By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
June 17, 1999
If it looks like Hanson and sounds like Hanson – but it’s not – then it must be the Moffatts, who headlined a show Wednesday night at the House of Blues.
Think of cloned, Canadian cuties and you can visualize the Moffatts.
Thank goodness for the brothers’ distinctive hairstyles, which made it easier to distinguish one brother from the other. Composed of 15-year-old triplets Bob (drums), Clint (bass) and Dave (keyboards), and their 16-year-old brother, Scott (guitar) – who’s not a triplet, but could easily pass for one – the pop group played an 85-minute set that was pleasant and fun.
In essence, the boys gave the young girls pressed against the stage exactly what they wanted.
As do their American counterparts, Hanson, the Moffatts write some of their own material and accompany themselves on the primary rock ‘n’ roll instruments. As vocalists, they are better than eldest Hanson, Ike. But not a one of them can match Taylor Hanson’s awesome delivery . . . yet.
Still, the brothers turned in a polished concert that showcased songs from their week-old album “Chapter I: A New Beginning.” Full of catchy melodies and a surprisingly robust rhythm section, numbers such as “Say’n I U” and “Miss You Like Crazy” are radio hits waiting to happen.
Some of the Moffatts’ lyrics are rather risque, considering their tender age (“I want to hold you all through the night”; “I never knew what love was until you loved me . . . When it feels so right the way you la-la-la-la love me.”).
While the triplets were content to sway, jump in the air and high-five the fans, Scott appeared quite content in his role as – if it’s appropriate to describe a 16-year-old this way – the sexual object of desire. With his shades, hat and brown hair streaked blond, he looked like Duran Duran’s John Taylor – a teen idol from a previous decade.
