BTTI 2019 Part I : Rocking All Night with Hanson

Rock All Night 

The first BTTI show always kicks off at 10:00 PM to allow enough time for those who fly in on the same day. I like late shows, but that night I was quite tired, after a day of sheltering from the rain under a gazebo. It had been raining relentlessly until early evening so my fingers had pruned up, and my hair was a frizzy mess. But it was a Rock All Night themed show, so I put on a black dress, tried to summon some energy from my soggy, pruned-up self and headed for the main beach.

Hanson opened the show with an acapella version of “Back to the Island”, followed by “Fired Up” , which, with its instantly recognisable guitar intro, is a somewhat predictable but very fitting start to a concert with a rockier slant. “I’ve Got Soul” - followed, as it usually does on most Hanson setlists. So far, so rock’n’roll, for Hanson’s standards, anyway: let’s face it, they’re not exactly heavy. Another recognisable guitar riff introduced the I’ll-be-damned-if-that’s-not-autobiographical “Heartbreaker” - a Taylor lead from the 2012’s EP “No Sleep for Banditos” and a song I always enjoy hearing live way more than on the recording, partly because of the guitar solo that gives Isaac an opportunity to show off. Next, it was Zac’s turn to sing lead next with “And I Waited” - another staple of Hanson’s rockier repertoire, although not a favourite of mine, followed by “You Never Know”.

Things took a surprising turn with “This Time Around”: the Hanson classic is part of the String Theory setlist, so I wasn’t expecting to hear it. Don’t get me wrong: I like that song a lot, but why use up a spot for something that would feature in tomorrow’s show? Afterwards, we were back to the Anthem-era with “Get The Girl Back” - a song whose only saving grace is that grapevine routine Taylor and Isaac often do onstage mid-song. When I heard “Thinking of You” next I thought, ‘please play something I actually want to hear?’.

Mercifully, the setlist gods listened to my prayers, and we got “Hand in Hand”, a classic Isaac lead that is also affectionately referred to by fans as “Segabuy”. My rating for a live performance of “Hand in Hand” is firmly based on the state of Isaac’s hair: if his usually slicked-back locks collapse on his face in a rebellious corkscrew curl, it’s a 10/10. Yes, I demand total hair destruction for “Segabuy”. Unfortunately, whatever hair spray Isaac used that night before he took to the stage was just too strong: the locks stayed put and as a result, my rating was a measly 7/10.

The Night the Hair Stayed Put

When “Look At You” followed, my suspicions were confirmed: that was a setlist aimed squarely at first timers. I have no hard data to prove it, but I get a feeling that a lot of new islanders are also new members, who got back into Hanson through the MOE album and tour of 2017 and who are mostly familiar with the old material. That’s my theory anyway: it makes sense, and I’m sticking to it.

“Great Divide” came to the rescue: it’s a song that always showcases Hanson at their very best, with its passionate message and uplifting vibe. I couldn’t say the same for ‘Hey’, whose inclusion in this particular setlist made zero sense to me. I found “Make it Out Alive” was another peculiar choice because none of the Shout it Out songs are very rock’n’roll (incidentally, I keep voting for SIO as a BTTI theme, with zero chances).

Another setlist spot was taken by a String Theory track - the thief in question being “Where’s the Love”. I was not impressed: surely even first timers would have been happy to hear the orchestral version of the same song on the following day? That’s when Hanson Logic defeats me. And yes, I did the finger dance anyway because there are times in every Hanson fan’s life when principles need to be put aside for the greater good, and that was one of such times.

But things weren’t getting any better for me with “Tearing it Down” and even less so with “Man from Milwaukee”: rock all night, what? I was relieved to hear “Lost Without Each Other” - one of my favourite tracks from Underneath - not exactly rock but it would do. “A Minute Without You” has a great guitar riff so it got a pass (and it’s an Isaac lead), only to be followed by “Voice in the Chorus” - another one from my Least Favourite Top 10. I was beginning to despair when I heard the opening chords of “The Ugly Truth” - finally we were rocking again. Then Hanson cranked it up few notches with “Rollercoaster Love”, a great choice, despite a couple of moments when Taylor didn’t look too certain about the lyrics. The show had just picked up when - alas - it was over. Or not quite, because, of course, Hanson had an encore for us: what better way to end a Rock All Night set  than with “In the City”? Do you love MAY? Hell yes.

There was no doubt that the first show of BTTI 2019 had ended on a high note, and I was grateful to the Universe and all the weather-connected gods that we’d had a show on the beach rather than in the dreaded “Greenhouse”. But it certainly wasn’t the best opening show I’d experienced in five years of BTTI, and not only due to song choices. There were some technical problems at the beginning, and I couldn’t hear Taylor’s voice at all during the first part of “Fired Up”, to the point that I’d wondered why he was letting fans sing in his place. It was an okay show, and if I’m being critical, it’s because, well, that’s the whole point of a review: you tell the truth, or at least, your truth. But trust me when I say that, despite the not-very-rock setlist, seeing a Hanson show on a Jamaican beach is still a pretty damn special experience, and that night, I wouldn’t have swapped that beach for anywhere else in the world.

Click here for Part II: String Theory 

Click here for Part III: Members Only
Click here for Part IV: The Solo Sets
Click here for Part V: An Executive Summary