May 25, 2013

A Note on Negative Feedback

I've seen a lot of anger from fans lately about bad reviews, incorrect articles in the media, and unfounded insults in the comments sections.

Here's an analogy about why I don't let bad publicity and negative feedback about my favorite band bother me so much:

We were in New Haven, CT, some time in the early afternoon during the Musical Ride tour. My friends and I were sitting on the sidewalk with 50 or so other people, all waiting in line for the show later that night. We got plenty of the usual "What are you guys in line for?" "Hanson? Like MMMBop Hanson?" "Who?" "Is it sold out?" etc. We answered quickly, budged people along, and didn't bother arguing with every single person that gave us weird looks, because who wants to spend all of their free time arguing with the kind of people that give you weird looks anyway? Then all of a sudden, this girl in a banana suit walks up. True story. We're minding our own business, it's the middle of the day and weeks away from Halloween, and this girl wanders up all alone, completely wasted, wearing a giant banana. (It was the Yale campus. I don't know if that explains anything in this situation). And do you know what she says?

"OH MY GOD! Are you guys seriously sitting out here for Hanson?" She added a maniacal laugh and sounded as condescending as one possibly can while drunk in a banana suit.

So my friends and I looked at each other, and I said what I know we were all thinking:

"OH MY GOD! Are you seriously wearing a giant banana?"

/end scene.

There will always be the hecklers wanting to know what on God's green earth would make someone sit on a sidewalk for hours and wait for a band whose most negative attribute they can come up with is the fact that they were teenagers 15 years ago. And lately, there's been an influx of cookie-cutter poorly researched articles from various media outlets, labeling Hanson as "one-hit-wonders" and citing the "comeback" we inevitably read about with every new album release. They use apostrophe's to pluralize words (see what I did there?), they spell names wrong, and sometimes they just make crap up because it's easier than doing any research. And the reader comments? I can't even begin to tackle the level of crazy inaccurate insults that happen there. Plenty are just trolling for a reaction anyway.

There are a few ways to respond. You can read every single one of them and get really riled up and head a small online lynch mob to berate them with equally bad insults. You can go all Rodney Dangerfield and feel victimized and misunderstood and like nobody gives your favorite band the respect they deserve.

Or you can remember that you need only take the opinion of a drunken banana so seriously.


*Disclaimer- I'm talking specifically about the type of insult/article that is factually incorrect or without background research. If you've listened to the newer music and dislike it for reasons other than hair length/color, age, and what you thought in the 6th grade, I can totally respect that opinion.


May 9, 2013

Hanson Day 2013

I'm going to skip the usual sentimental opening I give to these Hanson Day blogs--you can read that in any other entry about Hanson Day in the archive here. My first show will always be the Tulsa MOE in 2007, so by default I'm always going to be a sentimental sap about going back every year right around that anniversary. I'll spare you the mushiness surrounding what was anniversary #6, Tulsa trip #7, and birthday #??

The Dinner

I know you're not reading this for food commentary, but you're going to get it anyway. The dinner at Caz's Chowhouse was great. Though I've been aware that chicken and waffles is an actual thing for over a year now, I had never tried it before. It's a somewhat regional thing (though I've definitely seen it offered in both Tennessee and Oklahoma, so it can't be THAT regional), and we don't have it here. I finally opted to try it at Caz's and was pleasantly surprised, mostly because it was the best waffle I've ever tasted. Good food aside, it was fun getting to meet and catch up with everyone. Also, Isaac wagged his finger at my cheesecake. IDK. It wasn't doing anything wrong.


The Documentary

Next was the screening for the new documentary, Re: Made in America. I'm not a fan of spoilers, so I'll refrain from going into too much detail on this as well as the new music. If I had to choose one word to describe it, I would use "genuine." This documentary addresses some of the issues that have been rumored among fans regarding tensions in the band. I will say it's not quite as universal as Strong Enough to Break in that I don't think just any music fan could pick it up and fully appreciate the struggle/journey, but that may be a special treat for more hardcore fans that are already familiar with the band's dynamic. It was an interesting inside look at the recording process for a band that has toughed it out for 20 years and included a few good laughs along the way. If you don't purchase a package, I would encourage you to still sit down and watch it with a friend some time.

The Walk

I was a little nervous for the walk since it was the first hosted by Hanson in about three years. It was freezing and had just finished raining, so for the first time after twenty or so walks, I kept my shoes on. Maybe I'll use it as an opportunity to appreciate being a spoiled middle-class American with the option to wear shoes and socks when and wherever I want, and to recognize how awful it must be to not have that option. Despite the weather, the turnout was good, and many still walked with bare feet.





The Listening Party

Good stuff. Buy the album June 18th. You won't regret it. I'll post a full review of the album on the release date :-)

Sidenote: Hanson is not even kidding around about leaking new music and filesharing. There were multiple signs saying anyone caught recording in the listening party or the show would be immediately banned for life from any future Hanson shows. Just say no, guys.

The Show (session two)


I have to admit I was wary about the setlist. I feared that they would play the new album in its entirety and be done. And as amazing as that would be and as spoiled as it sounds, I really didn't want to travel 1,100+ miles one way just to hear something I could hear nine times on tour much closer to my house. They didn't disappoint, and I have to say this might have been my favorite member event to date. They began by playing a few new songs from Anthem, but then surprised us all by announcing that we were going to help them record the new fan club EP. We stomped and clapped and provided "oohs" on cue, and for the second time in my life, I enjoyed stomping in heels at the top of a set of bleachers in Cain's. (I also didn't fall and break my neck, which is an added bonus.) I don't get too many super flustered OMG IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING type moments, but seeing Zac and Taylor drum in unison, mirrored on a set of left and right-handed drum kits was a good enough catalyst for that reaction in us all. I'm almost as excited for the new EP as I am for the new album.

I was surprised and not surprised when the Q & A session opened up with the question I had submitted. When those things start, you always envision a Hanson reading off your name, right? Like you're willing it to happen and mentally preparing yourself for if it does. And then they do or they don't, but this time the scenario that played out on stage was the same one that preceded it in my head. And for what it's worth, it was also edited a bit from my original version.

What Zac read: "Do you plan to continue the walks on the next tour?"

What I wrote: "Do you plan to continue the walks at every tour stop on the next tour?"

I've heard them say a few times now that they plan to continue the walks, but the explanation has always been a little vague. I was curious if they plan to continue them at every show in the same fashion as The Walk Tour, or if they're going to be changed or updated in some way, like how they're donating $1 from ticket sales this time. I should have elaborated when I wrote my question, but I'm happy with a "yes" either way!

The Rest 

Pun intended, of course, because there was no rest during the rest of the trip. "The rest" can be summed up in two parts: riding in the car, and photobombing. My trip to Tulsa was a 20 hour drive, split 8 hours one day and 12 the next. The trip home was a straight 23.5 hour drive, with at least one of those extra hours courtesy of a dead car battery at midnight in nowhere, SC. I sincerely hope to never see two sunrises on the same car trip again without sleep in between. That being said, it won't stop me from doing it again next year.

The rest, in picture form: