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Susan's San Francisco Review
July 15, 1998

SF Memories:

*The* Show

Retrieving our car from a SF garage, we left the city 45 minutes after the band, after the Planet Hollywood press conference...arriving too late to hear the soundcheck. While we waited in the lengthening line for bag searches, our friend went to the Box Office to buy a ticket as she was still without. Had been tempted by a scalper on the road into Shoreline parking, but she decided to try the direct route first and had great success...garnered a front section reserved seat for 27.50, about 24+- rows back Taylor's side--- not bad, eh, for about one hour before showtime!!! Good things do happen! Don'tgive up!

We showed our tix at the top of the reserved front section. A security guard on our aisle, a veteran of rock shows was a really nice guy...patient with the screaming teenies, but casting us smiles and rolling his eyes at their begging to come down closer. The crowd was actually pretty terrific...rocked heartily with the Baha Boys in their bright clothes and Jamaican rhythms and adored AT, despite their anxiety for Hanson. (again too short a set for AT :>( )

The show was delayed briefly while Hanson's crew adjusted the sheer curtain that the wind had 1/2 way tugged off the support..an important teasing element to those 1st rousing chords of Gimme Some Lovin', the curtain that dramatically falls when the fans get their first glimpses of Hanson. The roar of the crowd behind us on the first notes made the hair of my neck stand on end--Taylor looked dumbfounded when he realized that he would *not* have to direct the crowd to all stand--as everybody was on their feet, dancing before he could issue "his Hanson no-rule rule"!!! We rocked....the security guard rocked....HANSON ROCKED! The energy surging from the crowd made Taylor comment that the stage felt like it was being rocked by a tremblor!

The playlist and staging was the same...but this time, Isaac with ponytail and *tendrils* from the start, had a short sleeve black lace shirt open revealing a white tee underneath, next best thing to just the tee! Taylor, hair loose throughout, shed his shirt quickly to a white tee (can we say "works out" or that every guy should play bongos and dirtbike?) and *pink* velvet jeans...and Zac, hair down, was in a short sleeve silky khaki/green camo shirt over cargo-pocket pants---arms looking good Zac!

The tunes were incredible..the crowd actually reserved most of their screams for after each tune...the energy level was *way over the top* better than LA. Isaac bopped and ran all over the place, sounding and looking like a genuine rock guitarist--ohmygosh, is he ever masterful, even when he broke a guitar string he moved quickly and got back right into the tempo. In the 3 car set, he joked about it being storytime and was so smooth in leading into the Stories and Soldier segments. Zac was wonderful doing what sounded like snare drumming for Soldier..very quick wrists. WYIYD melted everybody...Zac was at peak performance on those drums..then the thrill for me was that they substituted Money for Madeline. In his introduction, Isaac was so earnest to point out that they just like the song *a lot* and do not hold to the song's lyrics as their ulterior motive in performing! ROTFL! Zac opened the number..his voice is clear and huskier than Taylors..surprising the heck out of me that it was him..and each member had their own part to show off their vocal grittiness and excellent mastery of instrument as well as harmonies. It was a *great unique* take on the 50s tune--stands up on its own and captured "the edge". MTA was fabulous..I watched Isaac's hands thru binocs and hope that there is a closeup of them in the video. (Walker was in their faces with his camera in the early part, and Taylor motioned to him "enough", dad making a hasty retreat.) The last two parts of the show, the rock set and the encore were "driven". Nothing could stop the momentum. The intro of band members with just instrumental was hypnotic and the crowd surged again when Taylor moved Zac out of his seat to drum as Zac hosed the front rows down with the super soaker. Girls were flinging their little "glowy" rings down to the stage. When Zac got up to this set, and brought out his glow-in-the-dark sticks, he took his first hit to the edge of the cymbal and one of the sticks sparked and shattered into little pieces, Zac's face quizzically looking like "what the heck??" and he quickly shrugged it off smiling, grabbed a wooden stick and rocked steady. He seemed so into the music...waving twice into the audience with a flat open palm to the audience, making great eye contact... throwing his hair around and stretching his arms up to keep our arms up and swaying-- ("yeh, baby, yeh, work that audience" in my best Austin Powers' accent.) Later he had electric drumsticks that he held by the cord and swung the right one around and around over his head. Ever Lonely is a really rocking song..can't wait for it on CD. Isaac looked fabulous now in an open, metallic reddish? shirt, very grown up. no knee slides but rocking and jamming, smiling broadly. Taylor was Mr. Electricity too, running away from keyboards, jumping up and down, leg thumping, and unfortunately slipping on the slick, cluttered stage but bouncing back a little embarrassed but carrying on. (Meredith slipped in front of the Lilith audience here too if it's any consolation!) His vocals weren't strained at all...and the whoah-ohs that we melted to in SI and and MON were frequent and husky. He was beyond belief on the bongos--previous tv shows didn't even prepare me for how good he is! mmmbop became an anthem with everbody singing along. Summertime Blues and Look at You were full throttle. Taylor bent down to shake the hands of the fans upfront and Zac pulled him back very protectively with both hands on Taylor's waist, while Taylor urged the girls to back away form the stage so no one would get crushed or hurt. The guys ended with their acapella Weird segment, nailing their loving harmonies-the full crowd was swaying, glow thingies and arms adoringly up in the air absorbed by it all. It almost felt like they didn't want to leave the stage and could singmore...the 90 minutes of tight, pure rock were out of this world. Albertane at its best! ((((Isaac, Taylor, Zac)))) took each others hands, raised them above their heads, bowed deeply and left the stage to cheers.

TOY of you all,
susan and laura

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