With nine albums and three Grammy nominations under their belts, the Hanson brothers have been going strong since their debut in 1997. Isaac (vocals/guitar), Taylor(vocals/piano/guitar), and Zac Hanson (vocals/drums) are currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their third record, Underneath, with the Underneath Experience Tour. 

In addition to the tour, the trio released Underneath Complete, a re-release or, rather, a re-working of their 2004 album along with new songs and demos from around the time of its original release. The album anniversary also coincides with the anniversary of the brothers’ record label 3CG Records.  

Hanson recently appeared at Rams Head Live with a unique tour set-up that had the group performing one night of acoustic songs and a second night of primarily electric numbers in back-to-back performances.

At Rams Head Live, each night consisted of a different opener with power-pop legend Matthew Sweet performing the first night on Oct. 11 and Phantom Planet taking up the spot the second night of Oct. 12. 

And, as I was about to see, the two sets were very different in both the material and the feel I got. 

Night One: The Acoustic Set

I am, admittedly, a big fan of Matthew Sweet’s infectious songcraft, and hearing songs like “Divine Intervention,” “I’ve Been Waiting,” and “Winona” with brilliant three-part harmonies with the help of Paul Chastain (bass) and Adrian Carter (guitar/violin). As Sweet told the crowd, he was pleasantly surprised when Hanson tapped him to open the tour, but it made sense as he co-wrote the title track from 2004’s Underneath. 

Here are photos of Matthew Sweet opening night one of the Underneath Experience Tour at Rams Head Live on Oct. 11, 2024:

Usually for sets that split their time across two nights, there’s a decent amount of overlap, but there weren’t any overlaps with the exception of hits like “MMMBop” and “Penny and Me” (one being the version on the newer expanded edition of Underneath). 

Starting off the set for the first night, the Hanson brothers took the stage and for the first few songs, it was just the three of them. From the beautiful “Strong Enough to Break” from Underneath and “Madeline” from their debut, Middle of Nowhere, Hanson went down the road taking on not just Underneath but a bit of everything in their catalog. 

At one point, each Hanson brother performed solo songs from their catalog, with Isaac taking the first go with “Never Know.” But, as he pointed out, he may have borrowed a bit from Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Only Wanna Be with You” as he hilariously blended the two. And Zac, joking that giving the stage to the drummer was like “giving [up] the keys to the car” before performing “Good Days” solo. 

It was also great to hear how some of these songs from Underneath got their start. As Isaac said during the first night, “Penny and Me” was inspired by Nick Drake, and in particular “Pink Moon” — something I could hear in that intro afterwards. 

Highlights from the first night included a beautifully harmonized version of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young tune “Teach Your Children” and, by request, “Change in My Life,” as all three huddled around a single microphone. And then there was the Paul Simon medley of “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” followed by “Cecelia.”

But, of course, the biggest reaction was to the stripped down version of “MMMBop.” 

Speaking of which, there has been a mini resurgence in popularity for the song as recent Tik Tok videos extolling the unexpectedly deep verses of Hanson’s first hit single with lines that read like existential poetry such as “You have so many relationships in this life / Only one or two will last /You go through all the pain and strife / Then you turn your back and they’re gone so fast.” In the past year, the song has taken on a new life. 

Night Two: The Electric Set

Kicking off the second night of the Underneath Experience was LA-based power-pop band Phantom Planet, who started with a number of tunes from their 2002 record, The Guest, which both marked its 20th anniversary as well as the return of the band itself who reunited in 2019. The quartet’s energy was infectious as they wrapped up their set with the hit single, “California.”

Here are photos of Phantom Planet opening night two of the Underneath Experience Tour at Rams Head Live on Oct. 12, 2024:

As Hanson took the stage, you could feel this was definitely a more full band-driven performance as the group, this time with bassist Andrew Perusing and guitarist Dimitrius Collins joining the Hanson brothers as they went head first into Radiohead’s “Optimistic.”

And things only got heavier from there with the Led Zeppelin-tinged “Dancin’ in the Wind” from Underneath. Some songs, like “Dream Girl” and “Out of My Head” came from the extended 20th anniversary release of Underneath, but there were plenty of surprises sprinkled in the Saturday night set.

Older songs like “Where’s the Love” sounded fuller and had a decidedly funkier groove than what I remember the 27-year-old song to be.

It has to be noted that the energy of the audience from the first night to the second night was very different. Although fans on both nights sang along and clapped, the crowd for the second night a little bit louder and more than a little more rowdy. At one point, someone in the crowd even fainted as the staff acted quickly to help the fan in distress.

At Rams Head Live on Oct. 12, the band played some other amazing covers as well. From a blistering “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright” to the band’s own “Crazy Beautiful,” which then melted into the Tears for Fears classic “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” which then slid into “World’s on Fire” (including a particularly fiery guitar solo by Collins), Hanson picked some great songs that I wouldn’t have thought I’d hear in this set.

Of course, they also played a much more beefed up version of “MMMBop” as well as another older song, “Get The Girl Back.”

Over two nights, Hanson put on a varied and thrilling experience that not only highlighted the 20th anniversary of Underneath but really highlighted a career that pulls from so many varied influences. From Nick Drake and Radiohead to Hootie and the Blowfish and Bill Withers, their sound has evolved and continues to grow.

Hanson continue their USA tour into November, and it’s one not to miss.

Here are more photos from night one of Hanson performing at Rams Head Live on Oct. 11, 2024. All photos copyright and courtesy of David LaMason.

And here are more photos from night two of Hanson performing at Rams Head Live on Oct. 12, 2024.