Snoqualmie & Ribfest

The day I bought Snoqualmie Casino tickets feels like a hundred years ago now. I'm sure it's a long-forgotten detail at this point, but the tickets for this show went on sale just days after that email went out. Emotions for some of us were high, and at the time, it felt more important than ever to take advantage of some random casino show on the other side of the country because it felt like there might not be much else coming our way for a while. Pair that with the fact that this show fell on my usual travel partner's 40th birthday (happy b-day, Rachel!), and I knew I needed to be there. Scoring good seats sealed the deal. 

And in true "If you give a fan a ticket..." fashion, if you attend the first show with a friend that lives in the city of the second show, and she invites you to just fly back to her house for the next one...you're going to want to add that glass of milk, er...plate of ribs? Also, traveling fan math: when you're flying cross-country to see a show, technically anything in between is on the way home.

Seattle/Snoqualmie

I've been to Seattle once before back in 2013 for the Anthem Tour, but all I really saw was Hanson and a sidewalk. I was excited to fly in early with friends this time to become full-blown tourists for a few days, and we took advantage of every free moment. While there, I visited:

-Pike Place (Where I had smoked salmon mac & cheese at Beecher's, seared scallop chowder from Pike Place Chowder, and a turkey sandwich from DeLaurenti's. I saw the original Starbucks from outside because I didn't want to spend 3 of my 4 days in line to go in)
-Starbucks Reserve
-Underground Tour
-Jacob Two Trees troll
-Space Needle Tour
-MoPop
-Kerry Park

I'll share a few key takeaways with you.

1. If you ever visit Seattle in a car, pre-book parking downtown. We thought we were being smart looking up the location of a nearby parking garage; we did not realize that when we got there, every garage in the area would be full or that we would pay $81 for 3 hours when we finally found a spot. We learned from that mistake and pre-booked a space for 9:30am-3pm when we returned two days later for a grand total of $13.99. When we got back to the car to leave, there was a sign out front advertising $100 event parking. Maybe Ticketmaster dynamic platinum pricing is exploring the parking industry. 

2. Also pre-book any tours or paid sightseeing you want to do. We missed out on the underground tour we really wanted because we waited too long and it sold out, and we missed visiting the aquarium because we failed to realize even that needed timed tickets. 

2. You can mobile order Pike Place Chowder to cut the ginormous line if you don't care about sitting inside.

3. Probably just don't go to Pike Place period on a weekend in the summer unless you love unnecessarily giant crowds, long lines, and touching a minimum of three strangers at all times.

4. If you eat an overpriced hot dog from the stand outside of the Space Needle, don't skip out on the free plums even if grabbing a plum out of a communal watery bowl of ice at a hot dog stand sounds like a risky choice. I can now say with confidence that the best plum I've ever eaten in my life came from a hot dog stand in Seattle, and I'm hesitant to admit that it may have been the best thing I ate in the whole city. Who knew?

Snoqualmie Concert

The show was technically at the Snoqualmie Casino, but really it was outside in the parking lot. For someone escaping 110+ degree heat indeces at home, wearing long sleeves to an outdoor concert felt like a luxury vacation, and watching the sunset over mountains during the show was a much better backdrop than a smoky, carpeted event hall. A+ for location. There was an older man in the front row center section who I assume got his seat by being a high roller casino member, and he was clearly enjoying his luck. He was clapping along with the rest of us and thrusting his cane into the air on beat, and at one point, loudly exclaimed something along the lines of "That was pretty good!" Hanson heard and joked back "Hear that? This guy says we're not terrible!"

The setlist was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be (though we were "robbed" of TBS), but it just felt good and right to be there enjoying a bunch of songs I know in my bones. These days, acoustic "Madeline" is becoming a mid-set staple and a new favorite for me. The harmonies never disappoint. I got to celebrate Rachel's 40th side by side with her in the front row, and while we weren't all next to each other, the rest of my friends all had great spots, too. I really couldn't have asked for a better night.

Minneapolis

We put the phrase "Sleepless in Seattle" into effect when we went to bed at midnight and set an alarm for 2am to get up and go to the airport so we could drop off rental cars and check bags before hopping a 6am flight to Minneapolis. I think every person that was parked at Pike Place all weekend was also at SeaTac when we got there, because the bag check and TSA pre-check lines were the longest I've ever seen (our international friend without pre-check actually beat the rest of us through security). Things moved quickly enough once everything opened, but for once I'm glad we showed up cautiously early. I love and support my bag check friends for knowing their own travel needs, but standing in that line for a change definitely made me thankful that I've gotten used to traveling carry on only.

The show in Minneapolis was at Mystic Casino's outdoor Ribfest, and long gone was the chill in the air and the need for long sleeves. I felt right at home in the 90+ degree humidity and opted to enjoy a shaded spot in the bleachers rather than braving the sunny asphalt on no sleep. I don't regret my choice, and while I love front row more than anything, I also enjoy the occasional chance to sit back and soak in a giant crowd rocking out to Hanson.

I was happy to see Plain White T's open and thought they did a great job putting on an upbeat set and pumping up the crowd. If you think you vaguely remember their name from "Hey There Delilah" fame, odds are you probably know a few more songs than you think. Hanson's set was pretty similar to the one in Snoqualmie with a few changes and felt like a hit with the crowd.

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It didn't hit me until after the show that for the first time in forever, I don't know when my next Hanson show will be. For years now I've had a minimum of two guaranteed Hanson trips per year with BTTI and Hanson Day. With BTTI on a confirmed pause for next year and Hanson Day in some sort of silent limbo, this is the first time in at least 15 years that I don't 100% know when I'll be seeing Hanson again. It's a first world problem for sure; poor me, I don't get to see my favorite band five more times this fall because I'm taking a different trip in October, and they're probably taking a well-deserved break of some kind after that. I think I'll survive, and anyway, isn't a big part of the reason we all go to so many just living in the moment because the next one is never guaranteed? I'll hop back out of my feels for now to say I had a genuinely great time at these shows, and while I don't know what's next, I'm sure it'll be worth the trip--even if parking tries to cost as much as the flight.

P.S. Shoutout to Yelena's mom's homemade borscht for being even better than the hot dog stand plum🤤

Hanson Day 2025

The Wordy Intro

Greetings, friends!

If you're like me, you've probably spent the last few months on the edge of your seat trying to figure out what is going on with our favorite band. I know some are more removed from fan chatter and maybe haven't kept up with all the latest reasons to overreact, so just to make sure we're all up to speed, pretend you're back for a new episode of your favorite show, and here's a recap of what you missed last week. Previously, on "Hanson fans have a wide range of perception and reading comprehension": (see my previous blog post about that newsletter if you haven't already.)


The gist is Hanson kind of dropped a bomb on us in March and then went silent, and reactions ranged from totally missing that anything was out of the ordinary to being convinced the band is breaking up. As you can see from my previous post, my initial reaction was pretty serious, but with time and other factors that have popped up since (like heavily hinting that BTTI will return), I think the truth is probably somewhere in the middle. If you think it’s business as usual, your head is probably in the sand, but if you think the band is completely done, I don’t think we’re there yet, either. So this was my headspace as I headed to Tulsa: I got on a plane hoping for the best but also knowing there was a chance that it could be my last visit, at least for a while.

If you’re a regular here, then you’re familiar with my usual Hanson Day review format. First I fake-whine that it’s hard to write about an event that always sounds the same on paper, then I struggle to come up with witty new ways to describe similar experiences while somehow reiterating that it’s a welcome familiarity rather than a chore. Karaoke is karaoke is karaoke, but I still enjoyed it for the 8th time this year, you know?
But my struggle this time isn't with sounding fresh and original with stale content; it's with finding the balance between "Look at this baseball I caught! Don't you love my 80s dress? Everything's fine!!" surface level commentary and not going too melodramatic. I probably leaned a little too hard into my feels, but that's just the kind of trip it was for me.

So I’m not going to give you a neat linear list of facts like “Mac co-hosted Karaoke” or “I’ve never felt older than when I watched Isaac’s adult(?!) son perform an original song” or “a bird pooped on me on our walk to lunch.” Instead, I want to give you my totally biased account of what Hanson Day 2025 felt like to me as a fan showing up with a lot of questions and uncertainties.



The Hanson Day Experience

The setlist for the first show was actually really good, which made it all the more offensive that I kept getting emotional during songs that normally wouldn’t have affected me that way. I had a lump in my throat for most of the night, and “Make It Out Alive” kept punching me in the face with lyrics like “we’re just holding on/ just bracing for the worst” that weren’t supposed to be about the uncertainty of the future of this band, but sure felt like it in the moment. I felt irrationally sad during “Cut Right Through Me.” “Better Days,” of all songs, was the one that finally got me to crack and shed actual tears. And as soon as I started crying, I began hysterically laughing at myself while crying, because who cries over a song like “Better Days” that isn’t even sad?


I couldn’t tell you when the realization hit, but I had a moment of clarity that night when I realized exactly why I was feeling so choked up over every minor detail. For the last 18+ years and 200+ shows, Hanson concerts have been my escape. They’re my safe space and my comfort zone. They’re the place I run to for a guaranteed 90 minutes of stress-free happiness that feels like home, no matter what other challenges are going on in my life. And for the first time ever, my beloved happy place wasn’t a place to hide at all; it was the thing causing me stress and grief. I wasn't crying over "Better Days," not really. I was grieving the sudden loss of something I hadn't expected to lose.

If you're ready to change the channel and escape the downer vibe, don't worry, that's the worst of it. Fortunately, I didn't live the entire weekend in my feelings. They played "I Was Born" shortly after, and I still swear that song is like chocolate after a Dementor visit. After several lengthy talks with friends and a few conversations with members of the band, I managed to find an upswing on the emotional rollercoaster, and those were the only tears I shed all weekend. I didn’t walk away with any solid answers and am still convinced that the ongoing silence is because Hanson doesn’t know what the future looks like themselves, but I did come away with a sense of hope that I didn’t have before. My takeaway from this weekend is that the band has reached a period of necessary transition, and while we may not know what that looks like just yet, I respect the fact that they seem to be putting in the time and effort to figure it out.

The Rumors

As I said above, I didn't walk away from this weekend with any solid answers to share, and Hanson made no official announcements to the class at large. That being said, they did have conversations in smaller settings, and naturally fans asked lots of questions. This information launched an unofficial new Hanson Day event: Fan Club Telephone. To be fair, some people got actual video evidence of their interactions and shared willingly, so bravo to them for not spreading misinformation. I'm not saying that every person sharing information by word of mouth is sharing misinformation. I'm just saying that some people will tell you "Taylor said ____" when what they actually mean is "I struggled to overhear the stranger two people down from me in line saying that Taylor said _____", and from a fact checking standpoint...those two things are not equal.

The bottom line is it can be fun to share our experiences and trade stories, but it's also important to be conscious of how you both share information and consume information shared with you. It's not worth panicking over hearsay that might be completely wrong, and I definitely heard a few details that were laughably incorrect being shared as fact. Use good judgment out there!

Better Days

I may have gone into this trip uncertain and a little bit wrecked during the first show, but I'm coming out of it with hope that we do have better days ahead. Change can be terrifying, especially to a fan like me who has made visits to certain Hanson events as routine as trips to the dentist. If we're being honest, maybe there's something a little bit wrong with the fact that Hanson Day has gotten to that level of routine anyway (if you heard me shout "YES WE DO!" when they sang "Don't want a ticket to the same routine" at the first show, no you didn't). I can remember back when I was the fan club reporter at a show approximately three zillion years ago, The Walk album was new, and one of my questions was "What is the 'it' that you're tearing down?" They told me that "it" isn't the important part; "it" is almost irrelevant, and I remember Taylor in particular saying it's not just about tearing something down and destroying it, it's about tearing it down so that you can reinvent it and figure out how to rebuild it in a stronger way. I think that's where the band is at right now, and maybe that's not such a bad thing. 

To my fellow fans: I hope you are well and that I haven't sounded like too much of a drama queen with this post. Feel free to roll your eyes and continue not crying over "Better Days," but know that if you are in a weird place right now, you're not alone, and there's a song for that and a crowd full of us looking for a blue sky together.

To my favorite band: I'm sure you won't read this, but just in case you do--I'm proud of you for recognizing that you needed a change and for deciding to do something about it, even if it scares some of us to death. Even if it scares you to death, too. I hope you find the right path for your next steps and that whatever that looks like, you'll bring us along for the ride. We may have strong opinions and lofty expectations and big feelings and far more feedback than you could ever want from us, but at the end of the day, we're here for you. And I hope that when you have more figured out, you'll feel comfortable sharing it with us. We're always listening. 💙

Big Changes For travelingfan.net

This year is the 17th anniversary of travelingfan.net. When I first launched this blog back in 2008 after my 11th show, I never could have dreamed that I'd still be here 17 years later writing about my 245th. What began as a way to document my journey for myself and my closest friends has grown to reach an audience of fans all over the world, many of whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and befriending in person. Through so many life changes, this blog has remained a constant space of comfort and clarity for me, and through it all, you, dear readers, have sat in the passenger seat along for the ride. Thank you for trusting me behind the wheel!

One particular staple for this blog has been my annual HANSON DAY reviews. For 15+ years, HANSON DAY has been a landmark gathering of the fan community in Hanson’s home town featuring special activities, concerts, and other chances for members to connect with each other. I dove in from the very first one and have continued to report back, year after year, always looking for a fresh spin on how to share the true HANSON DAY experience with fans far and wide.



Today, I’m sharing my official plan for covering HDAY 2025 and beyond.


travelingfan.net HDAY coverage is going to change.

Given the annual challenge to create fresh, new ways to review an event that is so similar from year to year, and the current uncertainty of the future of HDAY as a whole, I have decided that the best way to continue providing quality content is to fictionalize this event. The idea was born when the 2020 cancellation of in-person HDAY had me joking that I could still write a plausible in-depth review, even without the actual event. I’d like to test that theory. It was a tough decision, but after months of consideration, I believe that I can create an exciting new experience for all of us, perhaps even better than the real thing.


travelingfan.net's genre is going to change.


I will continue to share my usual HDAY coverage and any other shows I may attend through March 31, 2026. After that date, the current non-fiction format of this blog will conclude. This will allow me to continue to create content while the band embraces their own year of reflection, regardless of any decisions they may make that do not align with the future of this blog. That’s right, I’m going independent. Rest assured, the longevity of this blog and, by extension, your ability to live vicariously and experience a show without ever setting foot at it will no longer be reliant on Hanson.

Other benefits of a fictionalized travelingfan.net:


-I will be able to put out content more consistently without the constraints of a tour schedule or a budget

-I will have the creative license to bring you more exciting and eventful “trips” and “encounters” than ever before.

-Fans who have been begging Hanson to visit their hometown can finally have those dreams realized. Leave a comment with what city you’d like to see Hanson “visit”!

 

2025 Show Reviews

Show reviews are a key component of this blog. Because of the outpouring of love I have felt for so many of my favorite posts from past tours, during this year of reflection and transition, I have decided to share not just a new show review or two, but also 40 of my best non-fiction posts that have been edited and remastered, exclusively for my readers.




What is most important is that you know how incredibly grateful I am to YOU. Thank you for sticking with me through so many overly-wordy attempts at sharing my experience, including this one. I have been so incredibly blessed to have you as a reader and a fellow fan. What a gift it has been to be part of a community that has been shared by so many around the globe. I’m excited to see you in Tulsa this May and whatever destination you can dream up in 2026! Pick the destination, and I'll pick the road.

 

"Cause I've been raised on the open road, just spinning yarn and big fish tales."


P. S. we will be partnering with hansonstage to determine how fictional shows will be reflected in ongoing show counts.

Feels Like a Change Is Gonna Come

Full disclosure, this post went a little darker and more personal than I intended when I sat down to write it. It's the kind of thing I'd typically leave to a private chat with friends rather than sharing with the class because I'm all for speculating and having a passionate conversation about something you care about, but I don't like to stir the pot when I don't actually know anything. That being said, this blog has always been about sharing my experience as a fan and documenting that journey for myself as well. Even if I end up cringing over it later, this feels like a part of it.

So let's talk about that newsletter. Here's a copy of it for quick reference:

I probably don't need to tell you that a lot of big feelings were felt in the Hanson fan community yesterday. Maybe you had them, maybe you didn't, but there's no denying that yesterday's newsletter shook some of us. I've refrained from saying much while I try to wrap my mind around it and figure out what exactly it's saying and maybe also what it isn't saying.

One thing I know is there is a lot of speculation happening right now, and if you've read some of the hundreds of fan comments out there, you'll know there's a massive range of feelings from "I hope they bring back painting next year" to "Hanson just broke up." After having a day to process some of this, I wanted to share some of my own thoughts as I try to make sense of things. Words always help me do that, so first I'd like to share some of Hansons' own words to help navigate that newsletter and what I got out of it.

Things the newsletter says:
-The hanson.net fan club membership as we know it will end on March 31, 2026.
-They have put "months of consideration" into this decision.
-They will be using this year "to determine if there is a new model for hanson.net which aligns with [their] plans for the future."

Things the newsletter does not say:
-If hanson.net will continue existing in some capacity after this date in the event that they do not identify a new model that aligns with their future.
-That the band broke up.
-That the band didn't break up.
-That they are taking a break or hiatus.
-What their plans are for the future. 

That's it. Those are the facts. Everything else is fan interpretation, reading between the lines, and plenty of observation and intuition, any of which could be dead-on or totally off the mark. No matter how plausible any of our speculation may sound, we're simply not going to know what's going on until they choose to share more with us. I hope they will choose to trust us with more when they are ready.

What I think:
As for my own interpretation, I think it's all left very open-ended for a reason. I don't think Hanson is necessarily withholding all the answers from us; I think maybe they genuinely don't know yet themselves. As terrifying as that may be to some of us, I imagine it must also be scary territory for the band. It sounds like they've identified a need for a change and are giving themselves a year to re-evaluate, well, maybe everything? Certainly the fan club, at a minimum. But as a band that has largely considered the fan club to be their bread and butter and their target audience for the last quarter century, I don't take it lightly that we've been stamped with an official expiration date. They might be directly referring to the website, but this feels bigger than just a site revamp decision to me.

The profuse level of gratitude and thanks for our support as fan club members throughout the newsletter feels sincere, but ironically, I think it's the wording of that gratitude that leads to the overall ominous vibe that so many of us got out of it. "Thank you for sticking with us through so many seasons." "We have been so blessed." "What a gift it has been." Are you picking up on this English lesson I never wanted to be teaching? It's all past tense. There's no "thanks for sticking by us this year and onward as we figure out how we're evolving together," it's just...thanks for the memories. Maybe that wasn't their intent, but those are the words on the page. 

Believe it or not, I didn't set out to scare anyone with this post. I mostly wanted to draw attention to the fact that within the huge range between apathy and total devastation, there are a lot of conclusions being drawn, both good and bad, that aren't really supported by what the newsletter actually says. I'm someone that looks to words for comfort and clarity whether I'm analyzing them, writing them, or both, and I'm not sure I got either from this newsletter or from this rambling mess I've written. I hope in a year or a month or even a week I will be laughing at how intense things felt the day I opened that newsletter, and how putting an expiration date on a 25-year relationship with an invitation to re-evaluate it on April Fools' Day should've been the first red flag. The more I stare at the words on the page, the more I wonder if maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe my gut instinct is a little off on this one. I don't know what's next, and I'm not sure Hanson knows either, but for now I'll try to just let that door remain open and hope that when they choose to walk through it, the sign above it will say "sold out" and not "exit."

Back to the Island 2025

Greetings from my first day back to "real life" after BTTI 2025! I slept for 12 hours last night and currently feel like I got run over by a truckload of Nyquil after working Hop Jam. I'm not hungover or suffering some contagious illness I picked up while traveling, I'm just too old to live my best life jumping around in a pool for two hours and then travel home on no sleep the next day without suffering the consequences. As I write this, I am exhausted and sore and happy, and I have absolutely no intention of learning my lesson.

Full Band Shows

I always show up at BTTI expecting at least one show to borrow heavily from whatever tour Hanson just finished. It makes sense logistically; content from the latest tour is always going to be the most polished sound without a ton of additional rehearsal, and there will always be fans at BTTI that couldn't make it to a tour stop. It's a fact that I expect and am fine with, but I always secretly hope they get that show "out of the way" on night one so I can move on to more out of the box territory for the rest of the event. I'm happy to report that this year there was no overtly themed Underneath Complete show, just a few tour highlights mixed in. Gold star from me this year on the music assortment!

The first night probably had the most singles, but I loved that it felt like things leaned more into the SIO era with "Make it Out Alive," "Thinkin' 'Bout Something", "Musical Ride," and "Give a Little." "Make it Out Alive" was my favorite of the night, though "Island In the Sun" featuring Phantom Planet was a fun surprise since I fully expected it to be LWEO the moment I saw them on stage.

Night Two felt like fan club night with songs like "Down," "Sound of Light," "Somebody that Wants to Love You," and the forever impressive "White Collar Crimes." I enjoyed all of it, but unpopular opinion time: "Voice in the Chorus" was my fave.

Night Three was the best in my opinion, and I don't think I'm biased just because I lucked out and got a great spot that night. It was a good mix of throwbacks, fan club songs, and fan favorites. I honestly loved the whole thing. "Cried," "Great Divide," and "You Can't Stop Us" would probably top my list if I had to make one. Seriously though, look at this spread of all the content they hit in one show:

(thanks, hansonstage)

By the end of all of the main shows and solos, they had performed TEN songs from Shout it Out including one of the bonus tracks, so I'm considering BTTI 2025 the unofficial SIO year. 📣 🙌

Zac's Solo

Listen, I love Zac. He is definitely in my top 3 favorite Hansons of all time (a joke, obviously, but no I'm not giving a real ranking). The guy is so talented that practically everything he sings ever sounds flawless, and I am truly rooting for his solo show to be my favorite one of these days so I can properly fangirl at a level he deserves. That being said, this was still not the year. I loved hearing "Save Me From Myself," but overall I would say the show was enjoyable without any major "wow" moments. I tried to ask myself what a fangirl-worthy Zac set would look like to me, because it hardly seems fair to say I want something different without being able to identify what would get me excited.

So I went over to hansonstage and looked at the Zac leads page to try to answer that question, and it hit me that I always expect Isaac to have similar sets from year to year because he has the least leads, but if we consider how many songs Zac plays drums on, he might have even fewer options that wouldn't involve completely reworking a song so that he can do it on the piano or guitar. Looking at that list made me want to cut him a little more slack and give him more credit for getting up there and doing an entire show on his secondary and tertiary instruments. (Can you imagine if Isaac had to do an entire solo set without a guitar?) I'll do my best to be happy that he continues to do these shows that are probably out of his comfort zone, but here are a few cheat codes for how to get me excited next time just in case:

"Get So Low,""On The Rocks,""Reading Your Mind," "In A Way," "This is the Jam." Bonus gushing if he can turn "Joyful Noise" or "Wish That I Was There" into solos because I think he could do it and they would sound great!

Isaac's Solo

Isaac gave us the longest solo set with 12 songs, three of which were from his side band Mother Road Sons. Despite getting a couple of songs I had never heard, "Being Me" was still my favorite and reminded me that I don't always need to be chasing rares in order to be happy with the songs they choose. We all got a fun moment of comic relief during "Ordinary Words" when he kept pulling lyrics out of his pocket, eventually dropped them, and kept failing until one of their techs came out and picked up the paper and held it in front of his face to save the day. 

                                     

Taylor's Solo

I couldn't resist captioning an Instagram story I shared from Taylor's show with "Happy annual Taylor Hanson slays his solo set day!" By the third song in, he already had me going "How have I been sleeping on 'Cut Right Through Me,' this sounds amazing!" I got a little brave this year and made a song request during my M&G photo, which is not something I do often. I didn't end up getting "The Luckiest," but there was a brief moment where I heard the opening notes of a song and my stomach immediately jumped into my throat involuntarily. For half a second, I thought it was my request. My heartbeat sped up, and the million butterflies in my stomach alerted me that something epic was happening. A moment later I realized that I was hearing "Bridges of Stone," and that the fangirl part of me must be woven deep into my physical existence because my body recognized what was happening before my brain did. It's kind of wild to think that there were actual physical changes in my body before I even understood what song I was hearing. Music is insane in that way.   

Video courtesy of Yelena

Phantom Planet

I feel like I have sufficiently rambled about loving Phantom Planet in my posts about the Underneath Experience Tour, so I'm going to keep this short. They did a very short impromptu acoustic set on the beach by the bonfire on the first night. It was only maybe three songs, but it was such a great chill, laid back vibe that I wish it could have been longer or later in the week. Their regular show was a full-length set of most of the songs I loved on tour and several they never had time to include, plus a bonus appearance from Isaac. Alex told us a story about how he tried to crowd surf one time and immediately fell to the ground and injured his ribs, then trusted us to try it out and not do the same. Things ended well this time, but they totally planted a few guys in the area just to be safe. 

Here's a video of Isaac joining in on "California." No crowd surfing in this one.

Games

I am excited to report that this is no longer the segment where I try to politely express being a little bit over Family Feud and give suggestions for how to make it better. In past surveys, I have asked for:

-A game other than Family Feud
-Limiting teams to just one round instead of two so more people get the opportunity to play
-Consider having each brother be an actual part of the teams

I know I'm not the only one to give that feedback, but y'all, ALL of these things happened, and I was shocked. For the first time, we got Pictionary instead of Family Feud. Isaac and Taylor were team captains for opposing teams, and every time a team member went up to draw, they would take that person's seat and participate in guessing. I was there for the first night and thought it was a lot of fun and entertaining to watch, especially when Isaac and Taylor ended up drawing head to head to break the tie at the end.

If you haven't been before, the general vibe of any team game night can probably be summed up by the image of Taylor drinking a dirty banana but abandoning it, someone offering it to Isaac, and Isaac loudly proclaiming "I don't want Taylor's dirty banana" followed by 14-year-old-boy-level cackling from the entire audience. MON era me would be so scandalized.

I attended the second session of Mario Kart with Zac and was lucky enough to get to play (and lose). I had fun during my turn, but I do wish there was some way to increase the number of people who get to participate or make it a little more interactive for those that don't get the chance. Props to whoever thought he said "Favorite boyband" when he actually said "Choose your poison" and got him singing bad NSYNC while I was playing.

The First Annual Hunger Games

Here's a new segment that I did not anticipate having to write, but here we are. If you've been to a few BTTIs, it's no secret that getting front row has become progressively harder each year. For a variety of reasons that I won't get into, this year Island Gigs/the hotel said no more waiting by the stage. We got a push notification from the IG app on the day of the first show stating that the stage area needed to be clear until 7pm (the show was at 9pm). I know there was a lot of general happiness over this decision and I have nothing against trying to make things more fair, but it felt like their plan started and ended with sending out that notification and no real strategy to enforce anything. They kept changing the times people could show up to each show, giving different instructions to different people because they kept changing what was happening, giving more information to people in person vs. what's being sent out in the app....the idea might have been solid, but the execution was not.

Island Gigs may know Hanson fans are next level after years of watching them camp by the stage, but to be fair, they've never stood in a GA venue and watched the stampede roll in at doors. Maybe they truly didn't think through how to actually enforce their vision or anticipate that telling us not to be there until 7 didn't mean people would go chill elsewhere until 7. It meant the usual crowd was just going to form as close as they were allowed, and people who may have naturally shown up a bit later are suddenly curious enough to be there before 7 to see what happens and if it might benefit them. It resulted in most shows having a semi-circle of fans lying in wait around the perimeter of the stage, inching in the closer it got to the time we were allowed to be up there. There were multiple stampedes that got sent back for running too soon, the front row lineup changing just slightly each time. I watched this all from the sidelines up until the final day when they changed the strategy and I found myself deciding I might as well try my luck.

For Taylor's solo show, they did a random drawing of numbers. We'd reach into a bag, draw out a number between 1-100, and be allowed to the stage area in that order. These were handwritten with no lines underscoring what was the top and what was the bottom. Did I have an 18 or an 81? Was that a 25 or a 52? 66 or 99? Not everyone got one, and not everyone knew about it. They were going to do it again for the last show, but then decided it wasn't worth the hassle and just let everyone cluster again.

I didn't win with the reaping raffle, but in a stroke of total random luck, my friend and I found ourselves in the right place when the IG staff member decided to allow people to start lining up for the final show. We went from not going to try to get into the cluster to well, if we're in the front and center of this mess, we might as well try. So I have to confess, I sat on the beach for two hours behind an imaginary line between two folding chairs in what turned out to be the weirdest game of red light/green light of my life. It was every bit as childish and arbitrary as it sounds. My final thoughts before being allowed to move forward was this is how Katniss must have felt when deciding if she was going to run for the cornucopia or run for shelter. The staff member stood directly in front of us and had us take one large step forward at a time until we made it to the stage, which wasn't foolproof but was way better than if he had just said "Go!" and let us run. In the end it worked in my favor and I got a great spot without putting too much time in, but man, I sure hope this was a unique experience. I assume there will be some more official system in place by next year.

Winning (with) The Stanley Cup

This year's 12 year repeater gift was a Stanley Cup, and as the last person on earth who did not own an insulated cup prior to this moment, my life has been changed. One day I used it to get a virgin strawberry daiquiri, drank half of it, left it in my room....and it was still frozen 12 hours later after the show. I had no idea these things worked so well and will absolutely be bringing it back. But the usefulness doesn't stop there, friends. My roommate Rachel walked into our bathroom one evening and walked right back out and shut the door. "There's a bee sitting on the counter," she tells me. We've been friends long enough that I know my role in this scenario. I'm removing the bee, or we're not using the bathroom for the rest of the trip.

I looked around the room for anything to catch it in, and my eyes reluctantly landed on my new Stanley (thankfully empty at the time). I managed to trap the bee under it successfully on the first try, but the catch and release portion of the plan went a bit sideways. I tried to slide the cup over a flat box so I could carry it outside, only to realize that the edge of the counter was slightly curved, so the bee escaped and decided to just hang out on the outside of the cup while I was holding it. I did not actually intend for the cup to become a murder weapon, but I suppose it beats sleeping with a live bee in our room and finding out once and for all of if my roommate who is practically allergic to everything can add bees to the list. Sorry, my buzzy little friend, but a million thanks to whoever decided this was the year for cups! I had no idea how many uses I was going to get out of it in a single trip.

It proved itself useful one final time as it came time to pack my extremely wet swimsuit from the pool party, and I realized I am apparently size 30oz Stanely Cup in swimwear. A+++.

The Pool Party

For this year's pool party, I got in the pool for the first time after years of standing around the perimeter. I expected to freeze, but it was actually a little warmer than in the daytime. Definitely not going to put a lot of extra thought into why. Anyway, I figured if it ends up being the final year at the Jewel, it could also be our last afterparty located by a pool, and I might as well experience it at least once. I combated the cold by jumping the entire time. It worked, but the muscles in my lower half have since filed a formal complaint.

Taylor jumped in at the end as has become the tradition, but he took his shoes off first and tossed them down ahead of him. Instead of landing conveniently next to the pool exit that I assume was his goal, I watched them land directly in the pool, followed by him profusely apologizing to someone. Apparently one hit someone in the head on the journey down, and now they can mark being nailed in the head by Taylor Hanson's shoe off their bucket list. He cannonballed in with a magnificent splash, and then it was all over. The cover photo up at the top is the aftermath left behind in a sad little pool of yesterday's news the morning after.

Until Next Time

As you've probably heard, it seems that this is the end of Jewel Paradise Cove as we know it. We found out about a week before the trip this year that the property had been sold, and we've since heard a dozen different stories about what the future holds for us. Maybe the new buyer will renovate, maybe it will be torn down and rebuilt, maybe it won't be done in time for the next BTTI, or maybe it will and the new owners won't want to take on Island Gigs as a customer. Maybe we'll be somewhere else in Jamaica or somewhere else entirely (*cough* St Lucia? I can dream). Maybe we'll be right where we've been the last three years but finally have working hot tubs (again, I can dream). It's not the first venue change we've had at BTTI, and it probably won't be the last, but the location has never been the main draw for me so much as the music and the people anyway. Cheers for 12 years, and here's to looking forward to lucky #13. I don't know where I'll be going, but as always, I can't wait to go back.

P.S. I know how much I enjoy being sent candid photos from fellow fans capturing a moment of me with Hanson, so when I found myself with a great spot during Pictionary Night 1, I tried to take at least one photo of every group that played. I do not promise quality or that you're not blurry or hidden in the photo(s) I took, and I can't swear I didn't get distracted and miss someone. I thought the easiest way to share was to put them all in this public album on my blog's facebook page. Feel free to save/use them if you find yourself!

Underneath: Experience Tour Los Angeles

 

My final adventure of the Underneath: Experience Tour began with a solo cross-country flight, an overpriced airport Lyft, and a Saturday night eating expensive ramen alone in my pajamas in a hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Between the Lyft and the ramen, I blew through $100 without actually going anywhere or doing anything. L.A. is magic like that. 

When I finally left the room and journeyed out into the city to get in line the day of the first show, I had one of the craziest sidewalk experiences I've ever had. There's no moral to this story, folks. It was just a crazy moment destined to become one of those "remember that time..." stories for years to come if you can get through it in one piece.

There's a Downtown Corner People Downtown Throw

Part of the reality of waiting in any Hanson line for an extended period of time is encountering a colorful variety of locals going about their day. If you sit on enough sidewalks around the world, you'll inevitably run into (and be judged by) everyone from businessmen to college students, celebrities, infinite dog owners on walks, and a healthy circulation of homeless individuals. The homeless population can be a wild card and one that is not always looked at fairly, but for all of the kind people I have encountered who were simply down on their luck, there have also been a few who were walking red flags exhibiting aggression, and common sense usually tells you when to exercise compassion or self preservation. Unfortunately, we encountered one of the latter on this trip.

He was shouting angrily to himself before he ever crossed the street to where around 20 of us were sitting in line. If you've been in that situation, you know the drill. You don't engage. You become incredibly invested in a conversation with the stranger beside you. You don't show fear or surprise or any reaction whatsoever, and you wait for him to move on because whatever internal conflict he's experiencing, you're not equipped to fix it. As he got closer to the line, he started screaming "B****, where's my money!" and then began shouting "B****!" "B****!" repeatedly at each individual fan going down the line at the opposite end from where I was sitting. Nobody moved or spoke while this happened; each person just waited for their turn to pass hoping he would leave without further conflict.

Things took a turn when he stopped to pick up some items fans had left behind on a blanket saving their spots, and someone said "that's not yours." At this point he was four or five people away from me, and all of a sudden I heard a loud BAM! sound of something hard slamming into metal with a lot of force. I looked over and saw a busted cell phone laying on the ground. At first I thought he had picked it up from the blanket and that it belonged to a fan, but apparently it was his own phone, and he had thrown it full force against the metal wall we were sitting against. The girls sitting under where it hit scattered, and he walked around the corner back towards the front of the line where I lost sight of him but immediately heard what sounded like a glass bottle smashing.

Moments later, he came back to the end of the line where I was sitting. I could see him draw his arm back to throw something, but I was sitting cross-legged on the ground which, btw, is a terrible position to be in when your fight-or-flight reflex kicks in. (Note to future self: stick to not engaging for as long as you can, but if you sense danger, staying folded in a pretzel is not it.) Anyway, he threw the cell phone with all of his strength in the general vicinity of my head but missed, thank God. When I finally bambied onto my legs, because screw staying seated and disengaged if I'm having projectiles thrown at my head, he started fake-out lunging at me without actually touching me. I was still solidly team "flight" since he hadn't actually made any physical contact, so my goal became to turn my body away from him so that we weren't squaring off--a difficult task considering I was backed against a wall.  

After a couple of lunges I managed to side-step away from him, at which point I turned to see venue staff running towards us with a baseball bat. I took the opportunity to get out of his path and missed seeing him throw his jacket at the girl next to me before finally running away. Writing it all out sounds like some lengthy traumatic ordeal, but in reality the whole thing from start to finish was probably no more than a couple of minutes--just long enough for someone on staff to spot him throwing things on camera, grab the bat, and run outside. For what it's worth, no one was hurt, and if this feels like some cautionary tale against camping out for shows, think again because it took place in broad daylight around 1pm. 

On a much lighter note, spending one day sitting on what might be the dirtiest sidewalk on earth inspired us to order cheap knockoffs of the tiny packable chairs other fans had in line. One day Amazon Prime delivery for the win. We had them delivered to our hotel early the next morning, I actually had room to take mine home in my carry-on, and it was one of the best impulse buys I've had in a very long time.

Acoustic Night One

To be completely honest, I wasn't thrilled to learn that these shows would be on a streaming platform. Maybe that sounds weird and you're thinking how great it would be to be able relive a show you were at, but I've had an experience or two years ago where it felt like the band was more invested in playing to the cameras than playing to the crowd in front of them, and in general it kind of changes the dynamic of the show. I prefer more off-the-cuff, anything might happen banter and surprise songs vs. scripted for replay quality, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this show did not feel too stuffy or scripted; it felt like most of the other acoustic night shows. I thought Hanson did a great job balancing being present for fans in the room while also staying aware that they were being recorded.

I think my favorite part of the night, silly as it may sound, was finally nailing the claps during "Cecilia," if "nailing" can be described as staring intently at Zac's hands with such concentration that I couldn't sing along, smile, or spare much attention for the melody or words. Probably not the best way to actually enjoy the song, but I felt accomplished after that first Church studio performance that had me eyeing all three of them going "What do I do with my hands?" We also managed to not completely butcher the "Thinking Bout Something" dance and at least mirrored our simultaneous wrongness into looking planned, so that was fun.

I also have to give a shoutout to John Calvin Abney, who I've seen play harmonica on "Dressed in Brown Eyes" with Hanson a few times before, but this time was even better. I feel like this tour managed to take that song from a generally liked fan-club song to having a stronger standing in the general list of Hanson songs that really come to life during a live performance.

(Un)Spoken Etiquette

Going back to the concept of being cognizant of fans in the room while also aware that things are being recorded for a moment...There was one issue on the first night that has me dusting off the old soapbox to say something I thought was super obvious and understood among fans, but clearly someone missed the memo. 

Here's the memo:

 

1. If you have something you need to yell at Hanson, no you don’t. 

If you feel driven to do it anyway, pick the one thing you can’t live without yelling, yell it at an at least semi-appropriate time during the show, and move on. You do not need to yell the same thing 10 times, yell 10 different things one time each, or loudly discuss variations of what you plan to yell next in between yelling.

2. If you find yourself telling a story that has a beginning, middle, and end at any point during the show, then you’ve come to the wrong place.

3. If you find yourself in attendance with someone who is trying to tell you a story that has a beginning, middle, and end, then it is your responsibility to take one for the team and deliver the message that your friend does not want to accept from angry strangers, i.e., kindly STFU.

4. If you don’t like a song, feel free to play quietly on your phone. Go to the bathroom. Get a drink. Take apart a dozen friendship bracelets and rearrange the letters into a haiku expressing your dislike. Do literally any silent thing that you wish, but let the rest of us listen and enjoy the show. BRB, requesting a new hansonstage feature to track songs I almost heard but can’t in good conscience count because there was too much talking.

And finally,
if you take nothing else away from this soapbox rant,

5. Yelling repeatedly and having loud, full conversations over multiple songs within the first few rows is not just disrespectful to the people around you, it's disrespectful to the band--especially on a night when they are recording and have an opportunity to potentially make a first impression on a much larger audience and gain new fans.

This concludes my Ted Talk, which I chose not to deliver in the middle of a live performance of "I've Got Soul" out of respect to others. Thank you.


(To be fair, things were significantly better on night two, so idk what changed, but I'd like to extend a strong thank you to whatever variables we have to thank for that.)

Electric Night Two

I can't talk about night two without first giving a verbal standing ovation to Phantom Planet, who somehow managed to make this last show on their home turf feel like I was attending a headlining Phantom Planet show. This show had OG band member Sam Farrar and a bonus saxophone player who I can only assume had Hanson and their love of horns feeling a little jealous. The energy was great, and they were filming it all for a documentary that I will definitely be watching if it means I can relive part of a great show. I don't think I've gone a single day since I've been back home without bits of "Do the Panic" popping into my head at random. I REALLY hope these guys make it Back to the Island with us at some point.

The electric show ended with the same crazy buildup of high energy songs that I was raving about in Atlanta, "If Only" into "In the City" into "Rock 'n' Roll Razorblade" into "Lost Without Each Other" featuring Phantom Planet. I don't care if we all got old enough that Taylor and the majority of the crowd are not into jumping during every "In the City" chorus anymore, I'm not ready to edit it down to just one jumping session yet, even though my legs will pay for it later. (Also, God bless venues like The Belasco that pass out free water at the barricade).

As we exited the lobby to leave for the night, I spotted a familiar male face leaving at the same time that had me staring for a moment trying to place who this fan was and what show I had met him at before. I finally spotted a second familiar face just behind him and realized I had been staring at Andy Lawrence, followed by his brother Joey, and not some fan I had met in passing. The last time I saw Hanson in L.A., we ended up bottlenecked at the tiny exit with Darren Criss, so maybe this a weird new tradition.

Another One Bites The Dust

I realize for a post that is supposed to be a recap of a couple of Hanson shows, I've managed to use a lot of words without saying much about the music this time. The truth is this tour was great for varying things from night one to night two, not so much for varying setlists between cities, so there's not much to add once I've discussed it all once. I would have liked a few more twists from city to city, but having roughly 45 unique songs in constant rotation on a tour is hardly a slacker move. I'm glad I got to see the start and the end and a few in between, and for the spread of friends I got to see along the way, some in one city, some in a few, and some I missed and will catch up with soon enough in the new year.

And speaking of the new year, I've got a few "resolutions" from this tour that I can think of for Hanson if they need inspiration for the next BTTI:

1. "The Luckiest."
2. "My Own Sweet Time," "I Almost Care," and "Let You Go."
3. "Pink Moon."
4. Phantom Planet.

*For accuracy purposes, if you would like to live vicariously through this blog and get a feel for what it was like to be there in person, try watching the Veeps stream and imagine that this post was delivered verbally beginning during "Strong Enough to Break" with every tenth sentence shouted.

Underneath: Experience Tour Nashville

 

While Hanson are no strangers to Nashville, this was their first time playing Cannery Hall. With any luck, I hope it's their last. I don't regret going and I had a good enough time, but I truly do not recommend visiting this venue unless you are 1. Over 6 feet tall, or 2. Cool with standing in line to get a close up view of other people who are over 6 feet tall (and no, I don't mean Taylor). I was lucky enough to get a good spot both nights, but the venue space in general was just weirdly small and not right for a Hanson show in my opinion. The staff was also strangely territorial about their property and you could pay to park on it, but the line wasn't allowed on the premises. Consider this the second venue on my “not going back there if I can help it” list.
 

P.S. Dear Tall People, I don't blame you. Stages should be better.

Night One

Our first sign that the venue was not what we're used to came when we walked in to find a moving wave backdrop behind the stage that felt like we were in an aquarium. It wasn't bad, just totally foreign from your standard House of Blues setup and a little distracting. When John Calvin Abney took the stage, the waves changed to a galaxy scene. He told us that the staff asked if he had a logo to display on their digital background, and his response was something to the effect of "nah, but I think it'd be cool to be in space." I totally would have asked for a Windows 2000 screensaver with some popping bubbles or a brick wall maze, because that's basically what this felt like.

When Hanson came out for the first show, Zac was wearing his glasses with the built in camera. I never noticed the light on and am not sure if he recorded anything during the show, but he kept them on all night and was giving off extreme Clark Kent vibes. Wrong night, sir, but not a bad look. Someone should've found him a Superman tee for the easiest costume ever on night two.

The acoustic setlist was mostly a textbook replica of all the other acoustic nights with the exception of no "Annalie" and the addition of one very unexpected Taylor solo. The moment I had my phone out ready to record just in case he finally broke out "The Luckiest" and felt my heart sink when I recognized the first notes of "Lost Without You" was the moment I knew that Hanson completely ruined me by leaking that setlist. There is absolutely no reason I should ever feel disappointment over "Lost Without You," but here we are. This is what happens when you leak epic setlist spoilers and then don't follow through. Please, please play "The Luckiest" at BTTI so I can relax and move on, most likely after writing seven paragraphs about how amazing it was to finally hear it. In all seriousness, though, round of applause for switching things up with "Lost Without You" because yes, that was still greatly appreciated!

The "Me and Julio/Cecelia" mashup continues to be a favorite for me, and I had a great time attempting to follow Zac's clapping rhythm but mostly butchering it immediately after three-second increments of getting it right. (As far as I can tell, the pattern is knees, one clap, knees, two claps, knees, one clap, sudden onset rhythm amnesia, hand flailing, repeat).

Night Two

The Pre-Show Gag Reel

Before I get into Halloween and the specifics of the second show, I want to share with you a new fear that was unlocked for me on this night. Imagine being at a crummy venue with approximately negative five spots you can actually see from. You wait in line ALLLL day (*cough*andnight) to secure one of them, you spend eight hours in a very involved, not entirely comfortable Halloween costume, and you get rained on for a good portion of that time. You've somehow crammed a wig and fake ears under an uncomfortably tight poncho hood that isn't built for elves, and you're prepared to sacrifice your favorite Hanson symbol umbrella at the door in hopes of retaining some dry space on your body. You deal with all the normal pre-show chaos and uncertainty of what line is going where and who is actually going to be let in first. You finally make it to the front row where you can stow your umbrella and breathe a breath of relief that you actually made it to a decent spot and your hard work, anxiety, and exhaustion have all paid off. The crowd fills in. The show is about to start.

AND THEN THE FREAKING FIRE ALARM GOES OFF.

The panic that I felt thinking I might have to evacuate that spot was probably on par with the panic I would have felt if I'd seen actual flames. The whole front of the room was exchanging "Guess we're going to die in this spot" looks of solidarity, and I honest to God think a police officer would have had to walk in and threaten to arrest me to get me to leave that barricade. Thankfully, it only lasted for a minute or two before it got shut off and we didn't actually have to evacuate. But like I said, new fear forever unlocked.


The Show

I know I’ve skipped mentioning them in my tour posts so far, but I’d like to take a moment to say how much I’ve loved having Phantom Planet on tour with Hanson. I’m not a hardcore fan, but they’re a band I genuinely liked prior to Hanson bringing them out. I actually saw them live for the first time way back in 2008 when they played a show at my college on Valentine’s Day and I helped sell their merch. I took home an EP that day and fell in love with every song on it. “Leader” became my favorite, and I finally got to hear it before the show in Nashville. 

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Shoutout to their matching skeleton attire and my pal Charizard making a cameo up front. I really hope these guys make a reappearance as special guests at BTTI.



This is where I’m going to veer into unusually whiny territory, and I’m sorry in advance. Nashville was the tour stop I was most looking forward to since the second show fell on Halloween. I try to have realistic expectations when it comes to Hanson, and while mine were probably a bit higher than what I expect from an average show, I thought they were still realistic based on years of already established Halloween memories. The Make It Out Alive Halloween MOE in Tulsa in 2010 was one of my favorite trips. There was a costume contest, Hanson dressed as the three musketeers (two carrying swords, one wearing a giant candy bar wrapper), and they ended the show with the Ghostbusters song. I wasn’t there, but I know in 2009 they dressed up and performed “Thriller.” My other Halloween experience was at Epcot in 2011, which is arguably too short to play a special song, but they dressed as storm troopers and Dimitrius and Taylor swapped places until they pulled off their masks for a funny reveal.

I know they’ve tapered off on doing much for Halloween the past few years at Disney, but Nashville was the first actual tour stop on Halloween in years, so I still held out hope for something festive. A costume, a cover song, idk, throw some candy into the crowd? Just any little extra nod that says thanks for joining us on this particular night when you probably had a lot of other social options and/or skipped trick-or-treating with your kids to be here. As I answered someone on the hnet forums who asked what Hanson ended up wearing for Halloween: This year they went as three tired members of a band on show seven in a row.


I went about 700x more festive than that, and I have no regrets.

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I still had a good time dressing up with my friends and seeing other fun costumes in the crowd, but something felt a little bit lackluster about this one even beyond the band ignoring Halloween. It felt like they were powering through song after song without stopping, and maybe in an alternate universe where I had more sleep and less rain and half a dozen other improved variables, I’d be spinning that as an energized band who never slowed down and kept up an electric pace. In reality, it felt more to me like they were rushing through each one desperately trying to get to the end. To quote the title track of this tour, the phrase that comes to mind is “There is nothing gone, but there’s something missing,” and I suspect the thing that’s missing is sleep. 

I can’t blame Hanson for being tired/sick humans after seven shows in seven days including 12 Disney sets and a random RT flight to NYC. I’m cranky if I have to work seven days in a row in my own hometown with 8 hours of sleep in my own bed each night, so I know we're lucky we even got a show and I can’t imagine how they’re feeling. But somewhere along the line, someone approved that many shows in a row, and I’d like to mom them just a little bit and remind them that that pace isn’t sustainable, self care is important, we're all older and more tired, and whoever planned that string of exhaustion should probably make better choices next time. At least I hope it's a case of being too tired to do bonus content and not that we're getting too old for all the childish bits of tours past like cake smashing, costumes, and finale show pranks. I vote we keep embracing some of that child-like joy in whatever format we can, maybe starting with naps.