Hanson / Hellogoodbye / Sherwood

John McClelland, says:

I went to this concert (yes I paid for it). And I am so glad I did.

This was my first trip to House of Blues. Being a Sunday, it didn't seem like it was overly crowded and the ease of getting in the door was quick, as they scanned tickets with a bar code reader. The doors opened promptly at 6pm as mentioned on the tickets. The crowd was very diverse in both attire, race, and age (kids around 10 yrs old all the way up into the 50's)

I admit I am a Hanson fan dating back to the mid 90s. I have no shame in that and catch a lot of flack for it. But they have matured into a great pop rock almost folk band.

The opening acts I had heard of in passing and maybe didn't necessarily know them until I heard some songs.

Sherwood is a band I had become aware of on the ever dreaded MySpace. I hadn't ever listened to them before, but their 30 min set was pretty good. 3 guitarists seems a bit over the top, but whatever.

Steel Train was the next act up. Another act of indy pop bliss, with an over the top lead singer. But very talented guys. I've heard they're from New Jersey, so of course they have to be good.

Hellogoodbye is another indy power pop act, complete with nerdy boys in dark rim glasses, but in that really hot way. This was another band you may not know unless you heard a couple of their local radio hits. But the crowd was way into them as well. The bass player even obliged us by taking his pants off for one song. Their finale was their 2006 hit "Here (In Your Arms)", and were joined by Sherwood and Steel Train, and what appeared to be some fans who won VIP passes.

The night wore on and Hanson finally made their appearance after 9:30. I had never seen Hanson live and was very excited. They play live just as they do on their recorded studio albums. Noteworthy is that they were the only band of the 4 who played an actual piano that wasn't synth. They have aged into very talented musicians. They are not the novelty kids they once were. They are now 29, 26, and 24 year old guys who are married with kids, and who haven't missed a beat. They informed us a new album was on the way in 2010, so they mixed new songs with many of their past hits.

Unfortunately, since this show went on forever and a day, I had to leave early, even before I got to hear MmmBop! But since I made use of the DART Red Line from the Parker Station, it was either leave or get stranded. So if anything else cool happened after around 10:50pm, then someone else will have to be the one to inform everyone.

Overall, great venue and great sound. Had a great time at the HOB.