The Tulsa Three took their first skyrocket ride to fame fueled by "MMMBop" mania, an adolescent hysteria that spread around the globe. Hanson's first single became the No. 1 song in virtually every country on earth even before the band offered its first performance.

Scalpers got as much as $500 per ticket from sobbing and screaming fans on both coasts before returning to their hometown for back-to-back sold-out shows.

Then, the brothers Hanson were "sooo cute."

It's two years later. After a U.S. and world tours, a Christmas album and a live recording, the brothers have produced a second major studio release. The musicians -- like their fans -- have grown up.

Oh, the screaming and sobbing will still be out there, and scalpers undoubtably will profit from ticketless fans.

But this time, the nationwide tour starts in Tulsa, in front of the hometown crowd.

And now, the Hansons three -- Isaac, Taylor and Zac -- are no longer cute. They're hot.

Riding the steady, growing success of their most recent release -- "This Time Around" -- Hanson is gearing up for a tour that kicks off with a sold-out hometown concert Thursday night at the Performing Arts Center.

"We've been spending a lot of time rehearsing this week, just making sure everything sounds tight," Isaac, the eldest of the trio said. "We just went through a few new sets for the first time."

Although he and his brothers reign as pop-rock pin-up boys -- Teen People magazine cited all three in its list of the 50 hottest bodies (only three members of 'N Sync made the cut) -- Isaac keeps a clear, sharp focus on the music the band creates.

"I think James Taylor put it best," Isaac said. "He said he felt blessed that he was a songwriter because he didn't know where it came from. I agree completely. When you hit that `Oh wow, where-did-that-come-from?' feeling . . . you just look around and say, `I think I've got something here.' "

Boasting legions of fans and millions of record sales, Hanson also has maintained a special loyalty to the town that spawned its fame. They remain international superstars and hometown heroes.

"The hometown show means that you're used to being there," Isaac said. "It's cool because you get people who walk up to you and say, `I was there when you guys played shows at Blue Rose or at Mayfest.' or `I was there at the block party you played.'

"For fans in general, it's cool that people from New York and L.A. come to see the Tulsa show. You get the bleed-over of the really, really passionate national fans."

Isaac said despite all the excitement of sold-out arenas and ecstatic shrieks, the band will most likely continue writing new material on the road, a process that yielded more than half of the cuts on "This Time Around."

"You inevitably write songs wherever you are," Isaac said. "And doing a record, you're very focused on that intense creative moment. You'll feel that sudden spark, that `Oh my gosh, we just came up with that!'

"But live, it's more about getting to play and giving a lot to the crowd. So, it's two different dynamics, but they're equally important."

While stratospheric success can often sabotage young bands, the Hansons are less interested in the cult of celebrity than in pushing their own creative envelope.

"For me, doing music for a really long time is a goal," said Zac, youngest brother and drummer for the group. "I'd like to be in a band for 25 years or so. But besides that, I'd like to be able to slightly change the style each time and make people say `Wow, Hanson really changed their sound on the new record. It's gone more funk or more techno,' for example."

Zac's goal is clearly realized in "This Time Around," the highly anticipated follow up to the band's multi-platinum debut. Not content to merely retrace the first album's light, clever pop licks, the sophomore effort goes straight for unabashed soulful vocals, underwritten by high- octane rock 'n' roll.

It's an effort that braves new territory, meant to shake up old perceptions and avoid the pitfall of being lumped into the boy- band craze they helped to create.

"We're having lots of fun going out on tour and just playing music," Zac said. "But we're in it for the long haul. In five years, hopefully we'll be doing the exact same thing that we are now."