Hanson? Really?

Something happened to me last week that I never dreamed or thought would ever happen to me.  I won tickets and meet-and-greet passes to a Hanson show.

Months ago I had entered my band, The Long Drive, in a competition in which the winning artist would be granted the opening slot for the Hanson show.  I did this not because I am a die-hard Hanson fan, but because they have a large following, so it would be great exposure for my band if we did in fact win.  After signing my band up on the website where the contest took place, I created an individual account so I could vote for my band as many times as I wanted.  But alas, my band did not win, and I thought that was the end of it.  However, last Wednesday I get a call from a representative from the website telling me that I had won the Fan Prize.  Having no clue what this was but not wanting to sound like a complete idiot, I said, "Oh.  Cool."

The Fan Prize was two tickets and meet-and-greet passes to the Hanson show on July 31st.  I wasn't terribly excited, but nevertheless getting free entry to a show is still pretty cool.  Especially when tickets normally cost $30.  The fact that I won two tickets and passes meant that I had to find somebody to go with me, and when I think "Hanson fan," I think of my friend CK.  So I called her and told her that Saturday she was going with me to the Hanson show to meet the band.  She flipped out.

CK very excited about that trashcan.

 "Are you shitting me?" she shouted over the phone.  It's been a lifelong dream of hers to meet Hanson, and the last show she went to was back in '98.  I figured taking her would score me some good karma.  So here's the details of the night of the show that was energetic, musical, and kind of ridiculous.



I don't follow Hanson.  Before the show, the only songs I had heard by them were the new one they have out called "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" and the song we are all ashamed that we know from the late '90s, "Mmm Bop."  So I wasn't really sure what to expect when I showed up at the Lincoln Theatre in downtown Raleigh.  I thought maybe there'd be a small group of girls in their twenties wearing Hanson shirts from back in the "long-blonde" era of the band assembled at the front of the stage, some unwilling boyfriends who wanted to make their ladies happy, and of course people that were there to see the local opener, Jonas Sees In Color, and those California boys, Rooney.

What I found when I got there was beyond anything I had ever imagined.

We showed up at 5:30, per instruction of the website rep, to find a mob of girls from their late teens to late twenties, a few 40 year olds, and some dudes that were actually excited about the show. It was a sold-out crowd.  As CK and I stood with our mouths gaping at all of the people in line, we tried to figure out where and how to pick up our passes and tickets.  As we walked around, up and down the line, verbal fights started breaking out between fans about who got there first and what order they should all be let in.  I had never seen anything like it.  Some 6'5" bro copped an attitude with a chunky 5'3" chick about which one of them was in line first.  I shook my head and laughed.  Really?  All this for a Hanson show?  Damn.

Crazy bitches waiting outside in the rain since 2pm.  Dumb.

We ended up waiting outside the Lincoln for a little over an hour after getting the run-around from the Lincoln staff and Hanson fan club members before our passes were finally located and we were allowed inside.  As we walked in, I kinda turned around and quietly laughed at everyone still in line.  Some of them had been there since 2pm.

CK and I were escorted upstairs to meet the band by the tour manager, and he introduced me to the band as the winner of the Fan Prize.  I shook hands with Zac, Taylor, and Isaac.  CK followed suit with a little timidity.  In any situation where you're meeting someone for the first time, whether they're famous or not, it's relatively awkward to try and make normal conversation with them.  So, being the talkative person that I am, I just talked to them like I would any one of my friends.  I wasn't about to say, "Oh My God!  I'm you're biggest fan!  I want to have like 10 million of your babies," because that just isn't true.  I couldn't even name three songs they sang.  So I went with honesty.

"I really like y'all's new stuff, and that new music video was really entertaining.  Love The Blues Brothers homage."  That seemed to strike a good chord because we began talking about that movie and music of that era.  We then moved on to talking about the online competition, and I mentioned that my band had entered to win the opening spot, but unfortunately didn't win.  We all agreed that there were some very good artists entered, but the majority was not very good.  "Crap," as Taylor so eloquently put it.  Just hope he wasn't talking about my band haha.

Nice to meet you.  I've heard two of your songs.

 After snagging a picture of the five of us, we thanked the band and CK and I headed downstairs to grab a beer.  We watched the opening band soundcheck and made friends with the bartenders before the show started, and when the mad rush of screaming, nostalgia-ridden fangirls came dashing in the door, we seeked refuge in the balcony.  We found some uncomfortable wooden stools near the front, and planted ourself as we watched the dance floor become filled with Hanatics (my term for Hanson fans that I just made up while typing this sentence).  A few stragglers joined us on the balcony, and eventually the balcony was full to the brim as well.  We made some friends with the people sitting next to us who just saw Hanson in Asheville the night before.

"They put on a great show," the less-than-pretty of the two said.  I wasn't sure what her definition of "great show" because she was a Hanson fan, but I was optimistic.  Sitting up in the balcony, we had a fantastic view of the stage, and we were also able to see the bouncers being annoyed by slutty Hanatics and dudes that were there only because their better halves wanted to be there.  It was humorous if not anything else.

Jonas Sees In Color

After three Miller High Lifes, it was time for the show to begin.  Jonas Sees In Color started the night off with pop, post-punk that the tweens are all about these days.  They were solid, but nothing spectacular.  And their keyboardist was pretty cute.  Their frontman had amazing energy, and their cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" was solid.  Rooney was up next, and I've only ever heard one song by them, but I was honestly blown away by them.  Great upbeat bluesy pop-rock that challenged you to sit still in your seat.  Nothing incredibly complicated about the music that night, but it still made you feel good.

Rooney

When Hanson finally took the stage, all the girls in the audience let out a high-pitched scream of pure exhilaration.  No way, right?  The people to our right were engaged in a verbal shouting match with the people behind us about letting them see the stage, but when the three brothers set one foot on the stage, they stopped their bickering and were reduced to little teenage girls in awe of their adored band...even the one dude in the his late '20s was shouting at a higher octave than usual.

Hanson

The band played a good set.  Old stuff, new stuff, stuff in between.  Covers and originals.  Soft acoustic songs and groovy rock songs.  And yes, they played "Mmm Bop" after thanking everyone in the audience for supporting them since their debut back in 1997.  The brothers had two other musicians on stage with them providing bass lines, back-up guitar and keyboard tracks, and they were very talented.  If you watch that music video again, it's the guy playing bass and the one in the middle playing the guitar with the sweet afro.

I've given Hanson a lot of crap over the years.  Mostly based on the gibberish lyrics that make up the chorus of "Mmm Bop," and their haircuts that made them look like ladies, but that night I was surprisingly impressed with the musical talents.  Granted, it's nothing as intricate or powerful as other music out there, but it's still impressive, catchy pop-rock, and in a world where most pop music is either made on a computer or is a pussy-whipped version of punk-rock, it's still nice to see actual musicians playing feel-good music.  I'm not saying I'm going to go out and buy every Hanson album I can find, but I am a little more appreciative of the music they produce.