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An opportunity to skip out on spoilers and visit local friends was all I needed to include the Minneapolis shows in my plans for this tour. I didn't get to attend any of the original Underneath tours, so I think my expectations for what it means to have an acoustic night and an electric night were probably a little more simplified than they should have been. In my mind, acoustic = mellow, electric = upbeat/tire me out jumping, and I think the reality was somewhere in the middle for both. Apart from the stage setup mirroring the original Underneath Acoustic setup with Zac's drums pulled forward and off to the side, the two nights mostly just felt like a continuation of each other. There were several ballads on night two that I would have mentally placed in night one, and a few more upbeat songs during night one that I would have expected on night two. I think the best way to approach this tour is just embrace the fact that it's an "experience," and enjoy the variety without getting hung up on what each night should be. Both setlists were phenomenal and totally different from anything you might describe as their usual.
Night 1
I'll start by dropping a link to the setlist here so you can peruse the awesomeness without me raving about every single song choice and parrotting some of the comments I already made on my post about the Church Studio show. Apart from just loving the overall variety, the first significant comment I want to make is a major shoutout to "Hand in Hand." I have to admit, it's not a contender for my favorites list, and there was a time where it felt overplayed. But in all fairness, Isaac always gives it 100%, so it usually slays and I'm happy enough to hear it. In Minneapolis, though, Isaac dug deep, channeled 2003 Isaac, and found a way to give 1,000%. I feel pretty confident in saying it was the strongest performance I have ever seen him give of "Hand in Hand," period, and according to Hansonstage, I've got 35 other performances to compare it to (that's a smaller number than I was expecting for someone who was just complaining that it's overplayed). I can remember raving about how epic his performance of "Being Me" was in Albuquerque on the Anthem Tour, and this was a similar vibe of just all in, totally present and giving his absolute best in the moment. Standing ovation material if I wasn't already standing, sir!
"Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" definitely qualifies as one of the "how did this wind up on an acoustic Underneath set?" songs of the night, but then throw in a guest appearance of Cory Wong and we truly reached "what is going on?" status. (He hosted some event Hanson played at Bonnaroo last year and apparently is a musician & Minneapolis native). Like I said, I love random blanks on a setlist that I can't predict, and this one qualified.
Night 2
The second night setlist was no less impressive and had a few fun surprises of its own. But before we get into that, let me introduce you to the luckiest fan at the show that had the best seat in the house:
I got a kick out of it at first, the puns freely flowing, but when Hanson took the stage and the thing was still just sitting there front and center and plugged into absolutely nothing, it continued to stick out to me like a sore thumb. No, it wasn't in my way or blocking anyone's view, but it was just one of those things like spotting a crooked tile in a floor that's probably been there for years without you noticing, but the moment someone points it out, it's all you can see. That stupid fan was right in my line of sight all night long, which, of course, beats an actual living, breathing fan blocking my view. ("It doesn't even go here!" "How did that fan get on stage?" "That's the luckiest fan in the room!" "Do you think it's up there because it's a member of the 'fan' club??" "Maybe it's a guest performer for Dancing In the Wind.") In the end, no one on stage ever acknowledged it, "Dancing in the Wind" had a fully missed opportunity, and I'm as confused as ever.
The main standout at the second show, rogue fans excluded, was a medley I never expected. Maybe "medley" is the wrong word since the full songs were played, but regardless, it was three connected songs that I never in a million years would have connected. It started with "Crazy Beautiful," one of my all time favorites. I was excited and ready to do the sped up clapping bit at the end, but when the time came to do that, the song ended abruptly and morphed into, of all things, a cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." Like, what? And then the final notes of "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" morphed into the opening notes of "World's on Fire" which was even more "WHAT?" inducing than the last one. I might not have known what was going on, but I loved every moment of it.
I did manage to tell Isaac after the show that I really enjoyed "the medley with World's On Fire." He mentioned that it had a lot to do with the unique 6/8 time signature of each song and that "Crazy Beautiful" was inspired by "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" (again I say, WHAT?) He didn't elaborate and I can only assume he meant rhythmically and not thematically, but that was entirely new information to me!
All in all, it's a five star show review here. Truthfully, I can only be so excited for a re-released album where I already own almost all of the songs (though happy to purchase it to support the band), so my true excitement this time was reserved more for the tour. It didn't disappoint. I do hope some of the rarer b-sides that got released with Underneath:Complete (and the SETB DVD) will make their way onto future setlists, but I'm not going to dock any points for not playing a 40 song set to squeeze it all in. The mix so far was great, and time will tell if the vault will be opened to songs like "Let You Go" and "My Own Sweet Time." Thankfully, I've got the hack for that down pretty well; just keep going to shows.
Five stars, love the mix of songs, get yourself to a pair of shows if you can!
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