That Awkward Stage

The Tulsa trio Hanson helped resurrect pop’s positive spirit last year with the hit album “Middle of Nowhere,” whose upbeat anthems were fueled by the classic rock ‘n’ roll that the three brothers heard on Time-Life recordings in the early ‘90s, when their dad’s job took the family to South America. Their success proved there’s always a place on the charts--not to mention in little girls’ hearts--for upbeat, sincere charmers such as “MMMBop,” “Where’s the Love” and “Weird.”

Hanson’s first North American concert tour, which pulled into the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday, is being widely viewed as an indicator of the group’s potential to transcend teen stardom. At the Bowl, 17-year-old Isaac (guitar and piano), 15-year-old Taylor (keyboards) and 12-year-old Zachary (drums) totally satisfied their screeching fans with a mix of their own mega-hits, early favorites and the sort of classic pop tunes that first inspired them to write songs. But Hanson’s upbeat, R&B-infused; pop and optimistic worldview aren’t just for kids, and the performance was designed to prove that the young group is more than just a teen sensation.

Maybe only a young person could have written a song like “MMMBop”--which celebrates the mysteries that wait around life’s corners while maintaining that love is all important--but everyone can appreciate the sentiment, especially when it’s paired with such an irresistible, Jackson 5-style hook.

And for 90 minutes at the sold-out Bowl, the brothers acted more like real musicians than teen heartthrobs.

Building tension by not leading off with their own material, they revved up the crowd with the R&B; classic “Shake a Tail Feather” and the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin’.” Though spirited, the latter rendition hardly approached the insistent holler of the teenage Steve Winwood on the original, and the trio was even less successful later with lackluster versions of “Summertime Blues” and “Good Lovin’.”

On an antiseptic-looking white stage set that changed with a variety of projections and colored lights, the trio didn’t display much personality, giving off a benign vibe reminiscent of the Osmonds in their heyday and letting their songs do most of the talking.

The obligatory stripped-down “acoustic” interlude displayed the boys’ easy musical rapport, as they highlighted material from the two independent albums they released before “Middle of Nowhere,” some of which is collected on the recent release “Three Car Garage: The Independent Recordings ‘95-’96.”

On the cozy “garage” set, the band reminded listeners that its early works already possessed the musical charms that were later punched up by song doctors and such super-producers as the Dust Brothers, while also revealing a penchant for jangling repetition that might see them grow up to become the next Dave Matthews Band. And big brother Isaac got his moment alone in the spotlight, singing the devotional ballad “More Than Anything” while accompanying himself on keyboard.

Sadly, the impact of such quieter moments was largely lost among the screams. Other attempts at subtlety--like the trio’s set-closing a cappella reprise of a few bars from “Weird”--were also effectively drowned out. Hanson may be ready and willing to be taken seriously, but its audience isn’t quite able to understand that yet.