Spend Less; Travel More: 6 Tips for Saving Money on the Road

One of the most common misconceptions about traveling is that to travel far and wide, one must be rich. While having an excess of disposable income will certainly make travel easier (and more comfortable), it’s simply not necessary. I can sum up my travel motto in one word: FRUGALITY. Here are some of the best tips I use to make traveling more affordable.

1.  Pack well.

Don’t just make a packing list, make a thorough packing checklist and double-check that you followed it before you leave. How does a packing list help you save money? If you do it right, it keeps you from making your first destination a grocery store to pick up a new toothbrush, hair brush, and socks because you forgot to bring them.

Forget everything you’ve ever been told about only packing what you need. Figure out what you might not need and pack it anyway. The important distinction here is need vs. want. You might not need a rain coat—then again, you might find yourself in Seattle, $50 poorer with a new raincoat and boots because you wanted the packing space for more t-shirts (sad yet true story). I’m not saying load your entire trunk with snow shoes and beach towels; I’m saying suck it up and stuff in the umbrella you might not need instead of the cute wedges you wanted to bring. Ask yourself "If I don't pack this, what are the odds I'll make an emergency run to the store during my trip to buy one?" If odds are high, take it with you!

If you’re flying, check your airline’s baggage restrictions and make sure you know what can’t go through airport security. Measure your carry-on bags and weigh your checked suitcase at home first (better yet, don’t bother to check a bag if it costs extra). If you pack something that gets confiscated, you’re not only going to have to buy it when you reach your destination, you’re going to have to replace it again when you get home. 

TL;DR recap: Don’t set yourself up to buy things you already own! Big waste of money.

2. Do your homework on flights and airports.

Check flight prices for nearby airports instead of just the one closest to your home. Depending on where you live, sometimes you can save hundreds of dollars by driving an hour or two to depart from a further airport. If you’re driving yourself to the airport and plan to leave your car for an extended period of time, don't forget to check parking rates. Long-term parking typically ranges from about $5-$10 per day. It may not matter much if you’re only gone for three days, but paying $5/day instead of $8/day can make a big difference if you’re gone for weeks.

You might think it's obvious, but don't accidentally park in short-term parking! One of the airports I frequent labels their parking lots "deck" and "surface" instead of "short-term" and "long-term," whereas another local airport uses their surface lot for short-term and garage for long-term. It's easier than you'd think to get it wrong, so make sure you read signs and prices.

Tip: Some airport hotels offer extended parking with the purchase of one night’s stay.

3. Find travel buddies to split costs.

If you’re driving, gas is infinitely cheaper the more people you have in the car. Same with hotel rooms, which leads us to…

4. Don’t pay full price for hotel rooms. 

There is always a cheaper hotel on Priceline or Hotwire if you’re willing to book without a hotel name. I know it sounds scary if you’ve never done it before—but so does the $60 Motel 6 you can see with your own eyes off of the highway. If you’re a risk-taker, the best deal is usually bidding with the Name Your Own Price function on Priceline.com. You choose the star rating and general area within a small radius, and you name a price you’re willing to pay. If your bid is accepted on the first try, you almost definitely bid too much. You only get one bid per day using the details you want, so plan accordingly. Start bidding well before your trip, and lowball that first bid. Go stupidly low—the worst thing that can happen is you have to try again tomorrow. I never increase my bid by more than $5 the next time I try, because that’s how you overpay. It’s a game you can lose if you don’t know what you’re doing, but I’ve stayed in a 3.5 star hotel for $50/night with this tool. Make that 3 nights at $50/night with 4 friends…guys, that’s $37.50 per person TOTAL for the whole trip. Full price feels like an insult after that.

If you want to save money but want the security of certain amenities like free parking or an airport shuttle, try Hotwire’s Hot Rates or Priceline’s ExpressDeals instead. The discounts aren’t as deep as bidding, but you get a handy little list of guaranteed amenities before you book.

For extra homework to improve your odds with Priceline’s Name Your Own Price, check out betterbidding.com.

5. Eat cheap.

You can still go out for a nice meal if that's something you enjoy, just cut the little corners where you can. I never eat out for breakfast while traveling. Find out if your hotel has a continental breakfast and take advantage of it. When it doesn’t, figure out a cheap breakfast food you can eat every day and buy it from a grocery store instead of hitting up McDonald’s every morning (for me, it’s Pop Tarts and Slimfast). Bring a water bottle and buy a jug of water to refill it with instead of buying a new bottle every time you stop at a gas station. I’m no good at math, but I’m pretty sure a gallon of water for 97 cents trumps the 20 oz. for $2.50 at the truck stop. Use coupons. Split large meals (oh hi, foot-long subs!). Order from the dollar menu. Repeat.

If you’re flying, try to plan your meals for before and after your flights if at all possible. (Have you ever eaten in an airport? One meal can practically fund 47 more plane tickets.)

6. Go easy on the souvenirs.

If you’re going somewhere special and already have an item in mind that you want, plan to buy it and have an idea of how much it will cost. It’s not the things you plan to buy that break the bank; it’s all the little things you didn’t factor in along the way. You don’t need the cute little keychain/picture frame/snow globe/etc. that you saw in the gift shop. Don’t start collecting post cards, magnets, shot glasses, or anything you can buy at a Love’s. If you want a free way to remember destinations, take fun, creative pictures instead!


Of course my real secret is this: saving money for travel doesn't end with trip expenses.  If you’re serious about saving, you remind yourself every day when you walk past Starbucks or see a pair of jeans you like. You don’t need to sacrifice everything for travel money, just make well thought-out purchases and cut out the impulse buys. If you see something you like today and still want it in a week, go back and buy it. If not, remember that $3 here and $20 there adds up to a plane ticket after a while.

What are some of your favorite tricks to save money while traveling? Share in the comments.

A Hanson Fan's Guide to Tulsa

If you're a big Hanson fan, chances are you're going to wind up in Tulsa, Oklahoma at least once in your life. For many of us, "Hanson Day" has become this strange annual fan pilgrimage, an event where you can reunite with friends who are usually separated by states and countries and entire oceans. Tulsa has since grown to become more than the home of our favorite band; it's a place for our eccentric family reunion (and it comes complete with that weird cousin you always avoid. You know it's true).

Really, this is not new information. Hanson has given us several guides to Tulsa in the last few years, and if you're a repeat offender, you've probably been to most of these places already. But just in case you've missed the guides and are looking forward to a future trip to Tulsa, here are a few places you might want to check out. Places with * are within walking distance of 3CG/most downtown hotels:

Restaurants

Chicken & Waffles at Caz's

• Mexicali's*:Yummy Mexican cuisine, conveniently located about half a block from 3CG. 
• El Guapo's*: More Yummy Mexican cuisine, and you can eat on the roof for a good view of downtown! I recommend the trio of Tacos El Guapo.  
• Caz's Chowhouse*: Southern fried goodness. I linked this one directly to the menu because that's all you need to convince you to check it out. Also about half a block from 3CG.
• Joe Momma's*: The perfect late-night pizza stop. One of the few places open late in downtown Tulsa.
• Blue Rose Cafe: I haven't actually eaten at this one to attest for the food, but it has a prime location right on the Arkansas River. Maybe I'll finally try it this year. (I hear there's an autographed drum head from Hanson hanging on the wall somewhere, too.)
• Fast Food: I always forget how exciting it can be to come across a chain restaurant you don't have at home while traveling. Here are a few fast food stops you might not have back home that you can drive to once you've figured out downtown Tulsa has no food at midnight: Taco Bueno, Whataburger, Sonic, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Steak 'n Shake.

Shopping

• Dwelling Spaces*: Before there were annual MOEs & thought-out PDF guides to Tulsa from Hanson, there was Dwelling Spaces. We all knew it, and we all owned their I Heart Tulsa shirts. Inside you'll also find Joebot's Coffee Bar. If you're nice, they might even make you a coffee with a Hanson symbol on top. 
• Ida Red: Like Dwelling Spaces, a clearly Tulsan boutique. You can find more cute souvenirs and t-shirts here along with a ton of unique soda flavors and foreign candies.
• Utica Square: If you want to do real shopping and not just hunt for souvenirs, hit up Utica Square. It's sort of an upscale outdoor mall.
• Glacier Confections*: You know those fun flavored chocolates you see on Hanson.net every Valentine's Day? Those are coming from Glacier Confections. If you care about chocolate at all, do it, and try something exciting. 
• I Heart Hanson Pop-up Store*: Okay, so you don't need me to tell you to go to this. What you do need me to tell you if it's your first time is to 1) expect to wait in line, and 2) expect to spend money. If you show up at the store at 5 and have dinner planned for 6, you may wind up having to choose between tacos and t-shirts. 

Inside the first I Heart Hanson Pop-up Store.

Spoils from Dwelling Spaces, Ida Red, & Hanson. I wasn't kidding about expecting to spend money!

Sight Seeing

• The Center of the Universe*: It's located at the top of a pedestrian overpass downtown. Go stand in the middle and figure it out. For all its "unique" appeal, I will say there is a place just like this in Charleston, SC with no plaque or official name to draw any visitors. My friends and I found it by climbing on stuff; go figure. 
• TBS Video location: You can visit the shooting location for the "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'" video at the intersection of N. Greenwood and E. Archer St. If you walk about a block past the intersection and under the overpass, you'll see the mural used in another scene in the video. 
• Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza: You can see a little bit of Route 66 History at the old 11th Street
  
  Bridge. Who knew one of the founders of Route 66 was from Tulsa? "Championed by Tulsa, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery when the first talks about a national highway system began, U.S. 66 was first signed into law in 1927 as one of the original U.S. Highways" (wikipedia). And that's the most history you'll EVER hear out of me.
• The Golden Driller: Because who doesn't want to stop and take a picture with a 76-foot school-bus-yellow oil drilling man? 
• Guthrie Green*: This one is pretty new to Tulsa. It's a public park that holds all kinds of events from farmer's markets to food trucks to one mile barefoot walks, if you attended Hanson Day in 2013. 
• The Philbrook Museum: The gardens here are gorgeous. If you're into art and photography and can catch this place on a sunny day, go take some pictures. Tip: It's free on the 2nd Saturday of every month! There's a list of other discounts and free admission guidelines on the website.

The Philbrook

And I don't care what the 10 day, 5 day, or 24 hour forecast says...pack a jacket!

Got any questions or suggestions of your own? Leave a comment.

(Back to) Back to the Island 2014

I no longer believe in the concept of a "once in a lifetime experience." That phrase is an excuse to let yourself do something when you're feeling a little reluctant or if you want to convince yourself that something is better than it really is. I called Tulsa a "once in a lifetime experience" once; seven trips later, I've given up. And now, back from my second time in Jamaica with my favorite band, I've simply resigned myself to a new mantra: "There's a first time for everything" (and often a second, third, fourth, and so on).


This year held many improvements over last year's event, and the biggest and most important improvement was the music. I went home last year thinking about all the best parts of the event and then realized that the music didn't even rank in my list. I was stoked about the tie-dye, the snorkeling, and Isaac's drink mixing session; the shows were almost an afterthought for me. This year the music was the best part by a landslide, as it should have been all along. I read somewhere that Hanson played a total of 89 unique songs over the course of the four day event. EIGHTY NINE. I'm not doing the math on how many unique songs we got last year, but it felt like maybe 15 (okay, that's an exaggeration). This year only three songs were repeated: "Best of Times" (they seemed to be filming some sort of video for it), "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'," and "Every Word I Say." Repeats are welcome when it's two versions of EWIS, and I'm always down to do the TBS dance.

If you want to check out the full details of the setlists, you can head over to hansonstage.com and click Database > setlists by date. I met the owner, Katie, in Jamaica. She's fantastic and I've used her site to keep track of my own setlists for years. It has some pretty neat features so if you haven't yet, check it out!


The Activities

For me, the activities started with Hancyclopedia Trivia with Isaac. I do have to say it may be impossible to top last year's drink mixing with Isaac that had him taking shots straight from the bottle and attempting the soulja boy dance. The trivia felt pretty short, and the next day Matt Wertz showed up for Isaac's event. Turns out he was supposed to be at ours too but forgot.

Zac's tie dye event was much less chaotic than last year's big cluster of people. He told us in advance that he would be coming around to each group, so there was no giant mob circling him the entire time (with the exception of a few fans that did seem to follow him from group to group). Zac also did his tie dye homework this year and came prepared to teach us not only the basic "cinnamon roll" twist pattern, but also a new heart pattern, and told us to soak the shirt in vinegar to help keep the dye. I brought an extra shirt to dye so I could do a test run before ruining the one provided in our merchandise package, so I decided to try a heart on the plain one. I had Zac draw the heart and tie that portion for me, then did the dye myself.

So if you'll excuse the totally necessary pun: Zac held my heart in his hand and I dyed.

        

Taylor's after party was also better than his cooking class last year. Zac, Andrew, Dimitrius, Paul McDonald, and Matt Wertz all made appearances on the stage to show off some dance moves as Taylor chose the music. Isaac hung in the back and from what I hear did a few shots with fans. When I found him I got a cheers with my water, you know, the partier that I am and all. 

The Solo Shows

One of the big appeals of this trip was the announcement of Hanson's first ever solo shows. Each night, one brother took to the stage alone for a 45 minute set. It was a really unique experience getting to hear so many songs solo that have always been full-band songs to me. Every Word I Say, Get Up and Go, RAIN? I mean where did that come from?! I do have to laugh because Isaac introduced the song by saying they had never played it before, but I definitely heard Rain live in Tulsa once. I will absolutely not complain hearing it again as an Isaac solo in Jamaica, though.  Taylor's set seemed pretty quick with just seven songs, but he was the first to do a solo show.  It opened with a weird coincidence where it started raining during "Make it Out Alive," so I sang "We may not make it out all dry" quietly to my friend Rachel, and the very next verse Taylor sang the same thing. The standout performance here was definitely "Every Word I Say," which I can imagine may be the only time we ever hear that as a solo. 

Zac's set had 9 songs that opened with "This is the Jam," which had never been played before. I always envisioned it being this sort of big crowd anthem in my head, but there wasn't really any crowd participation like I had hoped. The set ended with a KILLER rendition of "Devil's Nachos." That song had been played live one time before, I was there for both, and let me tell you his performance in Jamaica blew the one in D.C. waaaay out of the water. 

He kept joking that the crowd needed to be louder or that he would just put down the guitar and walk off, and how he had only ever seen that happen at metal shows but that maybe we would see something similar later. At the end he did just that, laid the guitar down on an amp that left us suffering a horrible sound until someone came and moved it, and by the time we realized what was happening, he was gone. A few people seemed confused and thought he was mad but I thought it was a genius way to exit before anyone could mob him, and he gave us the rockstar exit he had already alluded to earlier in his set.

Isaac joked that they saved the best for last, and his show was a pretty great way to end their first ever solo sets. We got a full 10 songs out of him and probably the rarest songs with "Rain," "Too Young to Kill," and "Someone." The crowd energy felt huge for his set, and you could tell every person there was having a great time just watching him do what he does best. I can't wait to see the product of all the recording during "Best of Times."

The trip felt so incredibly fast I can hardly believe it's over. If you challenged me to pick a favorite part, I don't think I could. The music really blew me away this year, and a few of my favorite highlights include:

• "In a Way" opening the 2nd show. The DRUMS. 
• Getting to hear "Every Word I Say" not only full band again, but as a Taylor solo for the first time. 
• Isaac's solo set. Period. 
• "Devil's Nachos." 
• Finally got a photo with Taylor where I don't look like I need 12 more hours of sleep and a hairbrush. I then made a fool out of myself during the M&G photo op, so I guess the world is balanced once again.    

You can check out more photos on my facebook page HERE, and if you're curious about last year's BTTI event, there's a review of that HERE too.

My Anti-Bucket List: 2013 Edition.

Back in early 2012, I wrote a blog post proposing the concept of an "anti-bucket list." The idea is to identify a list of things you have already accomplished instead of setting a list of unattainable goals for the future. Besides, sometimes I find the experiences I never dared to dream up and write down on a list to be more fulfilling than those I've been anticipating. Spontaneity can trump years of plans if you let it.

Since revisiting my original Anti-Bucket List, I thought of all the new things I've done in the last 19 months and decided maybe it's time for an upgrade. Then I took it a step further. What if instead of tallying up all the fun things I've ever done into one big trophy of a graphic, I held myself to a single year. 2013. Could I accomplish enough in one year to warrant a new list? Would such a list be disappointingly barren, or surprisingly full? It's a challenge I may take on yearly from now on--not to fulfill a set of predetermined requirements, or to make myself feel useless if I can't come up with anything--but to take the time to identify the fun, unexpected things I have accomplished this year. It serves as a fun evaluation at the end of the year as well as motivation to keep going in 2014.

So here it is, my Anti-Bucket List for 2013: the traveling fan edition. What's on yours? (think outside of the box; it doesn't have to be travel-based). What else can you add in the next month?

Photo: Negril, Jamaica 2013

Want to make one of your own? Try www.picmonkey.com. It's free and simple to use.

Anthem Tour: Charlotte

Charlotte, NC, Nov. 20th, 2013

The final show of a tour is one to be both anticipated and dreaded. It’s bound to be good, but the thing about happy endings is that by definition, they have to end.  It sets in motion that anxious feeling of not knowing when you’ll see your favorite band again (unless you already have a flight booked to see them in Jamaica in January…you know, just for example).  I've heard people refer to it as PHCD—Post Hanson Concert Depression.  Call it what you want, but the only cure I know is already having the next show planned before you reach the “last,” and of course, it’s temporary. The only real treatment is to never stop going, always outrun the "last" show.

Charlotte was the closest stop to my house all tour, so it felt really strange to get in my car and drive myself to a single show.  No delayed flights, no car full of friends, and worst of all, I had to get back in my car and drive home afterwards instead of heading to some new city where I can’t park to save my life. It's probably how normal people always experience shows, right? (and makes for a kind of uneventful blog post, sorry!)

The whole day was uncomplicated. The weather for the walk was perfect, and we had a great turnout nearing 200 people. Taylor called me "Vanna White" for holding up the walk registration sheet at the end, and I had to laugh when my friend Valerie accurately pointed out that that would make him Pat Sajak. (irony: Vanna White is actually from my hometown)

              

The show began with a Hanson tour finale tradition by pranking opener David Ryan Harris. During his last song, Hanson & crew blasted a different song over the sound system and came out doing some strange dancing in a line. It was so random I feel like it must have some real, concrete origin that none of us recognized. The dancing reminded me of marionette puppets (Isaac did it best), and there was something oddly familiar about it that I can't figure out. Taylor came out with a box on his head. We may never know.

(There's a poor excuse for a video of the end of this over on my instagram)

Perhaps more unusual than Taylor in a box was the older lady and her man friend that came to stand behind us. The things they were doing before the show even started belonged under the privacy of a set of high school bleachers or some equivalent. We were happy when the guy left until she started screaming in his absence, the kind of screaming that comes at random intervals and doesn't even seem to line up with anything happening on stage. She talked right over Hanson asking us to be quiet for their a capella "Too Much Heaven" cover, so I finally turned and tried to politely say "They're about to sing without any instruments or microphones. If anyone is talking, we won't hear it." She muttered something angry but was mostly quiet during the song (at least, quieter than the two guys that started shouting and distracting everyone about 10 seconds later). Have I mentioned that those a capella key changes will change your life? Because they will. I don't always elaborate enough on the pure talent of this band, but if you're not impressed by three a capella key changes done seamlessly in harmony, then you don't understand music.

After they finished, Isaac ranted about how he thought he was in the south where people were supposed to have manners, but that maybe the northeast was better. He was starting to play "For Your Love" when crazy lady pushed me in the back and shouted "B**** you have NO right to talk to me like that!" Cue really confused blank stares from everybody around me, because I hadn't said a word since before the last song. It was either the worst delayed reaction ever, or she had been carrying on a fictional argument with me in her head. After another silent moment when I thought it was over, she pushed me and said "You won, B****!" and then left. After a similar situation in Seattle and gum in my hair in Vegas, I think I've somehow taken on the role of pied piper of the crazies.

The solo set was perfect because Val got to hear "For Your Love" after her wedding, Zac pulled out "The Walk," and Taylor finally played Crazy Beautiful as a solo after I chased him all over the country asking for it (scratch that--continent. The last place I asked was Vancouver. I'm exaggerating, but only a little). For the encore at the end they brought David Ryan Harris out and played a few Christmas songs, the perfect finale for a show so late in the year.

I drove home with that sad mixture of feeling completely satisfied and nostalgic knowing that my favorite memories from this tour are just that--memories, past tense. I think that's part of what we're all feeling when we refer to some type of post-show depression. It's not just that we're sad there isn't another show to look forward to (yet), it's that we had some really great moments already, and you can't relive or replicate them no matter how hard you try. So you come home, and you tell it to your friends. You post pictures on Facebook, or you update your blog and know that even if you can't go back, you can still remember. And you can start plotting for next time.

Revamp!

Welcome to the new and improved If You Give a (Fan) a (Ticket)!

If you've been here before, welcome back. If you're seeing this page for the first time, you're late! (kidding, glad to have you.) I started this blog five years ago after my 11th Hanson show. I knew that I loved writing, that I would continue going to shows, and that I wanted a place to keep track of all the fun details. I suspected the stories would get crazier and the memories more fuzzy, and I was right. You're looking at the result, and I'm glad to have kept up with it for this long. I hope you'll enjoy it and the changes I've made.

What's new:

• The url! www.travelingfan.net. R.I.P. jasminesprinkles. (Hindsight: never name a blog after an inside joke with a Hanson that you didn't quite get and that they'll never remember anyway.) No worries, all old links should still redirect to the right place.
• The facebook page: www.facebook.com/travelingfan. Like it, share it, frequent it! 
• Google + page
• Email: holly@travelingfan.net.
• The wrap up post to my Anthem Tour blog series. You can find it right here or scroll down to read it underneath this post. 

What's coming:

More changes. The Facebook page is brand new and pretty empty. I haven't even started a twitter yet. You can probably expect a few more design changes and maybe some new additions to the website in the near future. If you have any suggestions for changes, please let me know either here in the comments or at my fancy new email address.

Thanks for reading! Feedback is welcomed :-)

Holly

Anthem Tour: Vancouver & Home.

Vancouver, BC, Canada, Oct. 2nd, 2013

It’s cold. You’re sitting in a sleeping bag on a sidewalk in a country you’ve never been to before.  It’s past midnight on a Tuesday, but to the drunks wandering in and out of the bars, it’s perpetually Saturday.  Homelessness peppers the sidewalks, and there are so many questionable activities going on that nobody is surprised by the five girls in clean sleeping bags beneath the venue marquee. You wonder if this is normal in Vancouver.

One man finally stops.

“What are lovely ladies like yourselves doing camped out on a sidewalk?” he asks.

“We’re here for the Hanson show,” you say.

You’re prepared for the usual onslaught of “MMMBop” jokes and irrelevant cracks about long-haired children and mistaken gender.  Instead, he says:

“Is it really worth it?”

You can’t tell him about all ten of the shows you saw in the last two weeks, or the fifteen or fifty or two hundred you saw before that.  You can’t show him some mental montage of all the places you’ve been and the people you’ve met. You can’t even pull out your phone to show him a song clip because you’re not about to pay out of country roaming fees for ten seconds of the wrong part of “You Can’t Stop Us.”  You can’t tell him these things because he’s drunk and you have about a twelve second window before his attention wanders to the next sedentary female, and because even if he wasn’t, some things can’t really be explained.

You settle for “Yes.”

He insists on buying you fries and water from the McDonald’s down the street because he’s wasted and maybe it seems like a pretty chivalrous thing to do for a bunch of sidewalk sleepers. You politely decline and he’s off to the next bar on this Tuesday/Saturday night.

The night drags on. Someone asks if you're "George's girls," and it takes you a moment to realize that logic says George is a pimp and you've just been mistaken for prostitutes (in sleeping bags?).  An older woman in a blonde wig insists you take a handful of contraceptives from the bucket attached to her hip, but you decline those too. You also decline the drunk guy who keeps saying that he "NEEDS" to sleep in the three-inch-gap between you and your friend. You tell him he doesn't.

Yes. Still worth it.

***

The Vancouver show was one of my favorites all tour, weird camping experiences and all.  The small fan club event held before the regular show was a definite highlight and worth the wait. There were around 50 fan club members in attendance, and we got a few acoustic songs, a Q&A, and group photos with the band. I sincerely hope our photo is a full body shot so my friends and I can all have a good laugh at the variety of footwear going on (hello, rain boots & platforms!). 

My favorite part of the event was "On and On," hands down. First, it's my favorite song from this year's EP. Second, they stepped away from the microphones and walked to the front of the stage to sing the final chorus directly in front of us, face to face, and it was GORGEOUS. And third, I've been saying all along that the last line in that song screams Brokeback Mountain, and Hanson finally confirmed that they're aware of the similarity too. It's this really sweet love song, and the last line is "I can't quit you." (I believe the original line in the movie is "I wish I knew how to quit you," but it was close enough to send me into a fit of giggles the first time I heard it in Tulsa this year). Anyway, Hanson blows my mind singing this gorgeous a capella version of one of my favorite songs, literally five feet in front of my face, and then they end the song like this:

"I can't quit yoooooou........Jake Gyllenhaal." Ladies and Gentlemen, my favorite band.

They surprised all of us at the end by asking if we had any requests. People immediately shouted for "Cried," and they eventually gave in and played just the chorus. Then they played all of "Ever Lonely," which made up for the fact that I couldn't think of a single thing to request. I'll be better prepared next time. 

During the regular show, my friends and I really appreciated Zac bringing out "Fire on the Mountain" for the first time this tour. They know fans travel to multiple shows, so it's always nice when they switch the setlists up a bit. I can remember thinking a few songs in that I should have asked them to play "Something Going Round" when I had the chance during our group pictures. I didn't ask, but I was thrilled when it showed up near the end of the set list anyway. It's always been one of my favorites live; I love when they drop the music and stop singing and all you can hear is the crowd carrying on the word "NOW" without them at the end.

Afterwards, we waited by the bus one last time to say goodbye at the end of my favorite trip to date. Taylor was sick and didn't come out, but we thanked Isaac and Zac for a great run of shows and left with pictures and smiles knowing that all of us would be back next time, and knowing that "back" doesn't necessarily mean Canada, but anywhere.

We woke up deathly ill right on schedule the following morning (thanks again, Zac) and started the 22 hour drive back to L.A. The one thing I didn't get to do in Vancouver was visit an old Supernatural set and take nerdy pictures there (Supernatural:TV::Hanson:music, okay?). Naturally, at the U.S. border I turned my phone back on to see a post from a friend we said goodbye to the night before. There was Jensen and Jared and the Impala, parked in her hotel lot we had parked in just 24 hours before, shooting a brand new scene. I guess you can't win them all.

As if the 22 hour drive and subsequent cross-country flight weren't complicated enough, I woke up to an email saying that my flight home was canceled. I was re-booked on a red-eye a full 11 hours after my original flight instead. But wait, there's more! My connecting flight was delayed, too. TWICE. By the time I got home, I had to beg a coworker to cover my shift, I had to pay for an extra day's parking at the airport, and I had spent roughly 33 out of the previous 72 hours in cars or on planes. I came home, dragged my things inside, and opened my suitcase to pull out my phone charger before crashing into bed. Inside is a wad of ticket stubs shoved in with dirty socks and rain boots and a pair of drumsticks tucked into an umbrella bag.

Yep, still worth it.

Anthem Tour: Portland & Seattle

Portland, OR, Sept. 28th, 2013

I had no idea what a weather wimp I was until this show. It was rainy and cold and I was completely miserable and unprepared. My shoes and socks got drenched to the point that water began soaking OUT of them instead of in; it was that bad. Naturally, I would choose to visit Portland just in time for one of the rainiest cities in the U.S. to make rainfall history (cliffnotes version: The day after we were in Portland, news outlets reported that Portland saw more rain this September than in any recorded history dating back to1872).

At least the company was good, and we got to catch up with a few old friends and make a few new ones (the drunk, semi-shirtless girl that started laying on me during the show excluded). I also got to mark Voodoo Donuts off my imaginary bucket list.
                                       

Photo courtesy of @maalaearose https://twitter.com/maalaearose/status/384062438221430785

Seattle, WA, Sept. 30th, 2013

We were cold and miserable enough in Portland to make a rain gear stop on the way up to Seattle. It's amazing the difference a pair of rain boots and a proper rain coat can make (both in your happiness and in your carry-on luggage). This show was Paul McDonald's last and a lot of fun. Hanson showed up during the last song of his set dressed in white denim floral jackets that were reminiscent of Paul's wardrobe during American Idol.  Taylor pushed his way through the crowd with a camera before jumping on stage, and Zac started playing an entirely different drum beat, eventually forcing the song to become a great cover of "Maggie May" instead.

We got a great balcony spot and felt like Statler & Waldorf watching the packed, sold-out crowd from above. Through the course of the night we watched two people pass out and a fight break out over front row that left Taylor politely threatening fans to step back or get no show. I guess we chose the right night to stay off of the floor.

The weirdest part though was the fight right next to me in the balcony. It started when the girl on my right strayed a little too far from her spot and left a gap between us, so someone tried to squeeze in. The first thing I did was turn and tell her that I intended to dance and jump and have fun and not move an inch for her. As a result, she and her mother spent the next half hour brutally pushing the girl that was next to me, but trying very hard not to touch me at all. They would literally pound this girl with their elbows on one side, and then turn and apologize to me because they were starting to touch my arm a little. It was the strangest thing. It ended with the first girl leaving, the one that pushed in stayed next to me, and somehow I never had to move an inch. I was torn between feeling grateful and completely and utterly confused.

The acoustic set was particularly good. Isaac asked the crowd if we would prefer him to play the guitar or the piano. The rarity of Isaac on piano won by a landslide, and we were treated to a solo of "More Than Anything." I've always been a little indifferent about "Kiss Me When You Come Home," but hearing Taylor play it as a piano solo earned it a lot of bonus points I didn't know it had in it. The show ended with a collaborative cover of "It's a Long Way to the Top" with Paul and J.P., a tradition I've witnessed with three openers now. Don't ask me who did it best; it's always a good time.

Anthem Tour: Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA, Sept. 26th, 2013

I don't know if you've ever camped out for a show before, but I'm sure you can imagine that the experience is not always pleasant. And truth be told, it's a subject I usually avoid bringing up because there's really no way to say "Hey! I slept on a sidewalk for Hanson" and not be judged for it.

Be that as it may: Hey! I slept on a sidewalk for Hanson. This is probably not new information, nor is it new ground for me (get it? puns). Whereas parents will tell their kids "Don't do anything I wouldn't do," I tend to live by the philosophy of "Don't do anything you wouldn't post on the internet."  So here I am, living up to that rule as well as the argument I'm constantly throwing out to people that judge me for camping out in person:  If I cared that much what everyone thought about it, I wouldn't do it in the first place.

The reason I'm bringing it up is because I only took two pictures in L.A., and they're both of sleeping bags. Why? Because I have plenty of pictures of Hanson and walks and friends. This, however, was my first time sleeping on a 30 degree incline down Sunset Blvd. in the heart of Hollywood. I suspect it doubles as my last:

                                              

                                              

Remember when you were a kid at the fair, and they had those long slippery slides that you went down on a burlap mat? You know, the ones where you raced your friends to the bottom and had to keep going one more time to break the tie?

This was kind of like that, only the end goal was to NOT beat your friends to the bottom. Let's just say it was a long night, and that the street sign pictured at the bottom of my sleeping bag served a functional purpose beyond communicating parking laws.

All that and we were still some of the very last people in the front row; it happens sometimes. We knew it was L.A. and that meant Hanson would have friends and some famous admirers in the audience. Nikki Reed performed with Paul again, and Joe Karnes of Fitz and the Tantrums joined Hanson for "Get the Girl Back." A few days later, I heard a rumor that Andrew McMahon was there, too, and whether or not this means anything to you, it meant total jealousy to me. (If you've somehow lived under an Andrew McMahon-less rock, go check out his music. NOW.) When I got back home a few weeks later, I found that he had instagrammed a photo from the show and captured me in a moment of looking completely bored. Hey, it was before anyone hit the stage, i.e. power nap time for anyone that slept on concrete the night before. If I ever see Andrew on stage with Hanson one day, I promise the reaction photo will look a lot different.
                                                 

Photo courtesy of Andrew McMahon: http://instagram.com/p/ewCBzpApTi/

On the topic of Anthems and Andrew McMahon, I'll leave you with reason #1025968 I love his music so much. My own personal anthem for travel, his song "I Woke Up in a Car":

Well I woke up in a car.

I traced away the fog

so I could see the Mississippi on her knees.

I've never been so lost; 

I've never felt so much at home.

Please write my folks and throw away my keys.

I woke up in a car.


(...or, as the case may be, on a sidewalk.)

Anthem Tour: Anaheim

Anaheim, CA, Sept. 25th, 2013

It felt wrong to be on Disney property and not ride any rides. I'd pick Disneyland over waiting in line for Hanson any day if I could afford it, but I already used up my spontaneous theme park money on Knott's Berry Farm at the beginning of this trip. And in the true spirit of cheapness, we also chose to forego Pass the Line and just went for decent spots in the back for this one. Lucky for you, that makes it the one show this tour I took a few pictures at.

I assume the show was sold out because I've never seen a House of Blues so packed before. Paul McDonald's set was a bit different than what we had come to expect because his wife, Nikki Reed, joined in for a few more mellow songs. They looked really happy together. It was also wingman Jonathan Pears' birthday, so Hanson and Nikki brought out a cake and sang "Happy Birthday" and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" with the crowd to celebrate.

 

Taylor wore his best Paul McDonald attire for the occasion.

And Zac tried, too.

A happy (somewhat blurry) good time was had.

Isaac hinted on the walk that they would start changing the shows up a bit, and they didn't disappoint. Zac's solo was "Get So Low," and we got to hear a great new cover of "Ain't Too Proud to Beg," complete with Taylor on bongos. Then they took us back a good 16 years and kept the bongos out for the first part of "MMMBop." I've never seen so many cell phones shoot into the air so fast (and even an iPad...which is just bad concert etiquette, my friend). For once, I'll let a few photos do the rest of the talking. Consider this Anthem blog the picture book edition.

❤