It was 4:30 in the morning and I was awake without using an alarm clock, it could only mean one thing.......June 29th.......Hanson Day! After getting myself ready I packed all of my things into the Jimmy and then had some coffee and waited for Kim and Kathy. Coffee was probably not a good choice for me when I was already so excited! By 6:00 I went looking for Kim and Kathy! We finished packing all of the needed supplies (Posters, magazines, CD's and CD player) We were ready for our adventure to begin!
Kim was in charge of navigating and I was the driver. Kathy is not a morning person so she dozed. Well, Kim is a trail blazer and routed us a little different than I would have gone. You guessed it---LOST! But not by much. Taking the longer way just gave us more time to talk about Hanson and listen to their music!
We got to the hotel a little before 11:00 and checked in early. As luck would have it we were able to get an adjoining room with Jodie, Sharon, and their girls! We talked for a little while and then headed for lunch together.
After lunch we headed back to our rooms to get ready for the concert. By 2:30 we were sitting on a dirt road that ran behind Pine Knob. There were only a few other cars so we were able to meet a few of them. One car load consisted of 4 "girls" about 21. There comment "Atleast were not the oldest ones here!" They turned out to be great girls and have actually gone to Tulsa to check out the house. In their back window was a sticker from Taylor University! As we stood by the fence and gates (chain wire) we could see a big purple tour bus headed our way!! A possible sighting??? Just in case it was them Kim took off running for the fence screaming, me being the good sister that I am followed along to make sure she didn't try to scale it!
We went back to the Jimmy and sat for awhile to try to control the beats of our hearts! That's when we heard the first heavenly Hanson sounds. They started their sound check at 4:00, from where we were at we could hear every glorious tone perfectly. Other than their voices and instruments there was nothing but silence. It was amazing to think we were so close to them!
They opened the gates early because traffic at the other gate was beginning to back up. We were in! We found a spot to park and began our shopping at an outside shop. This worked out great because we could put everything away before we went inside. After shopping we found ourselves again staring through gates. While we waited for the next ones to open we met more wonderful people! A few had read the article about us in the paper, others hugged us and told us "You rock!" We felt so welcome among these people, they knew what we were talking about and felt what we felt. We met two girls that met Hanson at a radio station and shook their hands!!! Of course I HAD to shake the hands that shook the hands!
The gates open and we begin the walk to our seats. I must admit it was a long walk as our seats were 9 yes 9 rows from the stage. (though I would have been happy to sit in the parking lot just to hear them!) We stared at each other in amazement as we realized what great seats we had. I was straight in front of where Isaac would be and Kim and Kathy were almost directly in front of Taylor when you consider the angle his keyboard sits at. We settled in an began to enjoy the atmosphere. We were the first ones down that far so we were able to watch as everyone else arrived and reacted to the seats they got! It was awesome to watch their faces, one girls hugged her Mom and had tears well up in her eyes. We watched as a Man and three boys made their way down toward the stage. Two of them had MON shirts on and their faces beamed!
More time had passed and I was able to peek backstage and see people walking around. I did catch a glimpse of Avie, Isaac and Taylor.
The camera operators started panning the audience and putting their images up on the big screen. There we were, the three of us holding our "Rockin' Adult Fans" banner!
Here we go......................
Admiral Twin blew me away! I wasn't sure what I had anticipated but they were beyond it. They had a sort of rock-n-roll/pop kind of sound. Each member of the band is so unique, almost as if they tried to be different from each other. I guess that's why I can remember them so easily. We danced to their music and sadly were some of the few who did. As we danced we saw Walker looking out from behind a curtain, he watched the crowd for about 5 minutes and certainly seemed to look our way. After they were finished there was about a half our break to pack up their equipment and vaccum the floor---yep, they used a sweeper to clean the stage!
Anticipation was building as was the noise level---totally awesome feeling.
It was time, we knew they were behind the gray curtain. Then they started and the curtain dropped. Less than 40 feet away from us stood the band that had touched our lives in the most amazing ways. Zac was in the middle on a raised platform and Isaac was on the left and Tay on the right. (the usual) I could feel the music beating and pulsing through my body, it was exhilerating. Their energy and spirits soared as did mine with them.
As they played their songs I found myself drifting off and looking around at the set, the audience, and crew that wandered around the stage. I had to keep reminding myself to look at them and not miss a thing they did! Here are some of the things I didn't miss: Zac wearing a "sunshine" yellow shirt and red boots, Isaac full of energy like I had never seen before--he jumped on and off Zac's platform, played with the other guitarists, and that famous knee slide (wow)--Tay and Isaac singing together from the same mike! Zac broke a drum and they changed it while he was playing and never missed a beat, Isaac broke a guitar string, and Tay broke a lot of hearts!
My favorite parts???? Of course when Isaac sang More Than Anything, this is my favorite song! When he was finished he bowed his head for a short time in such a modest way. I was so moved when Isaac asked everyone to turn around and look at the beautiful sunset. And again, another Isaac moment...(I told you I was right in front of him!) As he and Tay walked off stage he gently put his arm around Tay and gave him a little pat.
Other than Isaac moments......
Tay played the drums while Zac ran around and squirted people with his super soaker! I was really impressed with this hidden talent. He held his own well! Zac played with sticks that lit up and were multi-colored, very cool! They dedicated a song to Ashley, again I was moved by their loving, respectful nature!
This is the most emotional concert I have ever been to. With each song they sang I felt different. Some made me feel peaceful and calm while others made me feel empowered. It is hard to explain with words. I wish everyone could have the experience that the three of us had. It was so much more than "a concert" It was the joining and meeting of new friends. It was refreshing. It was spiritual. It was awesome!!
So what did I do after the concert? Go looking for their hotel? Wait at the back gate for another glimpse of the bus? Nope, I went back to the room, took one last look at the gallery my sister had placed on the walls, thanked God for giving me so many wonderful blessings in life and cuddled up with all of the warm feelings that were filling my heart.