t was freezing cold on Tuesday, Feb. 10, but fans were arriving at the E Center hours early in order to get in line and rush the stage for the Linkin Park, P.O.D., Hoobastank and Saves the Day concert. While people were standing in line with quivering lips and rapidly developing blue-toned skin, Hoobastank’s drummer, Chris Hesse, was enjoying a quiet pre-show dinner on the tour bus, spending a rare moment of free time. Hesse courteously pushed his enticing dinner away from him so that he could focus on educating Utah about his band with the curious name.

In the two years since its self-titled album achieved platinum-selling status, Hoobastank has worked hard to evolve both musically and stylistically. Hesse seems unaffected by the band’s increasing fame. He and the other members have been surprisingly down-to-earth, even though the band’s single off its debut album, “Crawling in the Dark,” can now be found in the rock category of cell-phone ring tones. In response to his cell-phone stardom, Hesse just shrugs and says, “Everybody’s got ’em”.

The release of the group’s sophomore album, The Reason, has surprised both fans and critics alike. The varying reactions to the new album have given Hesse a sense of satisfaction. He says that this record reflects necessary changes that were based on maturity, and resulted in a “broader spectrum of songs. Slow songs are slower, and heavy songs are heavier.”

Since the emergence of The Reason, Hoobastank has experienced the success of two hit singles, “Out of Control” and the album’s title song. Though overall its album has earned success, Hesse says that the band has greater goals: “We are trying to build back what we had two years ago. It’s been two years since we put out a record, and you get a lot of momentum going when you have a successful single or two. Then it kind of slowly dies off while you’re recording another record, and you take time off. You kind of have to build yourself back up to that point and then hopefully you go further. That’s kind of where we are at now.”

And forward seems to be the direction in which the band is heading. Following the performance of Saves the Day, Hoobastank earned roars of applause. The fans’ reaction to the band’s performance complied with Hesse’s comment on playing in Salt Lake City. “It’s always been a fun town. It seems like people are looking for an excuse to go crazy.”
Hoobastank is a good excuse.

The band took the time to talk to the crowd while striking glam-rock poses. Time on the road allows for more popularity, which brings the members one step closer to selling out. Yes, it’s true. “None of us ever uses the sell-out word because everybody in the music industry is trying to sell out,” says Hesse, who is happy to build a fan base full of both young and old people in order to continue to advance in the industry.
Though The Reason has received a variety of rather cynical reviews, the album continues to sell, as more and more people are able to answer the question, “Hooba who?”

Hoobastank will continue to tour with Linkin Park — whose members, according to Hesse, are rather quiet guys off stage — until March. The band members will take a week off and begin an MTV Campus Invasion tour with the Lost Prophets. Following that tour, the guys will be heading to Europe. It looks like the band is continuing to work hard in its pursuit of making it big and if all goes well, the group will be selling out, so to speak, in no time.
autumn@red-mag.com