First of all, this is a great place to see a concert. Even though we tried hard and long when the tickets went on sale, we could not get seats in the Pavilion, only on the lawn. We prayed all day that the cold, rainy weather would break and that we could at least not be rained on. We dressed like we were going to a Cleveland Brown's game. It didn't rain until the end of the show, but barely a soul could leave. Sadly, the Cleveland Plain Dealer review focused on the young ages of a lot of the concert-goers, but the show was more about the music. You could see that these guys are jamming, having the time of their lives. They were polished, but still raw in their approach. Maybe they do it at all shows, but they sure made us feel like we were a good audience and that they enjoyed our energy and enthusiasm. Maybe they hit us near the end of their tour, but the didn't seem slow or bored or overworked in the least. Also, there were plenty of older teenagers and parents who were cheering and singing along...Hanson acknowledges all ages by playing songs like "Magic Carpet Ride", so the adults can belt out the words and show up all the kids! All the adults around us were doing that. We spent a lot of time standing and jumping on that STEEP hill and today our ankles are sore, but it was worth it. They all looked great and seemed so comfortable on stage. It's too bad that the music business requires so much schmoozing and publicity stuff, because these guys belong on stage! One of our favorite cover songs was "Money" but "Speechless" has turned into such a fun, cool song...we were impressed. "Summertime Blues" was great and the acoustic set was really enjoyable, especially "Soldier". as far as the audience stuff goes, we decided not to freak out, not to search for glimpses of the family or bus, or to bribe the Blossom workers to get back stage or to send messages. We just decided to people watch, make friends and enjoy observing all the kids who were tearfully thanking their parents for the show and all the parents who were sheepishly smiling (because they love Hanson, too!) One mom near us was writing the band's names on kids' faces and my mom jokingly asked her to put $$$signs on her face, after she bought a $5.00 glowstick. Hanson concerts are the way concerts are supposed to be...simple, innocent, good music, GREAT opening band, all ages getting into it together. We won't soon forget this concert!! Come back to Cleveland, Hanson!

Yours truly, Zac and Company 9-9-98