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2026 has been a strange travel year for me. I've spent years conditioning the people in my daily life to expect my random trips with a few annual staples in the mix. "I'll be back from Jamaica on the 14th!" and "Don't forget I'll be in Oklahoma next week" have become as commonplace for me as "I'll be out on Monday for my dentist appointment." I'm always met with a few passive well-wishes. "Have fun!" they tell me. "Be safe!" Long gone are the looks of shock or the double-takes when I name my next destination.
That is, until last week, when my coworker asked "Where are you going this time?" and I answered "California" for the third time this year. There was a brief look of understandable judgment and confusion that I haven't seen in a while.
"Wait...you're going to California...again? Just for the weekend?"I can't wait to have this conversation again in August when I go back for Hanson.
"Yes."
"Didn't you already do that?"
"Yes."
*Silently not pointing out that technically, I already did that twice.*
"And this is a Hanson thing, too?"
*Insert awkward, unclear answer*
I was dumb enough this time to travel cross-country the day of the show. A flight delay stuck me with a second layover and put me in Palm Springs at 4:10pm instead of my original 11:51am arrival time. I was a nervous mess for most of the day, but fortunately I made it with time to spare. I'm probably back to boycotting day-of travel, but don't quote me on that the next time my options are make reckless plans or stay home.
When I finally arrived at Pappy & Harriets and took in that gorgeous desert scenery full of cinematic western charm, I made a rookie outsider mistake: I didn’t fear the cactuses.
I stepped out of the car to help guide my friend into a parking space, a thing I've done a million times without the spiky ambiance. As she pulled forward and I waved her further into the space, I continued to inch backwards--blindly--right into a giant cactus. I felt a single sharp jab in the left side of my butt that immediately unlocked some core memory of getting a shot at a doctor's office as a child.
It didn't seem like a big deal at first. It hurt, but it was over quickly just like those doctor's visits (though sadly, no lollipop prize), and I naively assumed that a single large needle went in and back out when I jumped away from the plant. I instinctively reached behind me to assess the damage and instead pricked my finger on my own butt. (Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write.) I felt around until I pulled out a shockingly microscopic cactus spine. And then another. And another.
I quickly realized that this was less like a shot at the doctor's office and more like that scene in Homeward Bound where Chance meets the porcupine. I must have removed at least 10 microscopic spines, but continued to find strays later. I even had to take a friend with me to the bathroom during dinner when I leaned back in my chair and found a new cluster in my back that I hadn't even felt go in (thanks, Maura!). I can confidently say this east coaster will never underestimate a cactus again.
Rambling Hearts
Nobody knew what to expect when this show was announced. We showed up based on a teaser description that "something special is happening in the high desert that you don’t want to miss” and a vague understanding that this was some sort of Taylor Hanson/David Garza collaboration called Rambling Hearts. I love an unpredictable setlist, and this announcement was shrouded in enough mystery to have me blowing quite a few air miles to get there.
After dinner and my cactus lesson, I found myself in a corner against the edge of the tiny stage at Pappy & Harriet's. The "stage" is a small platform in the main dining area that stands maybe 8-12 inches off of the ground. There's no barricade, no backstage, no security. It's the most hole-in-the-wall place I've ever seen a show.
I was not the first person in the building, or even in the first 10 people that easily filled the small space directly in front of the stage. I still spent the entire night feeling like I had the absolute luckiest spot in the room and the best front row I've ever had in my life. It hit me about halfway through the show that if I was feeling that blessed over on the side, how wild it must feel for the handful of people standing right at the center. I think that's just part of the magic of seeing a show in a space like Pappy's.
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| No zoom & no regrets |
Taylor kicked things off talking about living in the moment, and it felt like a subtle nudge to put our phones down and enjoy the music in front of us. Normally that wouldn’t be a difficult task, but man that's a tall order when the music is unreleased and you know you might never hear it the same away again. Part of me wanted to capture whatever unknown magic was about to unfold, not only for myself and other fans, but for the possibility of helping Taylor share this new journey with the world. I didn’t record the whole time, but I did take a few videos. They seemed to be professionally recording at the show too, so maybe we’ll see some footage later and we can collectively cringe at the phones in our hands.
We ended up getting seven brand-new songs plus a mix of covers and Hanson tunes. Here's the setlist, courtesy of Hansonstage:
Rambling Heart
Through You (new)
Are You Well (new)
This Time (new)
You Are (new)
Bathe in the Sunshine (new)
Last Parade (new)
Radical Kindness (new)
Truth
Stand By Me (cover)
Surfer Girl (cover)
Penny and Me
Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard (cover)
In God's Country (cover)
Be My Own
Pink Moon (cover)
One thing that surprised me was there was no keyboard on the stage. Taylor didn't play any instruments during any of the new songs, though he did end up with a shaker and a tambourine during some of the covers and pulled out a guitar for "Be My Own." David joined in vocals on some of the covers, but I'm pretty sure the new songs were all Taylor on vocals and David on guitar.
The new music was overall more mellow than my usual taste, and it was hard to latch onto the melody of some of the songs after a single listen. A few are still stuck in my head, and a few have flown right out of my memory. I'm not ready to make any bold statements about these new songs or go on any deep dives about lyrics, but I'm looking forward to the moment when I can.
The standouts to me:
"This Time"
"Last Parade"
"Radical Kindness"
"This Time" and "Last Parade" felt thematically similar and a bit dark, and I enjoyed what I could hear of the lyrics. "This Time" reminded me of that defeated tone from "All I Know." I don’t mean that those two songs sound anything alike, it’s just not a leap to think that the guy that wrote a song like "All I Know" also wrote “This Time” while still working through some of those complex feelings. I look forward to hearing both songs again, hopefully with complete lyrics in hand.
"Radical Kindness" was unlike the rest of the bunch, but I might be obsessed with it the most. It felt like a cheesy, feel-good inspirational song, and I don't think there are nearly enough of those in the world. It wasn't just the song itself that I liked; I think Taylor's performance of it amplified an already good feeling. This video should tell you everything you need to know about what I mean.
To be completely honest, I think Taylor’s performance in general that night elevated my appreciation of everything. He is clearly still learning the lyrics, which is understandable with so many new songs, but the skill and intensity he poured into everything was palpable. The man oozes some strange "you will love this now because I love this" pheromone with every note he sings. If he’d sang the Alphabet as an encore with that same level of passion, I’d be over here raving that the letter “C” was shockingly good and that he gave me a new appreciation for the less popular vowels. (And let's be honest, I'd probably also be lightly heckling the enunciation of that tricky "L-M-N-O-P" bit.)
Jokes aside, I actually felt like he sang very clearly and I understood the lyrics better than usual, though I suppose standing eight feet away from him probably didn't hurt.
A few additional notes in no particular order:
- I don't own a single U2 album and had never heard "In God's Country" in my life, but their performance was somehow dripping with U2 vibes and I just instantly knew it was a U2 cover. Taylor absolutely slayed it and had me walking away loving this totally random song that I probably don’t care about outside of this context.
- They played “Truth”, which I forgot Taylor co-wrote with David Garza for the Red portion of RGB
- The Me and Julio cover was hysterical because apparently Taylor can’t whistle, and it became obvious they hadn’t considered that fact when it came time for the whistle solo. We had a good time laughing and singing through it.
I'll end with a modification of the thing I told Taylor when I left, which is that it was worth all three of the flights it took to get me there. I didn't have the full picture yet at the time.
In the end, it was worth all three flights, the two flat tires that met me in the airport parking lot when I landed back home, and one unfortunate run-in with a cactus. 🖤
P.S. You will love this now.
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