juliet, and Taylor and Zac swapped instruments. Taylor sat behind the drums, and Zac sat at the piano. Remember when I said that these guys can play more than one instrument? Well, Taylor is very proficient on the drums, and Zac is excellent on the piano. They are also good at playing many, many, other instruments; I will not list them here now. Upon the end of Juliet, Zac and Taylor returned to their original instruments, and the show continued on with the leading track off of Shout It Out, Waiting For This. Then came my all-time favourite song to hear live. A Minute Without You. Isaac has this habit of giving this song a verbal intro, and it usually goes something along the lines of this: “Have you ever loved someone so much that when you’re apart, everything feels long; the minutes… the hours…” By the time he starts listing them, I’m already screaming whether I have a voice by this time, or not. The energy that this song releases is amazing. Everyone sings along, I go crazy; it’s awesome. And I’m pretty sure my friends heard me scream when that song started. After Minute, they took a moment to introduce the two backup musicians. Andrew, their bassist, was awesome and has an amazing afro. He’s also the newest member of the Hanson concert team. Dmitri, their keyboardist and backup guitarist, has been with them for six years and can pick out a mean lick on the guitar. After the introductions, the band brought us back to their latest album with, You Can’t Stop Us, a big rhythm driven tune that makes me think of scenes in my Trilogy that have yet to be written. Two of my favourite songs followed, Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’, and Give a Little. They are just awesome tunes to dance to. The song that made them a household name, MMMBop followed, and created another surge in awesome energy. Get The Girl Back brought us back to their latest album until they performed a 1966 Temptations tune, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg. Watching Isaac’s inner Temptation come out was absolutely awesome and a joy to watch. That man has got some sass! Lost Without Each Other closed out their main set and they disappeared. For about two minutes. They returned and closed out the show itself with two songs. The first encore song was off of their 2013 membership CD, Sound of Light, and the song that officially closed off the evening was In The City. Isaac and Taylor thanked us for walking (and camping out), and then Isaac made us a promise. “If you come back, so will we.” Don’t worry, Isaac; I plan on coming back. I always come back.

I met up with my friends after the show, and we had our traditional after-the-show photograph taken. But, Shannon and I couldn’t stay; my mom was sitting in a parking lot across the street ready to drive Shannon home. Once she was home and safe, my mom and I went home, and I went straight to bed. I needed sleep.

As I had stated at the beginning of this, every evening I get to spend with Hanson is a special evening because it means I get to listen to a band whose music has helped me get through many tough issues, whose music has always been there for me and given me something to relate to. Their music has always reminded me that I am not alone. Plus, when they come to town, I get to spend the day with friends I have met through their concerts. Friends who have endured the heat and the cold with me, friends who understand when a song makes me cry, friends I can laugh and have fun with… Friends who I can be myself with, with no need to apologize for being who I am. Thank you does not even begin to sum up what I want to say, but thank you, Hanson, for all you have given me and continue to give me. Your music and your work means more to me than anyone could ever know. As Isaac said to us, “If you come back, so will I.”

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