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Symphony on the Beach: Hanson give String Theory the Island Treatment



Please note: this post was written before I saw a ‘real’ String Theory show with an orchestra.

If you read my two part review of the String Theory double album, you’ll already know that I am not a huge fan of the recorded project, mostly because of the recycling of old vocals and a sense that the orchestral arrangement didn’t really add much to some of the songs. However, I was very excited about the live experience, so when Hanson announced a String Theory shows at BTTI, I knew I’d be in for a treat.

As it was confirmed during the “What is String Theory?” Q&A that afternoon, there would be no orchestra at the show, but instead, the band would play to the instrumental version of the album. It was no big surprise - let’s face it, how feasible would it be to get an orchestra on that small stage on the beach? Sure, it wasn’t going to be the real thing, but it was still going to be an upgraded version of the album, and I was all for that.

What is String Theory?

What I was looking forward to the most about the ST show was the opportunity to hear those songs with the orchestral arrangements and the guys’ voices as they sound now, and as the set started, I knew I was not going to be disappointed. Performed live, “Reaching for the Sky” had an ethereal quality that just does not come across on record, and if it sounded beautiful against a backing track, I can only imagine what it will be like with an actual orchestra. “Joyful Noise” was uplifting, and Zac’s voice sounded better than it does on the studio version - especially as he omitted those breathy Michael Jackson-style ‘ahhs’ in between ‘go tell the doctor’ and ‘that it heals your soul’. “Dream It Do It” was inspired and anthemic and Zac’s voice was pitch-perfect on “Chasing Down My Dreams”. 

Remember when I said in part 1 of my album review that “Siren Call” was the best song in the album? I’m even more convinced of that now: “Siren Call” is a dark horse that haunts you well after the catchier, better-known songs have faded from memory. “Me Myself and I” has taken on a whole new meaning since I’ve read Holly’s theory on the lyrics - on how the whole meaning of the song changed when an ‘it’ became ‘we’. Holly’s alternative take on the song casts a darker, sombre shadow on our perception of the band, and I couldn’t help thinking of something Zac had said during the Q&A - a hint at the difficulties of being a band after so many years, when your interests and priorities are changing. I am paraphrasing, of course, but that was definitely the gist of what he was saying, and it doesn’t come as a big surprise after all, especially about the much-hyped ‘near split’ of 2012. On a happier note though, I love the fact that, in String Theory “Me Myself and I” Isaac gets to sing a verse, so as far as I’m concerned, this version is actually superior to the original.




After a symbolic intermission of less than a minute, the show continued with “Battle Cry” - one of my favourite songs in the album. As I had hoped, “Battle Cry”  sounded absolutely epic live and Zac slayed it. That’s one song I am dying to hear with the full orchestra. And I felt the same after a poignant performance of “Breaktown”- which gains a whole new level of depth now that it’s being sung by a man in his thirties. I can’t help thinking that the best thing about the String Theory project is that songs like “Broken Angel” and “Breaktown” are now in heavy rotation, together with EP tracks like “Joyful Noise” and “No Rest for the Weary” that would otherwise only ever get aired at members only events. I don’t know if Hanson are particularly interested in reaching the general public these days, but I’m glad that they’re putting these songs out there; they showcase a band that has done a lot more than writing a hit song in the 90s.



After getting the crowd to pump their fists in the air with “I Was Born” and an equally charged “Sound of Light”, the show ended with “Tonight” - another song seldom played before String Theory. Once the band left the stage and the lights were out, I felt that I’d just been present to something really special that will probably never happen again. String Theory “BTTI Edition” may not have been the real thing, and there were a few occasions when the live instruments drowned out the backing track, but that was a price worth paying to get the symphony experience on a beach, in the middle of the Caribbean and under a sky so packed with stars that it felt like being under the vault of a planetarium.

Do the stars shine brighter there?
Can you really walk on air?

As a 5th year islander, it’s fair to say that ‘I’ve been there before’, but without a doubt, String Theory on the beach was a show I will never forget.



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