Around the World with Hans Christian Andersen Saint Paul Theatre reviews
In it for the long haul...
For my wife and I, this was our first time ever going to the WaMu Theater and we would definitely return. That aside, we stood down on the floor and the sound was incredibly good. Around the World with Hans Christian Andersen themselves put on one of the BEST rawkin' shows I've ever seen. Food is ridiculously overpriced, but that's the case at any venue (7.50 for a piece of pizza). Hayley is a show-woman of epic proportions, being gracious in her praise of both opening acts and warmly appreciative of all her fans. Too loud for me to NOT wear earplugs (which it would have to be for the people in the far back bleachers to enjoy), yet clear enough that it sounded VERY good through my earplugs. I loved her reference to Death Cab as a band that taught them that music could be "pretty and melodic, but tough as nails at the same time." She even acknowledged and praised the effect the entire Seattle music scene has had on them as a band and went so far as to claim that "without Sunny Day Real Estate we WOULD NOT BE HERE." To top it all off, they ended with the ultimate act of crowd involvement by inviting "Will" (a fan they met at the previous meet and greet) to accompany them on guitar for one of the last songs. I couldn't agree more, and being in my late 30's and so completely left in the cold by clueless youth-tripe bands, it was beyond refreshing to see such humility and reverence coming from one of the few bands that really has the talent and chops to even justify conceit. No doubt it made the night unforgettable for him, and at the very least, enchanting for the rest of us. Take a cue all you Taylor Swifties and Jonas Bromeisters, because here is a band that's primed and ready to be in it for the long haul, and I have no doubt they're just going to keep getting better.