Don't judge.

A free ticket and a cute smile coaxed me to a show last night that I would likely never have gone to otherwise. It was a band that made a huge splash in the late 90s with a pop hit, and faded away shortly after, but made a resurgence in the mid 00's, starting their own record label and company, putting out their music independently with a very DIY-mentality. I was strongly urged to look past the initial stigma of the band and their past, and to keep an open mind. And while I was skeptical, I did.

That band? Hanson. Yes, that Hanson. They've outgrown the sugary teen pop of "Mmm Bop" and while they are still pretty poppy, there is a lot more of a rock, soul and a little bit of blues to their sound. One thing that struck me was how legitimately good musicians they are. This was proven a few times, but most notably mid-way through the set when they stripped down for a couple acoustic songs, and again when two of the brothers performed solo songs. And despite the newer sound, they didn't forget where they started, playing older songs, including the two I recognized from Top 40s radio back in the day: "Mmm Bop", which had the crowd going nuts, and "Where's The Love".
They also definitely knew how to work a crowd, with a huge, unrelenting energy, getting everyone to sing, dance and jump along, but also seemed very humble and grateful to their (very vocal) fans.

The encore was just one song, I think called "In The City", which was my favourite of the set; it was their most rocking with a crunchy blues riff. So while I may not have been turned into a screaming fan (they had plenty of those already), I did actually enjoy the show. It was fun, and the brothers earned my respect; a respect that was well deserved.