Scrapbook Saturday – December 2023
Katie 
Darren Criss, Roger Williams Lights, Postponed Aerosmith
Katie
Hanson’s Christmas Ball 2024
Hanson’s two-night Christmas Ball at the historic Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK delivered a magical start to the holiday season. Known for their deep roots in Tulsa and their ability to create unforgettable live experiences, the Hanson brothers transformed Cain’s into a festive wonderland on December 13 and 14, drawing fans from near and far.
The first evening set the tone with a perfect blend of holiday classics and Hanson originals. Opening with “Finally It’s Christmas,” the crowd immediately felt the festive energy. Songs like “Little Saint Nick” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” had everyone singing along, while “Someday At Christmas” and “Peace On Earth” brought moments of heartfelt reflection.
The surprises continued with a medley of “Wonderful Christmas Time” and “Come On It’s Christmas,” blending nostalgic cheer with Hanson’s signature sound. The encore featured emotional renditions of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” “Blue Christmas,” and an acapella version of “White Christmas” that showcased their harmonious vocals and left the audience in awe.
Night two offered a similarly festive setlist, keeping the energy high while mixing up a few key moments. Songs like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Run Rudolph Run” added a playful touch, and the encore once again highlighted the timeless charm of “Blue Christmas” and “White Christmas” in an intimate, acapella style.
Despite the similarities in the setlists, Hanson’s charismatic stage presence and the infectious holiday spirit ensured each night felt distinct. Their ability to connect with the audience, from die-hard fan club members to local families and children, created a welcoming, joyful atmosphere.
The Christmas Ball wasn’t just a concert; it was part of a bustling weekend in Tulsa. With Zach Bryan also performing in town and various holiday festivals and conventions, the city was alive with activity. Fans took the opportunity to reconnect with friends, enjoy holiday parades, and soak in the festive energy. Cain’s Ballroom, with its storied history and intimate setting, proved the perfect venue for Hanson’s holiday celebration.
The audience’s attire added to the festive mood, with many fans dressed in holiday sweaters, Santa hats, and sparkling accessories. The warm afternoon weather, which turned chilly in the evening, didn’t dampen spirits but instead added a cozy layer to the event.
Hanson’s Christmas Ball at Cain’s Ballroom exemplified the best of holiday traditions: music, community, and joy. It’s a testament to their enduring appeal and deep connection to Tulsa that they could bring together fans and families for two nights of holiday cheer. Whether you were there for the music, the memories, or simply the magic of the season, the Christmas Ball was an experience to cherish.
Scrapbook Saturday – November 2023
David Cook ticket for a show I didn’t go to, Hanson in MI and Pod Meets World
98° at Foxwoods
98 Degrees delivered an energetic and nostalgic performance Saturday night at Foxwoods, opening for Bell Biv DeVoe. While their set was shorter than their last Foxwoods appearance—likely due to their supporting role—there was no shortage of fan favorites, ensuring a lively atmosphere throughout.
The show opened with a mix of their own hits and well-chosen covers. “Can’t Get Enough” and “Heat It Up” set the tone, showcasing the group’s signature smooth vocals. A particularly fun moment came when they launched into their Bruno Mars cover of “Finesse,” which kept the crowd engaged and moving.
The performance seemed geared towards the 90s pop crowd, and the setlist confirmed this, with energetic renditions of classic pop songs. The loudest cheers came when the group paid tribute to some of the era’s biggest hits. Their covers of Britney Spears’ “Oops!…I Did It Again,” NSYNC’s “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” and Backstreet Boys’ “Larger Than Life” sparked waves of nostalgia, especially with fans singing along. These were standout moments, demonstrating that while 98 Degrees may have been the opening act, their influence in the pop world was undeniable.
They also took the time to sprinkle in a few of their own hits, including “Invisible Man” and “The Hardest Thing,” which held special significance for fans who have followed the group since the late 90s. The most surprising part of the set was their seamless mix of songs. They effortlessly transitioned from their own tracks to covers like Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name,” keeping the energy high and the crowd invested.
The cover medley that featured “Livin’ la Vida Loca,” “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy),” and “Thong Song” added a playful element to the show, with fans of all ages enjoying the throwback to the late 90s and early 2000s hits. The mixture of R&B, pop, and Latin vibes brought a nice variety to the performance, even though the setlist didn’t linger too long on any one genre.
After about an hour, the group closed their set with the iconic “Give Me Just One Night (Una Noche),” which left fans satisfied but wanting more. Given the circumstances of them being an opening act, it was a solid performance that didn’t overstay its welcome but hit all the right notes for the audience. The upbeat nature of the show, paired with a nostalgia-packed setlist, made it a perfect opening act for Bell Biv DeVoe, and though we left early, the crowd seemed to appreciate the throwback to pop’s golden era.
JC Chasez CD Signing
Shortly after we had gotten tickets to &Juliet, JC announced the next afternoon he’d be doing a CD signing at Barnes and Noble in NYC. I managed to snag a ticket and hoped I could figure out details later and ended up getting a hotel across the street from the &Juliet theater for the night. The hotel gave us $10 credit due to them charging a $30 destination fee and when I stopped to pick up some water and a snack before getting a ride to Barnes & Noble, I got roped into coming back for some sort of timeshare presentation. (Tired, about to meet JC AND you trick me by offering me points – recipe for disaster right there).
I had no idea how many tickets were sold, but the line didn’t seem too bad when I got there around 10:30ish. I bumped into a friend who talked to the staff inside that said I didn’t need to stand in line and could sit inside and wait. I went inside and they told me to go up to the cafe and he would let the manager know I was there. I ended up getting a chai latte while I waited, but around 11:30 when I could see fans start coming upstairs to line up and other friends came by to say they had started wrist banding I started to panic and went down the elevator to make sure they still knew I was there.
The staff member at the bottom of the elevator told me that yes, she knew I was there, and I could continue to sit up there, but could I please step off to the side for a moment? Because JC needed to come through and use the elevator to get up to the signing. I must have looked star struck as anything but we managed to say “hi” to each other. She said once he went upstairs I could go back up and they’d have a staff member come by to give me my wristband and CD. And that they did.
The signing started a little bit early and a staff member came and got me and I was at the curtain to enter at 12:01. There was maybe 6 people in there before me? They were taking our phone and CD and holding purses and/or coats if we wanted. Our CD got handed to JC and our phone got handed to another staff member to take our photo with him!!!! It was all a blur, everyone was saying how nice it was to meet him, how they had been fans for MMC, etc etc. He seemed very grateful and kind and sweet and was obliging for anyone who was asking for hugs (I didn’t, not sure why) and was chatting with anyone who had started conversations with him about pretty much any topic it seemed.
After walking out, they cut off our wristband 🙁 I asked if I could keep it after it was cut and was told no, so I took a photo of it instead. As if it would not have been totally obvious if I found some tape and tried to go through the line again! But I get why they had to do it.
Everything seemed really smoothly run and when we got outside it was about 12:15 and there was still a decent set of lines outside. I still wasn’t sure how many tickets were sold, but they were not letting a lot of people inside at a time to make sure things didn’t get hectic and overcrowded.
I ended up on a 1:04 train and home at 3:30pm more exhausted than I was after doing 12 Hanson shows. Go figure.
&Juliet Sing-A-Long
Thursday night I made my way to NYC to see &Juliet – for the shows 2nd anniversary, JC Chasez of *NSYNC was going to be hosting a special Sing-A-Long version of the show! I managed to score myself a front row seat (great for seeing JC, not so great for seeing a Broadway show, which I knew going into it, but with Joey Fatone joining the show in a couple of months, I knew I’d be back)
As the show began, JC came out and introduced the sing-a-long, encouraging us all to sing when the lyrics appeared on the side of the stage (which were obstructed for me) and to leave the dialogue to the professionals. Before leaving, he sang a bit of Bye Bye Bye for us and then left the stage to the cast.
The show was a lot of fun, I really didn’t know much about it going into it other than it was what would happen if Juliet didn’t die. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing it again when Joey joins and from a seat a bit further back so I can take in more of what is going on instead of just what was going on right on top of me.
At the end of the show, JC once again came out and joined the cast to sing Tearin’ Up My Heart.
The stage door outside was absolute chaos and the barricades were about 4 people deep. I just hung back because I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere near anyone who came out those doors. I could see the top of JC’s head when he came out and he seemed to go quickly from one side to the other and then before I knew it, he was walking past where I was, got followed by a million people, and then turned the corner never to be seen again. I guess it got to be too much for him and he was done – or maybe they decided it no longer was a safe situation, I don’t know. But it all seemed very fast. I saw a bunch of the rest of the cast come out and as they were breaking down the barricades at the end of the night Charli D’Amelio was the last one out there signing.
Selma Blair was also in attendance which I found out from seeing the back of my head on her instagram stories!
More to come… trying to get all my content transferred but the life of a fangirl never ends… off to see 98 degrees!
Kris Allen at The Kate
Saturday night I went to The Kate to see Kris Allen. Opening for him was Walker Burroughs, who was on Idol in Season 2019 – aka The Season I can’t Remember. I was working full time and going to grad school full time and I was watching here and there but none of the contestants stuck with me at all and it’s probably the only season where my Mom remembers more of it than I do, but I’m going to see about rewatching it now.
Walker came out and introduced himself and mentioned how he had never been as high as Connecticut, he is from Alabama. Immediately I found him adorable and hilarious. He intro’ed his first song by saying that he was inspired to write it watching a tiktok about the proper way to eat peas – and sure enough the first line was something about not slurping your peas. The second song was about how he grew up with a river in his back yard and now that he lives in Nashville there’s a highway in his backyard. (I didn’t catch the names of most of his songs, unfortunately) His third song was called Made to Me, The next one he did on the piano and it was a hilariously funny song about there being miscommunication between a couple – his comedic timing and delivery was just… spot on. He also did a song about how he used to ask his mom for dating advice as a kid and put the advice in a song. He had also mentioned that she told him he should give the girl he liked a pencil but to make sure it had a good eraser and honestly – in 2nd grade that would have won me over for sure because I wanted to be a writer. (Except that when I was in 2nd grade, he wasn’t even born) He also did a cover of John Denver’s Annie’s Song (aka You Fill up my Senses). He then told us a story about some work he was doing outside in Kentucky and it was hot and there was a dog named Cooter and he wrote a song about him and finished his set up with his song Pretty Penny.
During the break between sets the guy next to me apparently crawled out from under a rock and was telling me how Kris beat Adam Lambert AND Danny Gokey. As someone who is probably partially personally responsible for that happening – yes, I know, I was there lol.
I hadn’t seen Kris with a full band in a while and we were the last show of the tour and it seemed like he was having just so much fun and he was VERY chatty. He even mentioned it himself when the band left him to himself on stage for a few songs, saying that he’d bring the band back out after a couple of songs because he decided he wanted to just keep telling us stories. He did a lot of songs off of his new album, Pole Vaulter, which I haven’t had a chance to listen to in its entirety yet, but a lot of them he had been doing when I had seen him live before and had been sort of releasing them one by one and was finally able to put them all together so I think there was only a couple that I didn’t fully know and then one had had written while he was on a music cruise full of people that didn’t know him to introduce himself. (Which he stopped part of the way in and told us a story about Reba – I told you he was chatty..)
The Meet and Greet for this show I had purchased ended up refunded and they said he would be staying after the show to meet everyone, so I tried to be last in line thinking we would both be chatty, but 2 groups didn’t want to cut me so they insisted I go in front of them… and we were pretty chatty but it was nice to catch up with him! I also got to meet Walker and tell him I thought that he was really funny and he was very humble and was asking me where I lived and trying to figure out where Connecticut was in relation to New York so I got to teach him some geography as well (go figure, I’m not so great at that but I do know that New York City is south of me, at least)
For a show only 45 minutes from my house, I somehow ended up getting home at 1am… I guess because Kris was so chatty! ha. Good thing it was a Saturday 🙂 Always a lovely time seeing Kris and I’m always so thankful he continues to play shows in CT!
Banana Ball World Tour 2024
Over the summer I was able to go to 5 (6?) banana ball games in various ballparks and states. Rather than write a post for each of them, I decided to just include some highlights from each of the games. Since tickets went on sale for me this week for next season, I figured it was about time to finish this and get it posted before I ended up way behind!
Boston
Our first game of the season was Savannah Bananas vs the Party Animals at Fenway Park. They had 4 past Red Sox join them – Mitch Moreland who singled in the 2nd and Jonny Gomes who was out. Bill Lee joined the team to pitch and Jon Papelbon did as well. There were 2 Fan Outs (one for each team) and the Party Animals won!
Greensboro
For my birthday I got VIP for Party Animals vs Firefighters. Before the game we got to meet players from both teams, being my first VIP/VIB I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we went to my favorites first and got photos with them (and Pharty) and then just tried to get as many autographs as we could. It went fast, but I was happy with the experience and we snagged some ADA seats right behind home plate before the masses joined. (This was one of the few GA games I went to) In the first inning, Achuff tied the single season trick play record and in the 5th he took the lead for the record. The Party Animals won 3-1.
Savannah #1
For part 2 of my birthday we went to Savannah to see the Bananas take on the Aussie Drop Bears. We had VIB and got to meet some of the bananas before the game as well as the Nanas! Again we only did a few photos with favorites and got a lot of autographs. It seemed like way less people, but a lot of people went to try and snag seats. Somehow we managed right behind home plate, but shortly after the tarp was on the field and we got a lot of rain delay entertainment (when it rains, they basically turn into a boyband so I wasn’t complaining). Once an extreme downpour came we were told that the game had been canceled and we’d either get a refund or tickets for next season. As soon as I walked into the hotel, security came over and handed me a stack of towels. Earlier in the day I managed to get tickets to the game the next day, so all was not lost!
Savannah #2
We didn’t have VIB for this game so we ended up in ADA seats near the Drop Bears dug out. In the 3rd inning, Ryan Cox had the trick play record. In the 6th, DJ the Invader threw a record setting 47 second inning against the Drop Bears. It also was one of the fastest bananas ball games clocking in at 1 hour and 21 minutes. (I think because this was a makeup from the Friday game they didn’t have all the in between antics that they usually do and that had something to do with the quick inning)
Cleveland
Last minute for Cleveland I managed to snag us some VIB tickets for Cleveland, so we got to meet the players on the warning track before the game. A couple of them remembered me from Savannah. We opted for no autographs and as many photos as we could (including the favorites) which I think I ended up with about 10. The special guests for this game were the guy who did the first viral YouTube video for the history of dance, Zion Clark the fastest man on two hands, and former Cleveland players Jason Kipnis and Corey Kluber. Drew Gillespie of the Party Animals got the record for the fastest inning in bananaball history at 46 seconds (blink and you’d miss it!). But the Bananas were victorious.
Philly
Once again last minute I snagged some VIB tickets for Philly and got to meet the players again. This was by far the worst VIB set up, on the infield grass with mesh on the ground that did not cooperate with my walker’s wheels. (A couple of party animals offered to help me out which was so nice!) We hit up the favorites – of course they had to be as far apart from each other as humanly possible and then just tried to snag photos with whoever else we could before giving up. We got to meet the Nanas and Princess Potassia and then mostly Banana players other than my fave, Tanner Thomas. I was hoping for another home run from Jackson, but just before the game started the wind started blowing the wrong way to help him out. This was the largest bananas crowd ever at 45k, but with football stadiums being added to the mix for 2025, that is a record that won’t stand. In the 3rd inning, Chase hit the 100th HR of the tour and Jackson got his 100th trick play of the tour. There were 3 fan outs. Phillies legends that played were hitters Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard and pitchers Joe Blanton and Jaime Moyer – 3 of the 4 we had named as potentials on the ride down!
Next season I’m hoping to see some games in Savannah, Louisville, Allentown, St. Paul, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York!
Pentatonix Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas Tour
Thursday night, Pentatonix kicked off their Christmas Tour at Mohegan Sun in the Arena. The whole band seemed to really love the venue and talked multiple times about how much they enjoy playing there and should include it on all of their tours. Since it was their first show of the tour I tried to keep really good notes on the setlist since I had nothing else to base off of and I wasn’t sure it anyone else would keep track. It was a good thing that I did because while someone did get to setlist.fm before me, they were a bit off with what was sung.
I have seen a lot of memes about how “My Favorite Things” and “Hallelujah” are not Christmas songs – but both of these were in the set. They did say that “My Favorite Things” was more of a spooky Christmas song before playing it. (And an also completely not Christmas song, which they admitted, was Wicked’s “What is this Feeling” was done in Act 2)
Another fun part of the show was the WHEEL! OF! CHRISTMAS! Which they spun 4 times – which got them to sing mini arrangements of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, Sleigh Ride, Just for Now and Making Christmas. (Another spooky one)
There was an approximately 20 minute intermission.
My favorite Christmas song to sing, by far, is Carol of the Bells, so I was a little bit bummed when they started out their set with it. BUT! Then Scott came out much later in the set and said that he wanted to record a TikTok with us – and it was Carol of the Bells! He split us so the sides were doing ding dongs and then the center was the BOMMMMmmmm…. Then he decided it would be really cool if we could also make our phone lights go on/off based on when we were singing so we could visualize the bells and that’s where he lost me – apparently I can’t sing AND cover and uncover my flashlight at the same time. I’m looking forward to seeing how it came out.
The B-stage was pretty close to me so I was excited when they made their way out there for 5 songs and then all made their way back up through the crowd during O Come All Ye Faithful. Scott teased that it was nice to meet everyone when he made his way back to the stage.
There were a couple of moments where they made me feel really old though – Kirsten mentioned that she was loving Wicked since she was 10 – I saw the Original Broadway Cast when I was in college (20yrs old) and then Scott talked about freaking out over getting a game cube for Christmas when he was 8. I think I was gearing up to graduate high school or thereabouts when that one came out. I may have even been selling them at Toys R Us when they first came out… (insert grandma emoji here)
After they left the stage, before the encore, it was the most people leaving the venue I had ever seen. Unfortunately that meant when they tried to do a more traditional acapella song for the encore with just a mic in between them all, there was a LOT of noise coming from the concourse. They did a medley of Pure Imagination from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory mixed with Peanuts Christmas Time is Here, which seems like it would be a bit of an odd pairing, but somehow it worked! And they finished out the show with Joyful Joyful.
Unfortunately about halfway driving up to the casino I realized my camera was sitting on my desk… so I was stuck in the back of the arena with just my phone’s camera.
Nick Carter Who I Am Tour
Saturday evening was time for Nick Carter’s Who I Am concert. For this tour Nick did some Backstreet Boys songs, some of his solo songs and some of his favorite cover songs from watching them on TV as he was growing up. Ironically enough, he also chose to do Everybody Wants to Rule the World, which was one that Hanson had just introduced on their latest tour as well. He did several wardrobe changes and had a screen behind him with different graphics and/or music videos depending on what song he was singing.
For some of the songs he played acoustic guitar and some electric. He had Nick TV guitar picks, similar to the MTV logo to go with the theme of watching the music videos on TV and I was lucky enough to grab one!
He did some new arrangements of some songs too – one song started out sounding like it was going to be some Ozzy Osbourne – but it turned out to be Shape of My Heart? (I think that’s what it was anyway – my memory is fading)
He even tried to write a boyband love song to Connecticut. It didn’t roll off the tongue as easily as he had hoped, but he was just trying to show how easy it was to write a love song with just a few key words.
*Not sure if this setlist is totally accurate – it is the one that was on the stage but I question if he did Do I Have To Cry For You or Superman and seem to recall him doing a cover of Sharp Dressed Man and Made for Us that isn’t on the list. (I believe they were sometime after Wanted Dead or Alive)