And Mmmbop -- Hanson Plays Live And Has Crowd Screaming

Concert review Hanson and Admiral Twin last night at KeyArena, Seattle.

They came. They saw. They screamed until their tonsils dropped off.

Last night at KeyArena, Hanson fans proved that the group's concerts should come with a warning label - or at least a pair of heavy-duty ear plugs. Long before the hugely popular band of brothers - 17-year-old Isaac, 15-year-old Taylor and 12-year-old Zachary - had played a single note, the screams had already reached decibel levels that threatened to shatter every Dale Chihuly artwork in Seattle. And when the curtain finally dropped and the band walked onstage the seemingly impossible happened: The screaming got even louder.

"I mean it's just so exciting," said Genevieve Haney, 12, of Vancouver, B.C., who came to the concert with her mom and friend Leanne Dalell, 11. Clutching her hands to her face Genevieve could hardly believe her fortune at even being in the same building with the teen idols. "Wow, we're breathing their oxygen," she sighed.

Everywhere in the crowd, composed almost entirely of teenage and pre-teen girls (and their now hearing-impaired parents), fans held signs professing devotion.

With 9 million copies sold of their debut album, last year's "Middle of Nowhere" (Mercury), Hanson has grown accustomed to such Beatle-esque adoration. Thankfully, none of it seems to have gone to the band members' heads. Their energetic and mature performance last night - OK, so they soaked the crowd with water guns a few times - showed them to be more than just an "MMMBop" one-hit wonder. The 105-minute concert featured skillful covers of such songs as the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin" and Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues," as well as a winning mix of their own classic rock, ballads and soulful tunes.

No matter which of their songs Hanson played, though - "Thinking of You," "Where's the Love," "Soldier," "Man From Milwaukee" - the screaming level remained full-pitch. It was hard to know which song their fans loved most. But apply a little 11-year-old logic and the answer was obvious: They loved them all the most.

Sarina Buck left KeyArena with more than just memories. In the middle of the concert, Zac Hanson walked to the front of the stage and handed the 9-year-old Port Orchard girl his drumsticks.

"He said `I like your braids' and then he gave me these," she said holding up the prized possessions. "I was just like, wow, wow, awesome, cool."

The concert ended on an suitably upbeat note. Following a raucous encore, the three brothers huddled at the center of the stage and delivered a lovely a cappella version of "Weird" that showcased their harmonies. And then, in an mmmbop, they were gone.