Keswick Theatre and Hanson

Philadelphia and its surrounding suburbs are home to several concert venues. The Keswick Theatre is one of these many venues. Located in Glenside, Pa., it is about a half hour drive from Eastern. On Oct. 29, pop-rock band Hanson stopped at the Keswick Theatre on their Walk Around The World Tour.

Glenside is a town similar to Wayne with many shops, restaurants and cafés lining the streets. Amidst all of this lies the Keswick Theatre. It is a small venue that holds 1,300 people. There is a parking lot located right behind the venue, but it fills up quickly so additional parking is available along the street or two blocks down the street at New Life Church. If you choose to take the train into Glenside, the theatre is just three blocks north of the train station.

The Keswick Theatre first opened in 1928. Since then it has undergone several transformations and was almost demolished at one point in time. Today, gold curtains line the stage of the Keswick, and ornamental gold plaster designs decorate the ceiling above. Blue and gold fabric drapes the walls, and red cushioned chairs cover the floor. The theatre has impressive lighting effects. Flash photography is not allowed inside the venue. There is a concession stand inside that sells snacks and beverages.

The Keswick was designed to have exceptional acoustics. This provided a great atmosphere for Hanson and their opening acts, Everybody Else and Dave Barnes, to perform acoustic and electric sets.

Hanson played a variety of songs ranging from “Great Divide” and “Been There Before” from their latest album The Walk to classics like “MMMbop” and “Where’s The Love” from their 1997 album Middle of Nowhere. They also performed covers of the songs “Higher” and “Soul Shine.”

The crowd was pumped up not only for Hanson, but also for the Phillies. Hanson joined in on the Phillies spirit by dedicating their song “This Time Around” to the Phillies and congratulating the crowd on their World Series win.

Before the concert, Hanson took part in a one-mile barefoot walk with their fans to raise money to fight poverty and AIDS in Africa. They do this before every show and donate $1 for each person that walks. The goal of the Walk Around The World Tour is to walk 24,902 miles, the distance of the equator. Hanson inspires fans to host their own walks in order to reach this goal.

Upcoming shows and ticket information for the Keswick Theatre can be found at www.keswicktheatre.com.