On Tuesday September 26th, I left work early to head downtown Cleveland to get to the House of Blues as early as possible since I wanted to get as close as I could to stage to see Hanson. I had a general admission ticket, I bought on resale since their show was sold out. I debated back and forth, if I should go or not, and in the end I said, "Why not?"
As, I arrived at the House of Blues, I noticed two lines were already formed. I felt pretty confident since I was 12th in line. Shortly, I noticed there was another line and was curious. So, I walked over and asked, "Is this a line for general admission?" knowing it was not. The first lady in line said, "This is the line for the Fan Club Members." This excited me at first but there were several more people in this line which made me a little nervous. Once, I got my fan club member wrist band, I got in line and started listening to some music on my phone.
Quickly, I started talking with a few fans in line and one fan was super eager and excited for the concert. She was also meeting Hanson too. We talked for a little bit and I learned they drove from out of town, near Rochester, NY. I noticed there were several people from out of state that traveled to Cleveland to see them perform. She asked me if this was my first Hanson concert, and I told her, "I believe this is my 5th concert." I replied back, "How many Hanson concerts have you been too?" Quickly, she said, "This is 94!"
I was blown away and at first thought, she has to be exaggerating but then I studied her face and noticed her Hanson bag, that had Taylor's 14 year face and thought, "No, she's not joking about this." At that moment, I realized, I'm standing next to some pretty hard core Hanson fans. I also ran into a few fans from college Muskingum, so that was a fun surprise. I enjoyed talking with them as it past time waiting in line. Everyone, I talked to was shocked that I had not meet Issac, Taylor, and Zac. I quickly reacted asking well, "Got any tips?"
I like to ask questions and one very common question I ask people is if you could meet any musician and/or band, who would you meet and why? Well, my answer has and will be Hanson as my number one choice. Of course, every time I hear MMMBOP, I get very nostalgic of my childhood and remember my crazy obsession that I had with them as a teenager. We all that one artist and/or band that just makes us smile and want to go crazy. We all have a boy band we love! (*NSYNC) In the 90's, sure, Hanson had that vibe of a boy band but Hanson was different then and have matured. It's important for people to understand, Hanson has and always will be a band.
I love telling co-workers or people now a days, that I am a Hanson fan. Their reactions are wonderful. "Oh, they sang the MMMBOP, song."
"They still make music?"
"Yes, they sure do!"
I will admit, I loved Hanson as a teenager for all the wrong reasons but I fell in love with Hanson more as musicians once I learned more about their voice as artists. Issac, Taylor, and Zac made the decision to leave their record label to create their own company, so they could produce and create the music they wanted too. This was a HUGE risk and long story short, it paid off!
I love the song, "Strong Enough to Break", check it. It's a great anthem song for living your life on your own terms. Anyways, I went to see Hanson and I was fortunate enough to stand in the second row and stare at their beautiful faces while their sang for roughly two hours. (All three aged very well) It was definitely crowded and didn't care for the pushing and shoving but once certain people calmed down, I found myself more comfortable.
Hanson is a great band live and I highly recommend any music lover fan to go. They know how to get the crowd pumped. Yes, the majority of fans in attendance were women in their late twenties and early thirties but there were some guys and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. For twenty five years, Hanson has been a band and that statement makes me feel old. Over the years, Hanson has written some awesome songs, that everyone should check out. Since, their music isn't mainstream anymore, I feel like people have automatically assume they don't make music.
Here are some of my favorite Hanson songs:
Strong Enough to Break
Penny & Me
Underneath
If Only
Georgia
The Walk
Give A Little
Use Me Up
Me Myself and I
Get the Girl Back
I was born
The show was fantastic and I was glad to had the opportunity to experience the show up close. I respect Hanson tremendously for trusting their gut and going their own route. Issac, Taylor, and Zac seem like down to earth people, who just loves to create music and perform. I can see that in their music and shows. I'm excited to see what's next for Hanson, because as long as they are making music I'll always be a Hanson fan! #hansonfan
