Tulsa, OK
January 7-10, 2021
Well, it’s January 2021, and even though I had signed up for my 4th annual trip to Jamaica, all I got was my 4th monthly trip to Oklahoma. Between our recent previous visits, the cold weather, and Covid cases on the rise, we didn’t do too much exploring around town on this trip. We bundled up to eat outside at a few places, went into a few shops in the Art District so I could buy a gift for a friend, and rode Lime scooters everywhere we went (including knee-first into the pavement). Call me crazy, and maybe this is my former Michigander talking, but I prefer 40° Tulsa over 80° Tulsa.
I’ll be honest, when Hanson announced that the theme for the January shows was going to be “Listener’s Choice”, with fans voting on the songs they wanted to hear, I was disappointed. When the voting started, I continued to be disappointed. A lot of the songs we were choosing from were songs that are played at almost every show. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how the shows played out, most of my votes won, and the back half of the set lists had some great surprises. I have to say this was my favorite of the three non-Christmas weekends. (Christmas is its own category and cannot be compared.)
While truly rare* songs were in short supply, there were plenty that I haven’t heard in a long time, and even the more common songs just sounded extra great this weekend. Song highlights include: “Blue Sky”, “Save Me”, “Smile”, “Stories”, “The Ugly Truth”, “Tonight”, “Nothing Like A Love Song”, and “Sunny Day”. There’s no denying that that’s a solid list of rares and semi-rares right there. Honorable mention goes out to “Look At You” which gets frequent enough play, but ages like a fine wine. Ironically my least favorite back in 1997, it’s now my favorite live song off Middle of Nowhere.
Here’s a list of the songs I voted for compared to the songs that won:
The real highlight of these show was the energy. My body was a bit sore after the October weekend, considering I’m pushing 40 and 3 shows in 24 hours is no joke, especially after so many months of sitting at home. But after these shows? With no slow acoustic middle to sit and take a break during, there’s no more accurate way to describe what I felt than “my body is tired and broken.” (Though I’m sure that scooter fall didn’t help.) I’ve since fully recovered and I’m sure come the first weekend in February, my body will wonder why it’s not jumping and dancing for 2-hour blocks at a time.
Whenever I end a string of shows (or attend a one-off), I try to take in that show as though it’s my last. If 2020 proved anything to be true, it’s that the unexpected can happen at any point in time, and I never want to take that potential last show for granted. Hanson Day 2021 is technically still on the books, though I’ll be surprised if it can happen without any alterations. There have been hints of more of these types of shows to come, and if we can achieve herd immunity then there’s hope for a real tour somewhere down the line. But, you never know, baby, you never know. In the meantime, reader, please keep wearing your masks (I promise it’s not an infringement on your rights), get tested if you have any suspicions you have or have been exposed to Covid, and when it’s your turn, please get vaccinated.
*One thing I have learned over the years is that the definition of “rare” varies from fan to fan, and I think from band member to band member as well. What’s more rare: a song you’ve only heard once a year every year for the past 5 years? Or a song you’ve heard 20 times, but not in the past 5 years?
Scream And Be Frees 