underneath acoustic dvd
august 2004

barriers
Since I attended the House of Blues concert, I did not go out of my way to:

a) drive 3 hours or more, board a train, hop on a plane, etc. to see the movie (dvd) on the big screen
b) figure out how to purchase the "pay-per-view" version on cable
c) keep checking hanson.net for more copies of the dvd after it ran out.

Unfortunately, the dvd was not offered at the first concert I attended (irving plaza, nyc). The first thing a young dark-haired girl said to me at the merchandise table was "We don't have that" in response to my question about the dvd. So I ended up getting a copy online a little bit later. When I first saw it, in its entirety, I was at my sister's house with my nieces who are 2 and 4 years old. They were intrigued by the music, but seemed to lose interest on the ballads.

men at work
Since I was at the filming of the dvd, ever since then, one semi-bizarre thought has crossed my mind at concerts,"Hanson can never attend one of their own shows." Yes, while one of the band members is on stage performing a solo, the other two can sit back and enjoy--but, they are still in the middle of a show, with all the considerations and details of returning to the stage. I picture them grabbing a water or taking a bathroom break. Overactive imagination? You decide.

Anyone who has ever worked in some kind of service industry, you can be somewhere fun like a restaurant, a theme park or a store, but if you force yourself to reimagine it as your workplace, the whole place takes on a different tone. The laughter begins to sound so demanding, the door to the outside morphs into a barrier to freedom, the full weight and responsibility of running the place descends. It's the thought of repetition that begins to drain away the essence of light-heartedness. You suddenly have eyes for every peeling paint crack, every chipped surface, every yellow "caution: wet floor" pyramid. I began to wonder if this is how it is to be a musician in charge of a show.

Or is it more like being a teacher (my real job)? You've carefully planned everything out. You can see how things are probably going to unfold, but you leave room for improvision:

  • Someone asks a question that takes you down a slightly different road
  • You think of something while in the middle of a demonstration that you want to build on
  • You're amused by a comment someone makes that you incorporate into future lessons . . .

In this case, the room doesn't so much feel like a prison, but a possibility. Everything turns on a dime. Someone could throw up. Someone could suddenly "get it." There could be a fire drill. You just don't completely know. That's the mystery and beauty of it.

Maybe neither model is accurate. Or maybe there's a parallel only occasionally. But really performing your music in front of others who love, love, love you . . . that doesn't really feel like work. It's transcends any concept of work I've ever experienced. hmmm

random thoughts
Here are some of my favorite parts of the dvd:

  • The graffiti on the FBI warning guy made me smile because it took me by surprise.
  • The meaty security personnel at the beginning of "behind the scenes" was the same man who warned us against taking pictures before entering the House of Blues--the one who called Taylor, "Tyler." It was weird to see him again--it was like seeing your mail carrier on television.
  • The beauty of the filming illustrates visually the journey from "Tulsa, Tokyo and the Middle of Nowhere." Despite the nostalgic value of this first favorite hanson memorabilia, the classy quality of the camera work on the underneath acoustic dvd makes you wonder how Hanson, at the height of their celebrity, could have such a home video texture to their video . . . while in their allegedly "taken a beating but still standing" indie status, they release a richly textured film, not to be mistaken for a mere video. I'm intrigued by who and what decides which camera angle to transition to . . . because the tight shots of guitar strumming, fingers on keys, drumsticks flying felt so smart, accentuating and bringing out new aspects of the musicality.
  • Zac's question, "What's wrong with their fans?" Taylor's, " . . . it's overwhelming." Isaac's explanation, "If you see the camera shaking, it's not an effect." I've always suspected, but honestly? Compared to fans at other concerts--are Hanson fans really all that "over-the-top?" My non-fan friend corroborates with Hanson at the Navy Pier concert. (c;
  • I loved the "off-the-hook" guy at the end! ::smirk:: As I had witnessed the recruitment of boyfriends to the first row of the concert, I'm cynical about whether this person is a member of the Illinois street team or the screen actors guild. Not that I doubt hanson's fans of either the male gender or of racial diversity, but I went to a small religious school in the Midwest, so I'm familiar with what it means to know the names of every minority (a.k.a. "token") student--having taken my turn as an Asian American--featured on brochures and other promotional material.
  • The documentary preview made me laugh--Why? It was all the melodrama of the flash transitions and the minor chords that punctuate dramatic declarations. I love the guys, but all of references to suicide lost some of their punch when they were scooped by VH1--"Hey, when I'm making my movie, baby. You keep saying all my lines."
  • Zac's observation about Island Def Jam and their A&R guy brings me to the August 16, 2004 issue of Newsweek which featured, "Def Jam's New Tune" by Johnnie L. Roberts:

    "[Antonio] Reid (the new CEO of IDJ) says: 'It's about hits and stars.' Def Jam, he says, will return to its 1980s roots, when it had more diverse acts . . . There's been a stream of high-level departures from Def Jam . . . [Russell Simmons, the hip-hop icon who cofounded Def Jam but sold it years ago] worries that the Def Jam brand may be diluted with smooth and styled R&B stars. 'You have to protect rappers from the polish,' he says."

    Where did Hanson ever fit in? Leaving Def Jam was like the day you realize the popular crowd is just a bunch of people moving in a direction away from where you want to go and you decide to part company--forging your own way. ::big sigh::

  • Taylor's "D*** that's it" while leading the crowd in "whoa whoa" (during "With You in Your Dreams") was so hilariously sweet . . . He had successfully taken one of his signature ad libs (added somewhere between Middle of Nowhere and Live from Albertane) and invited us in. I also loved Isaac's, "You can do better than that" during that same segment. It sounded so fatherly--the kind of gentle admonishment that's firm but followed by a wink and a smile.
  • Least favorite moment: Isaac's introduction to "Hand in Hand"--I still maintain it sounded a tad, if not all the way, unclassy. Sorry Isaac--but feel free to call me out on my behavior any time, as well. Until Taylor dedicated a U2 song to his wife recently, Isaac's unfaithful ex-girlfriends received more mention at a Hanson show than just about any other individual.
  • My oldest college friend who has recently made ever more patronizing statements in regard to Hanson--much to my chagrin--expressed interest in checking out one song on the dvd. I selected "Rip It up" and she was mostly surprised by Isaac's growing confidence--She's someone who still refers to the band by their age status ("The oldest one seems less awkward" and "If they're this good now, can you imagine how good they'll be when they're 30?" Huh?). She revealed she would have loved to have gone to a concert with me this summer . . . humph.
  • Now I can listen to my favorite Hanson songs as I get ready for bed: Runaway Run and Rip It up, among others. Even Rock 'N Roll Razorblade is earning its place. Wow--all Rs. It feels so luxurious--a Hanson concert at your fingertips.
  • Originally, during the show I doubted that I had heard Zac's solo correctly, as I did not download all of the clips of his recent songs before the acoustic cd came out. I second-guessed myself after posting that it was a song about a tightrope, thinking it might have been "Broken Angel" or "LullaBelle" but I just didn't realize it. I was delighted to hear it complete and so up-close on the dvd.
  • Before the guys performed, "Love Somebody to Know" during the actual show, Taylor had shared that it would not be on the album, but it also wasn't included on the dvd as well. And neither was "Lost without Each Other." hmmm
  • Finally, as I watched for the possibility of catching a glimpse of a light blue sweater and/or my sister's braids in the balcony reminded me of the notoriety those girls from TT&MON received after that video came out. It felt unreal that I had actuallly attended this show.

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