Got a kick out of this and had to pass it on
Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company
The New York Times
February 15, 1999, Monday, Late Edition - Final
HEADLINE: POP REVIEW;
Teen-Age Idols Come Alive At a Temple for Deadheads
BYLINE: By ANN POWERS
The truth behind a pop conspiracy was unveiled late Saturday night at
Wetlands during the second night of Bob Weir and Rob Wasserman's
three-night stand. After midnight Mr. Weir, the Grateful Dead guitarist,
and
his stand-up bass-playing collaborator stepped back onstage to continue
their
jam session, and Mr. Weir announced that he had some friends to welcome.
Out bounded three rosy teen-agers in blond ponytails who sped into a
spirited
set of blues oldies and Dead tunes, led by an enlivened Mr. Weir. Yes, it
was
Hanson, the fraternal team behind "MMMBop," revealing itself to be not a
teeny-bop act after all, but a hippie reconnaissance unit spreading the
Dead's
legacy to a new generation.
All right, the conspiracy bit is a bit far-fetched, but Isaac, Zachary
and
Taylor Hanson were obviously overjoyed to be playing music more funky and
expansive than what their usual fan base of 10-year-olds demands. Mr. Weir
also gained a spark from the exchange, letting loose his most intense guitar
leads of the night and even attempting a Little Richard-style scream on the
final song, "Another Saturday Night." Although he graciously let Isaac take
a
couple of competent guitar solos, his attention gravitated toward the
keyboard-thumping Taylor, the most precocious brother and the only one
wearing
tie-dye.
The audience resisted hysterics at the sight of the teen idols; many fans
didn't even seem to know who they were at first, and they'd already spent
their
idol-worshiping energy on Mr. Weir himself.
This appearance, his first New York club date in a quarter-century,
celebrated Wetlands's 10th anniversary. Since the club was founded as a
gathering place for those mellow obsessives known as Deadheads, Mr. Weir's
presence has had the effect of a holy visitation. Luckily, because the trio
he
has formed with Mr. Wasserman and the drummer Jay Lane is so supple and
intuitively connected, it also made for very fine music.
The set included several Bob Dylan compositions, a couple of excellent
oldies
(including a genteel take on "Twilight Time," which suited Mr. Weir's
patrician singing style), and the requisite Dead sing-alongs. Mr. Wasserman
and Mr. Lane both took song-length solos, with Mr. Wasserman showing his
improvisatory chops by responding to an audience request by playing an
emphatic
version of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction." Mostly the three men intertwined
their
efforts in the casually dynamic style for which the Dead was known.
Another surprise came when Hun-Huur-Tu, the throat-singing group from
Tuva,
stopped by after its Town Hall performance.
These Siberian artists, known for producing multi-note harmonics by
manipulating their vocal cords, performed a few songs with commentary
provided
by a translator.
One member played electric guitar on the final number. The music didn't
seem
to betray any link to either Hanson or the Grateful Dead, but who knows?
Perhaps this conspiracy reaches farther than anyone suspects.
GRAPHIC: Photo: From left, Isaac Hanson, Zachary Hanson (on drums), Rob
Wasserman, Jay Lane (on drums in white shirt), Bob Weir and Taylor
Hanson.
(Rahav Segev)
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