I thought it was hot outside...and I thought it was warm inside...but the moment Hanson appeared before us, our hearts and souls melted. THIS WAS HOT!
Before the show in Seattle, tuesday July 21, 1998, we sat and waited. At first we sat on the lawn by the big fountain in Seattle Center. Kids played in the splashing water, teens and adults craved the patches of shade. And we all enjoyed the game of people watching. Fans milled about not only those attending the Hanson concert, but also those attending the nearby Pearl Jam concert.
Hanson fans of ALL AGES proudly displayed their affection for Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary Hanson on T-shirts, banners, necklaces, keychains, and yes.....flesh writing. We would ask each other "where did you GET that shirt," or "can I read your banner," and even counted Doc Martins sported by various Hanson concert goers.
Immediatly before the doors to Key Arena opened, the concert goers sat upon the steps to the arena. We sat among them for a bit...but suddenly felt a bit claustrophobic...and even felt the fear of an uncoming SWARM of fans once the doors opened...therefore..we moved!
After we safely made our way into the Key Arena...used the facilities (WHO is gonna LEAVE during the show to use the toilet???) we found our seats. We were THERE. After a year or more of being a Hanson fan it was time to be in the same place, the same time, hearing the music AS IT WAS PERFORMED!!! If your heart wasn't already beating quickly...it started to once Admiral Twin appeared on the stage.
Earplugs firmly planted we were treated to the wonderment called Admiral Twin. Four young men walked to the stage in black suits, white shirts. They sang, they ENTERTAINED! Not all fans were as attentive as we were to this band...for they wanted to see HANSON! I for one was pleased Admiral Twin had opened this show...for we had heard otherwise. I must add...it was a joy to see the drummer, Jarrod Gillohare...knowing that THIS was the guy who wrote HANSON: The Official Book. Not only had this spikey blonde-haired fella written an awesome biography...but he was ONE FANTASTIC DRUMMER!!! He nearly FLEW out of his stool on a few songs. I invisioned the joy of perhaps one day seeing him and Zachary Hanson side by side drumming their hearts out.
The intermission between Admiral Twin and Hanson seemed like a very very long time...but soon we were transfixed by the swinging camera overhead. The announcement had been made earlier that the concert was to be videotaped...and every fan indoors was excited by the thought that WE may be captured on film. This of course...helped us thru intermission.
And then....the time was soon approaching. A grey, billowy curtain was positioned in front of the stage...we saw the set being put in place...we saw a drum kit appear...a keyboard...MICROPHONES!!!! ALL we needed now WAS HANSON!!!!!!
The lights went out.
Lights flashed designs against and behind the grey curtain.
Shadows appeared, we began to guess..."is it Tay? is it Ike?"
A base line familiar to us now began..it was "Gimme some Lovin.'"
And then.....
the curtain...
DROPPED!
It was them...before us...right there...RIGHT THERE!!!!!
It was at this time, that HAPPINESS occured. It hit you like a bolt of lightning. It surged thru every vein in your body. I began to move and didn't want to stop. I was completely and utterly amazed that I was FEELING Hanson music. Not hearing it on my home or car stereo...not seeing and hearing them on tv, it wasn't a sound wav...it was THEM!!!! RIGHT THERE! Before me...playing and singing like there was NO tomorrow..and I WAS THERE! With them...watching them...dancing with them...following every lead they gave us, whether it be a bounce from Tay or a sway from Zac, or hand clapping from Ike...YOU DID IT!!!! Completely transfixed, mesmerized, hypnotized...the show moved on and on....a flurry of emotions did begin as the mood changed with each song..but as I said before...the OVERWHELMING emotion was happiness.
When the oh so familiar tunes from Middle of Nowhere were sung, you simply could not help but sing along...what had been my life's soundtrack was being played out in living color before my very eyes. It was real.
I can't possibly tell you the exact song order, for I just got lost in each and every song. There are a few that I will share with you now however...here it goes.
"With You In Your Dreams" If you have read anything about me here at Hansonology, you know this song holds major importance for me. These words written by Isaac, Taylor, and Zachary remind each of us who have lost a loved one...to "remember them" not with sadness...but with the knowledge that this lost one is "with you at all times." I didn't realize this was going to be performed..I knew a slower song was coming and that they were preparing the crowd by swaying their hands in the air...but as soon as I head the words from Taylor's lips "If I'm gone when you wake up...please dont cry." I suddenly knew this was it. I felt that grip of grief upon my heart. And then I felt the arms of a friend nearby go around my shoulders. I knew that those who had come with me....all of them, knew that this moment, this song shared by Hanson meant the world and more to me. As they sang, I took a moment to look heavenward and tell my mother that I love her and that I miss her. I also wondered if anyone else out in that audience felt like I did right then and there. It was a beautiful performance of this song...and it was a beautiful gift from them.
"More Than Anything" There has always been something compelling to me about Isaac's voice ever since I heard "A Minute Without You" on "Middle of Nowhere." And I have listened over and over to MTA on a taped copy of Boomerang and MMMBop...but this...THIS was different. Ike's voice has of course, matured. His voice is so incredibly strong and full of emotion. He sits at the keyboard, he closes his eyes..and he FEELS his way thru this song. I couldn't move. (This was the ONLY time during the show I couldn't move!) It was so beautiful...it was a moment in time that showed us just what this man can do....write a dang good love song, sing it like he MEANS it, and well......BREAK A FEW HEARTS!!!!!!!!!! It was simply put...magical.
Other songs that stand out in my memory. OH MY! Hearing "MMMBop"..the song that started it all for so many of us was such a treat. It was that song that over a year ago I heard on a radio and thought "hey I LIKE this...who IS it?" Now I know...now I have seen and heard and felt it right before my eyes.
"Money" Zac opens this song..and MY, his voice is getting stronger and stronger. I loved it before..but now...this little dude (sorry zac..but you are!) is ONE ROCK AND ROLL ANGEL!!!!! I couldn't help but scream with joy every time I heard his voice MUCH LESS every time I saw him smile!!!!!!!!! Talk about being hit my a lightning bolt...THAT SMILE!! It was also a gift to see him so incredibly happy! Genuinely happy...now THAT is the Zac I love!
"I Will Come To You" I can't stop without giving this song mention...Tay...OH TAY! He gives his entire being into each and every song...but when he sings THIS...he gives more! The look on his face...the tilt of his head...his amazing voice that transfixes you....HE owns this song...yes, it is a HANSON song...but to me...THIS belongs to Tay. He creates the mood, he creates the emotions that you feel, he creates the beauty behind the song.
It was just about over...it couldn't be...they JUST STARTED!!!! I was exhausted, I was still thrilled, I thought however, I couldn't possibly move anymore..and then..OH MY AND THEN....they were going to do it!!!
"Man from Milwaukee" Suddenly I WAS ALIVE AGAIN!!!!!!!! The energy sprung forth...OH MY! There really is no way to describe how incredibly LOUD and WONDERFUL this song is. IT ROCKS! (as they say)....it SO works. You jump and shout and scream and sing and oh my goodness...when ZAC begins the Baby Bird routine...HEAVENS!! PANDEMONIUM!! We scream MORE! He is barely heard at all..but from where I sat...he was GIVING IT HIS ALL!!!!!
AHHHH! I couldn't believe their energy...they came out...Tay and Zac...sprayed us with super soakers a few times during the show. Tay played the drums INCREDIBLY while Zac handed his drumsticks to a girl up front. Ike jumped, ran, slid across the stage...THEY DIDN'T STOP! You fed off their energy and the crowds energy. You had the time of your life. You were HAPPY!
YOU WERE HAPPY!