From Jeanine: A Quiet Fan’s Perspective

I had vowed to allow time for traffic, but the night of June 5th found me true to form: rushing to get out the door before seven, one minute fighting traffic, the next minute driving ninety miles an hour. I wasn’t sure if I’d be asked for my take of the concert for Hansonology, but while flying out the door, I threw a note pad in my knapsack just in case. I figured I could sit calmly at the concert and take notes now and then.

I was on my way to see Hanson perform at the second of three concerts scheduled at Long Island’s Jones Beach Theater as part of their Albertane Tour. This was the only appearance in the tour that I was able to catch, but I couldn’t have hoped for better: the night was clear and cool, and in the twilight a full moon loomed over the trees along the Meadowbrook Parkway.

Though the seasons were different, the night reminded me of a warm, moonlit January night eight months earlier. That particular Saturday, I’d finally bought "Middle of Nowhere," waited hours for my neighbors to go out, and played "MMMBop" so many times I lost track. In the months that followed, I’d grown to love the entire CD, and played it just about every day until "Snowed In" took its place. When I bought "Snowed In" I expected to listen to it once, twice at the most, and wound up playing it every day well into summer, no longer caring if the neighbors found it odd.

Finally at Jones Beach, getting out of my car at the far, far end of a jammed parking lot, I heard a terrifying noise: the sound of several thousand high pitched screams. It was only seven-forty, and Hanson wasn’t supposed to go onstage until eight-thirty! Was it possible that they’d gone onstage early?

As many of you already know, the screams I was hearing were for Admiral Twin. I’d read such good reviews for this band, and looked forward to finally hearing them, but I didn’t know until that moment that they, too, are er... treated to the "scream squad" treatment. I hurried on toward the amphitheater. An apt punishment for arriving late was the discovery that not only is Admiral Twin as good as everyone’s been saying... but I liked their sound so much that I knew I’d have to hear more of their music.

Admiral Twin’s accompanying screams had been deafening, but I tried to hold off on wearing ear plugs. The early part of a thirty-minute intermission lulled me into thinking I might not need them. Halfway through this break though, two staffers from sponsoring radio station Z-100 came onstage to say hello, to say a few words about Hanson, and to incite more pre-concert screams! As it turned out for me and my quiet-loving ears, this was for the best. It gave me a chance to face reality and dig around in my knapsack before it got completely dark out. And out they came—fluorescent green soft foam ear plugs from Value Rite, with a noise reduction rating of 31: the strongest ear plugs money can buy.

As the audience waited, a few false onstage Hanson-spottings caused piercing shrieks throughout the filled-to-capacity arena. The full moon seemed to have come to rest above the stage. Behind the backdrop, moonlight shone on the surrounding water, which is named, incredibly enough, Zachs Bay. Far in the distance, the headlights of an occasional passing car could be seen along Ocean Parkway, beyond which the Atlantic Ocean faded into darkness.

When the guys appeared, they immediately started playing, and I was enjoying myself so much that I figured I’d jot down some notes a little later. When they went right into their second number, I figured I’d start writing in a little while. Then they finally said hello, and before I knew it, I had abandoned the idea of taking notes, thinking I’d just remember everything. It wasn’t until I was driving home that I realized I couldn’t remember the order of the songs – not even which song was their opening number! I thought it might be "Gimme Some Lovin’" though I wouldn’t swear it under oath. But in retrospect, it was much better to just relax and enjoy the concert than to worry about taking notes.

I bought my tickets only minutes after they went on sale, but the best seats available were in the first tier, which is somewhere between the two front sections and the two top tiers. Though I’d love to experience another Hanson concert from one of the front sections, there were advantages to being exactly where I was, particularly at the Jones Beach Theater.

I watched a lot of the concert on the big screen, and because of the distance and my ear plugs, I missed a few spoken words, particularly when Zac introduced one song from off-camera. On the other hand, the distance offered the perspective of the band against the backdrop of the water, the moon, and the night sky that people in the front rows probably didn’t experience. Another plus was that we in the tiers were out of reach of those water guns, something I didn’t mind!

On the other hand, being on the quiet side, I would have felt more comfortable getting up and jumping around if I were down in the front section. The man sitting next to me gave me such stern looks whenever I moved too much that I had to limit myself to swaying in my seat or tapping my feet. Luckily for him, I am not inclined to scream, and didn’t during the concert.

I didn’t know what to expect, since I hadn’t seen the band in person before. I knew how tight their playing was from seeing taped or televised shows, but the energy and excitement of their live performance is something that isn’t completely captured by the camera. In person, you are also more aware of the contrast between the guys’ professionalism and their ingenuous, unaffected natures, a combination that is most charming.

I enjoyed every minute of the concert, and there were too many favorite moments to list them all. Some that come to mind, though, are Zac’s intro to the song "Money," Isaac’s solo performance of "More Than Anything," and seeing and hearing Taylor play the drums. And I loved the way the band sang "Sometimes" so much that I immediately started wearing it out when I got home and continued to do so for the rest of the weekend. I also loved it when they were jamming while Isaac and Taylor introduced the rest of the band.

I knew from the outset that the band wouldn’t play anything from "Snowed In," so it wasn’t any kind of a letdown when they didn’t. But since I didn’t become a fan until after the 1997 Christmas season, I never got to see and hear them perform that material, so I’m still jonesing for the experience! Even without it though, I thoroughly enjoyed the September 5th concert. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing Hanson’s chronicle of the Albertane tour as well as their new material, and the next time they tour, I definitely plan to get in more than one show!