Hanson

Four Nights of Hanson

Katie October 30, 2025 No Comments

If there’s a better kind of tired than four Hanson shows in four days, I haven’t found it yet. Somewhere between the harmonies, clapping, and the hundredth (or more!) sing a long to MMMBop, I remembered why this band has been my happy place since 1997.  From Englewood to Atlantic City (twice!) to Baltimore, we were ready to rock and remind the band why we keep showing up decade after decade.

Night One – Englewood, NJ at Bergen PAC felt like ignition. Opening with Fired Up, Hanson set the tone: loud, joyful and a little nostalgic. The acoustic section was golden-hour perfection: Isaac crooned Hand in Hand, Zac gave us Good Days, and Taylor melted hearts with Save Me. When the encore rolled around, A Song to Sing (with an extra verse!) turned the theater into a sea of harmonies and smiles. (The only thing better was the amazing parking spot we scored out front!)

Night Two – Atlantic City, NJ brought the energy of a casino floor straight into the Music Box. The band leaned into groove and grit: River was a full band surprise, I’ve Got Soul pulsed with swagger, and Taylor’s solo on Weird hit right in the nostalgic feels. A triple-shot of Get Up and Go, I Was Born, and MMMBop had everyone on their feet (yes, even me!) before Lost Without Each Other closed the night with pure rock-band electricity.

Night Three – same city, different vibe. The second Atlantic City show was the deeper-cut set. Thinking of You and Runaway Run had longtime fans in bliss, and Atlantic City (Isaac solo!) gave those of us ‘in the know’ a laugh when the crowd cheered “Bruuuuuuce” and the band thought they were getting boo’ed. The mix of acoustic intimacy (Strong Enough to Break, Go) and full-band jumpalongs (If Only, In the City) made this one feel like a greatest-hits mixtape made just for the diehards.

Night Four – Baltimore, MD, the tour energy could’ve dipped, but nope. Hanson came out Fired Up and never let up. The solos switched up again: Isaac did I’m a Song for the first time without his band, Mother Road Sons, Zac’s Juliet shimmered and Taylor’s Save Me was a massive sing a long with the crowd. The closing stretch from Write You a Song through In the City was pure joy, capped again by A Song to Sing with that now-familiar bonus verse, like a secret handshake between band and fans, even if it did show up early and was sung by Isaac instead of Taylor.  (AND I managed to win $143 in the casino during Taylor’s after party!)

As the lights faded after that final encore in Baltimore, a hush settled in that felt heavier than usual, the kind that comes when you realize you’ve just seen the last Hanson show of the year. Four nights of music, laughter and familiar faces had flown by in a blur, and suddenly there was that bittersweet ache of not knowing what comes next.  Likely a quiet stretch while the brothers recharge and dream up whatever’s next.  The uncertainty is real, but so is the faith that Hanson always finds their way back to the stage—and when they do, we’ll be right there, waiting for this with a song to sing.

Hanson in Durant and New Buffalo

Katie September 25, 2025 No Comments

Shows 3 & 4 were Hanson in Durant, OK and Hanson in New Buffalo, MI.  After Casey Abrams, I made my way up to the airport to stay at the attached hotel, which I hadn’t done before.  I was able to get from my room to the TSA Pre-check line in 10 minutes.  The line was quite long, but I still managed to get through in another 10 minutes and then had time before my flight to Dallas would take off. I was meeting a friend so I made my way to the car rental center, we got the car, stopped for some food and made our way to the Choctaw Casino in Durant, OK.  We wandered around a little bit, found some plugs to charge our phones, went to eat at the cafe and then made our way back to the theater area for doors.  I was front row for the show and fell victim to FOMO and Ticketmaster’s Platinum pricing.  The venue had a screen behind the stage and kept changing the scenery in the background. We were underwater, in lava, in a lava lamp, there were love scenes and hearts and it was pretty amusing.  The setlist was pretty standard, although we did get an Isaac solo of “Begin Again”.  Taylor seemed to be having trouble with his mic stand and had to hold the mic while it got fixed by their crew.

After the show we hit up the bakery, hung out with some friends before making our way back to TX to hit up Buc-ees and then try and get some sleep before returning the car and flying from Dallas to Chicago.  Upon our arrival in Chicago we were picked up by a friend and went to her place to nap before heading to New Buffalo for pre-show dinner.

During the New Buffalo show, they flubbed the words to TWO songs which was pretty surprising.  Taylor forgot I Will Come To You (again) and Isaac forgot Cold as Ice and my friends had to yell the next line to him to get him back on track.   I thought that this setlist was better than the night before, we got a full band River, A Song To Sing with the extra verse, Get Up and Go and an encore of Hey.  After the show Taylor hosted another after party, but I was able to see him from outside sitting at a slot machine, so I didn’t bother going in.  We hung out at a bar until the dance party ended so I could just kind of chill after my whirlwind last few days.

Afterwards we went to stay at my friend’s childhood home and on Sunday we did a tour of the area, ending up in Holland and then at her grandmother’s and Dad’s houses as well.

Monday we headed back to Chicago for our flights home.  Mine ended up nearly an hour delayed, but fortunately no other issues. It was definitely a whirlwind few days!

Hanson in New England

Katie August 13, 2025 No Comments

Hanson did a whirlwind 3 shows in New England this past week.  Our trip started on Wednesday, when we took the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket.  Hanson would be playing the following night at a very small venue that held less then 400 people (including staff).  It was nearly sold out despite the high costs of staying over night on the island for fans. We did a bit of exploring and went to the Shipwreck Museum and the Whaling Museum before heading to Muse for the show.  I have never seen a smaller stage and Hanson’s heads were practically touching the ceiling with them just standing there, and I am not sure at all how they fit the 3 band members plus Andrew and Dimitrius plus 2 techs.  I ended up in the front right by where they had to enter/exit and was able to get high fives from all of them as they left the stage.  The locals were incredibly rude and yelling that they only came for MMMBop and they should play it and mocking the fans who traveled for the show wondering “why?” when they just jogged there from their house, as well we screaming “the 8 year old is singing!” when Zac moved to the piano for Juliet. Afterwards was Taylor’s dance party that went until about 12:30am.  The locals seemed to clear out after MMMBop (which I kind of wish they had played earlier in the set) and while a few did hang around a bit for the afterparty, it seemed to be mostly fans left by the end of the night.

There once was a fan in Nantucket,
Who’d driven for hours to pluck it.
The night felt so near,
With her favorite band here,
She thought, “This is my shot — better luck it!”

The next morning when we got to the docks to catch our ferry back to the mainland, we ended up bumping into Hanson. Taylor said Good Morning and we realized we would be on the same ferry back.  Zac came and chatted with us a bit about the casino show coming up and I was able to tell him about the Comic Con that was going on as well.  Once we got back to my car in Hyannis we headed to the Providence airport to pick up a friend and made our way to my normal stomping grounds, Mohegan Sun.  I opted to rent a scooter for our 2 days there which was probably one of the best ideas I had ever had.  Friday night we scoped out Sun Patio and watched the 52nd Street Band – a Billy Joel cover band for a bit.  I ended up leaving around 11, but we had spotted Isaac at the bar and my friends stayed to chat with him for a bit.

Saturday I was splitting my time between Hanson and Comic Con so after we ate lunch I made my way to the con – while the scooter was super helpful for my legs, it was super chaotic navigating it through the con.  I ended up immediately waiting for Ke Huy Quan who was on a break for another 15-20 minutes.  Once he came back, Brian Posehn was waiting to greet him and then the line got moving.  He chatted with everyone for a bit – I got to tell him that I am an engineer partly because of Data and he asked if I liked doing that I said yes, that I worked on making helicopters and he seemed very impressed.  He was as sweet as could be and I was so glad that things worked out so I could meet him!  After I went to see Carl Palino who made the Hanson clay puppets for “Celebrity Death Match”  He had a photo of Hanson v the Spice Girls so I had him sign it for me and let him know that Hanson was there.  He said he wasn’t sure he would recognize them now that they were grown men but told me if I saw them to tell them to go see him.  I mentioned I had previously told Isaac and Zac he would be there but weren’t sure if they’d make it to the con or not.  After I finished there, I went to hang out with my friends for a bit, before heading back up for my photo op with Ke.  The photo op was scheduled for 6:30pm and Hanson was set to hit the stage at 7pm so I knew I would have a fangirl 5k to do once the photo was done.  Fortunately the photo op people were awesome and let me go through the line first.  Ke was incredibly sweet and helped me off the scooter and walk over to the photo spot and then helped me back to the scooter after.  As I was leaving, they announced it was 6:40pm and the con would be ending soon.  I ended up making it to the spot my friends had saved for me at the show by 6:55pm!! What perfect timing. (To see one of the other reasons I am an engineer)

After having a great day, everything went downhill when we entered Avalon for the After Party.  I won’t get into all the specifics but Mohegan Sun struck again with not knowing how to deal with those who have disabilities.  I gave Taylor until 11 or the end of the Savannah Bananas game that was being played to come out – and he did not – so we ended up leaving because the club was not at all our scene and not at all what we were expecting from a Taylor after party.  We ended up bumping into Isaac on the way out and I gave him the signed photo I had gotten from Carl of the Celebrity Deathmatch scene.

Sunday morning we left for Maine, found somewhere to eat and then paid for close parking ($60!) to the On the Ocean festival.  The staff was very accommodating and brought us right to the ADA area which we decided to stay in for the whole show.  We didn’t bother trying to get to the other stage and only saw Joy (who was a lot less annoying than when she opened for John Mayer, which we decided must have just been nerves) Hanson and Guster.  Guster also had a B-stage that was right in front of the ADA area so that was pretty fun when they came out and did a few songs back there.

Hanson in Seattle & Minneapolis

Katie August 3, 2025 No Comments

Last week was a whirlwind trip to Seattle and then to Minneapolis for back to back Hanson concerts on very little sleep. Tuesday night I flew to Nashville, had what was supposed to be a 4 hour layover but my flight ended up over an hour delayed.  Good thing for that long layover!  Got there, met up with a friend excited that they had Wow Bao in the airport now – only for it not to be taking orders. We went to a sit down restaurant instead and then found that our Seattle flight was delayed as well.

We made it to Seattle, waited forever for our bags and then went to grab the rental car.  We were told we were all set only for me to get an email while we were driving that they could no longer hold the car for me… making us think we stole the rental.  Customer Service the next morning assured us it was a glitch.  We also got to the hotel to find out my credit card was declined so we were off to a rough start.

I had wanted to hit up the Mariners game on Wednesday afternoon but didn’t want to drive into Seattle by myself and Ubers were almost as much as tickets were and I also was still trying to get all the car and card drama settled so I ended up not going.  We ended up hitting up Pike Place for lunch, getting Beecher’s Mac and Cheese (And I also got a Breadzel which was delicious and I wish I had more!) which we had missed out on getting the last trip. We also got to watch them making cheese through the windows.  Then my friends went to explore and I found myself waiting next to the Giant Shoe Museum and a magic shop that had a penny and medallion machine.  I limited myself to just 2 pennies because they were 75cents each, but got all the medallions with the help of my credit card.   We had parked in the world’s most expensive garage (probably not, but it sure seemed like it – everything else was full when we arrived but not full when we were leaving so we just timed things poorly) and headed to a seafood restaurant for lunch (Rock Creek) so everyone (but me) could have oysters.  I managed to find a Shrimp Roll I would eat.   We then walked a few blocks to get gelato – I got the “Razzle Dazzle” flavor.  The Razzle was Raspberry and the Dazzle was a hint of citrus.  We ended up having an early night because everyone was exhausted from the travel and a bit thrown off with the time change.

The next day we found out how those little reflectors get added to the road when we got stuck next to / behind a truck that was doing it. We then made our way to the Space Needle – and were pleasantly surprised that Mt Rainer was visible – the elevator attendant told us that it’s only visible 90 days out of the year AND that earlier it was too cloudy to see it so we had some good timing for once!  We went around the viewing platform taking photos at various spots and then decided to brave the revolving floor which actually turned out to be pretty cool!  In the store I ended up getting just 1 pressed penny (and not even of the space needle – of the market go figure) and tried my first mold-a-matic to get a space needle made.  It ended up getting stuck but after a few minutes it must’ve cooled off enough and released itself.  I also got myself one medallion, some stickers and a space needle shaped rice krispies treat.

After we hit up the MoPop museum which was something I had wanted to go to last time but we didn’t manage to have time.  There was a section for horror, Sci-Fi, and Fantasy that I think are their rotating exhibits? Then the rest of the museum had Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, video games, and pop culture areas to check out – that were formerly part of the “experience music project” which it was branded as initially when it was first opened.  Since I was subjected to seafood for dinner the previous night, I got to pick dinner and picked burgers at a place that also had boozy milkshakes.

Friday we went to Snoqualmie Falls – where the pennies cost $1 to make but I ended up getting them all and some more stickers.  I just went to the lookout up top, but my friends did the entire steep hike to the also view the falls from the bottom.  The falls and the nearby lodge are apparently parts of the show Twin Peaks.

Then we made our way to the casino for the Hanson show! We had dinner at their Asian restaurant and I saw one of my favorite slot machines and ended up getting myself a players card (I decided I’d get one at every casino of this ‘not a tour’ and see how many I ended up with at the end) which ended up awarding me $5 for my birthday and $5 on another promo so I was able to play for a bit on house money – but didn’t end up winning anything or hitting the bonus round.

The Hanson show was a lot of fun – we thought we had really far front row but the whole set up was so tiny it wasn’t as far over as we thought at all. The backdrop with the mountains and the clouds had to have been one of the prettier Hanson shows I have been to, unfortunately the sunset was behind us and I never really turned around to see that.  Although the setlist was a bit predictable, the show was a lot of fun!

After the show we went back to the hotel to change into our plane clothes and see how much sleep we could manage to squeeze in before getting up at 2am to hit the airport.  We dropped off those checking bags and then went to return the rental car (which seemed to go smoothly?) and then got in the massively long security line.  One friend did not have pre-check and we were worried it may take her longer to get through – but we were all pleasantly surprised when we got to the gate she had beaten us there!

I slept as much as I could on the flight, we landed around 11 MN time, I snuck in another nap but still was ready to fall asleep before/during/after the MN show.  You could tell the guys seemed a bit tired too – but they still put on a good show. Something got messed up before Cold as Ice though and they had to restart the song – which isn’t something I’ve seen them do too many times at a “public” show.  After we saw there was another song on the setlist before Cold As Ice that was skipped and may have been cause for the mix-up.

After the show we went to find food in the casino, I bumped into Taylor on the way to the bathroom and then we ended up chatting a bit with Isaac at the bar before heading out to get some real sleep!

Hanson Day 2025

Katie May 30, 2025 No Comments

After the scaled back Hanson Day activities, the “doom and gloom” newsletter and no Back to the Island for 2026, I wasn’t exactly sure what we were going to get heading to Tulsa this year.  I have to say that being there I feel a bit better about things, but it does sound like next year will be a bit quiet on the Hanson front.

Travel – Wednesday

I had a pretty early flight to Chicago and at 4am found my walker setting off every TSA alarm and then my hands setting off and then all my belongings needing to be inspected and then needing to get a pat down and being handed a cane that had no stopper on the bottom.  “Just what you need at 4am, right?” the woman in the pre-check line behind me said.  Fortunately, after everything I was cleared and everything was fine, but I have no idea what happened that set things off.

Arrival – Wednesday

After arriving I made a stop at Ida Red to get some stickers, magnets and shirts and then went around Hanson’s studios to get some photos of the windows and doors that they had done up to match this years rainbow theme for the year and check out a new mural as well.  Then for the evening we went to see the Drillers play the Cardinals.  We didn’t end up lasting the whole game because in the 6th the Drillers were down 11-3 and they ended up losing it 13-3.

Thursday

Thursday night we first went to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for the Pop2000 tour. Before the show I did a VIP M&G with Chris Kirkpatrick where there was talk of Savannah Bananas (guess who got him talking about that?), Hanson, NSYNC, and a bunch of other topics before we did a “shot” together and then did photos.  Then it was time for the show – Ryan Cabrera had opened up and we had hoped that Taylor may join him since he sings a verse on his anniversary release of On the Way Down, but while he played the track, Taylor did not join him. Then it was time for O-Town who seemed to go on stage a bit earlier than usual which was much appreciated as after their set (that ended 30 minutes earlier than anticipated) we headed back downtown to see Isaac’s side project Mother Road Sons.  I didn’t keep track of O-Town’s setlist, but they did add in Space Cowboy to the *NSYNC set!  We ended up making it to MRS and walking in on their 3rd song which could not have been better timing since I was thinking we would miss a bit more than that!  Isaac really shines as a front man, but he really needs more rocky leads!  He ended up doing the “original” version of Minute Without You which the setlist had as “Till the Sun Falls” which, of course, was more like a ballad than what we are used to hearing now.

Friday

Friday afternoon we went to a Food on the Move Lunch and Learn with Taylor. The lunch event had grown too large for their facility it was held at last year, so lunch was held in the gym at the nearby YMCA and then we walked over to the facility to take a tour. Taylor told me that the gravel was gone and they now had “beautiful concrete”.  It was neat to see how far everything has come in the last year and eat some of the lettuce that had been grown there with our lunch!   Then it was time to work in the gallery from 3-5, Taylor ended up showing up for a bit which caused the line to get the longest it had been, but otherwise it was pretty slow going.  After our shift ended it as time for the show – which went from about 7-8:30, we had a late dinner and then it was time for an early bed time, even though we thought we all had big plans for the evening!  The show seemed to have some subliminal messages in a lot of the songs that we hadn’t noticed before. It was a mixture of members only songs and some rarer album tracks.  For Your Love was its debut at Hanson Day.  They also went into a impromptu version of Billy Joel’s “Why Should I Worry” from Oliver and Company before finishing out the set!

Saturday

Saturday afternoon was our street team leaders lunch where we had some time to chat with Taylor and Isaac which helped ease some of my worries about the future of the band. We did find out there would be no Hday 2026.  Then it was time for Concert #2! This show was more of the singles and songs that might as well be singles show. They did throw in a few member’s songs and then had their brother Mac join them for the encore of Thin Lizzy’s “The Boys Are Back In Town” and “Lost Without Each Other”.   They also said that MMMBop almost wasn’t on the setlist (it a lot of times isn’t for members only events) but they had to apologize for us having to explain it for so many years.

After was the dance party – I went as a 60s GoGo dancer.

Travel – Monday

Somehow I ended up being one of the only ones without travel issues, the worst that happened is I was delayed 5 minutes on my 2nd flight home.  That wasn’t enough to have it even not be considered “on time” according to most of the flight tracking apps, so I’ll take it! It was nice to get back to valet to see my brand new car that I had for about a day and a half before leaving it at the airport Wednesday morning – and then needing to figure out how to pop the trunk.

I did come back with a bit of a cold which is why this and hansonstage updates have been rolling out rather slowly… I am feeling a bit better now and hopefully some extra sleep over the weekend will allow me to catch up on everything!  I’m looking forward on more 2025 Hanson dates to be announced and we’ll see what happens in 2026… at least I have bananaball to keep me busy and a few more items left on the hansonstage suggestions list to work through.

Hanson’s Christmas Ball 2024

Katie December 23, 2024 No Comments

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.

Underneath Experience Nashville

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

Nashville October 30

We weren’t sure what we were going to get going into this show, and Hanson was coming off a long run at Disney and then a trip up to New York City. They had never played this venue before so we didn’t know the ADA set up either.  Well, it ended up right up front to the left side of the stage and was roped off at an angle so we would actually be able to see the stage and not be blocked by the standing fans. It sounds like anyone behind about 3rd row couldn’t see much at all due to how low the stage was to the ground so it was a bit of a role reversal and of my friend group I was the only one happy with the venue.

Zac came out wearing glasses, which I think were Ray Bans with cameras in them, so who knows what all he ended up recording.   We had a surprise for Taylor’s solo which was a request for 2 bad ass individuals in the building – Lost Without You! (But still no Pink Moon).  During Cecilia we tried to mimic Zac’s hand claps and I think he saw us failing and laughing at ourselves. The pattern (still) makes no sense!

We went to Taylor’s after party for about 45 minutes and then ended up getting some late night Taco Bell.

Nashville October 31

For Halloween we weren’t sure if Hanson would dress up or not, but most of my group did (I went as Hanson’s character on The Masked Singer – a Russian Doll) but I was happy to see that Phantom Planet all came out in Skeleton shirts and gloves!

Honestly this set was exactly the same as most of the rest – NO PINK MOON – no Taylor solo at all or even on the setlist and they seemed to fly through it.  The show was super quick and really nothing of note to mention except that they were late to the stage perhaps in part due to the fire alarms going off.  Security did nothing when the lights started flashing and the music turned off and then the lights stopped flashing.  Maybe this is a common false alarm that happens there? I was surprised they didn’t even have Halloween shirts or attempt a Halloween-y song during the set.

Pre-show we had done VIP with Phantom Planet and Alex mentioned that most of the band and crew as well as himself had some sort of illness going on, but afterwards we decided to try our luck at meeting the band anyway to try and get photos with them in our costumes.  Venue security was absolutely over us and said they would not come out and kept trying to kick us off the property.    We opted to leave and go to Cook Out for some food before they decided to call the police.

Underneath Experience Atlanta

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

Atlanta October 21

I flew to Atlanta after work and everything went fine until we landed and they said we needed to stay seated for paramedics to arrive. Then they started having us get off because they weren’t there yet. When it was about to be my turn, they said the paramedics had arrived and we needed to sit and wait again. Then they had gotten rid of all the wheelchairs and I had to wait for them to track down new ones. Once that was done, I waited for my friend at baggage claim and then we realized Uber was a liar and the times they quote are way off.

Atlanta October 22

The first show in Atlanta was Zac’s 39th birthday.  We had intended to get there a bit earlier to trade bracelets in the line, but all the uber wait estimates were lies, so we ended up getting there a bit closer to doors than we actually wanted to.  About halfway through the show I found myself zoning out, wondering why I was even there (aside from it being Zac’s birthday)  the cake after Zac’s solo seemed a bit anticlimactic, but considering it came during the show and not at the end it probably was in their best interest NOT to smash it in his face and make a mess of the stage while they were still needing to use it.  Then, Taylor’s solo kind of turned everything around for me. (No, it wasn’t Pink Moon) We were hoping when he sat down at the piano it may be “The Luckiest” which has been on setlists and constantly skipped and my friend had asked him about it in Pittsburgh – but it was not. He ended up saying, “You won’t get this from Taylor very often. The three of us fight all the time. Like a lot. But that doesn’t mean you don’t love each other. Cheers to all the people that drive you crazy that you love. If you get to have anything with anybody for more than 3 decades, it’s worth fighting for, even if you have to fight over it. Cheers to everybody that is putting in the time for the fight” and went in to A Song to Sing.  Isaac joined him for a verse and then Zac, but for whatever reason they stopped singing and the crowd took over and it was like nothing I had heard before. I’m not one to get goosebumps but WOW.  After the show people closer to the front were mentioning that Taylor may have been crying during it. He was pretty sappy, and also informed us that the reason Matthew Sweet was no longer on the tour was that he had had a stroke.  There is a GoFundMe out there to help raise money for his medical and recovery expenses.  After the solo I was re-invigorated, but the rest of the set was more of the same.

While we had tickets to Taylor’s dance party, we opted to not go.  We waited outside a bit to chat with some friends (one of which was also having a birthday!) and ended up calling an uber right around when Taylor took the stage for his DJ set – as they were piping some of the music outside.  Keep in mind if you’re going to a future show – check if there is No Re-entry – it seemed like there were several girls who left and couldn’t get back in. (This is probably due to the fact that they don’t want to reset the security checkpoints) We had also seen this at some previous shows as well.

Atlanta October 23

For the electric show I was a bit worried going in as we had 2nd row balcony instead of my preferred first and the girls in front of us stood for a lot of the acoustic show and we assumed the electric show would lead to even more standing but to my surprise it was way more chill and I had a great view.  Again – nothing really different in the setlist.  Taylor did no solo (still no Pink Moon!) and the setlist didn’t even have a spot for it this time so maybe we freaked him out mentioning Pink Moon / The Luckiest to him.  I have one set of shows left.  Will I hear it?  For the encore, all of Phantom Planet joined Hanson again for Lost Without Each Other and it looked like they were having a lot of fun.

After the show we opted to not wait by the buses as we decided we needed to be up at 5am to get me to the airport in time for my flight.  While waiting in the hotel lobby for our DoorDash to come (another app with time estimates that were mostly lies) Phantom Planet ended up checking in so that was pretty cool.

Underneath Experience Pittsburgh

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

Pittsburgh October 18

In the morning, I hopped on a train at Penn Station to Harrisburg, PA.  My friend picked me up and we headed to Pittsburgh.  Since we had been driving in day of, we relaxed a bit and got to the venue during John Calvin Abney’s set since all of us had already seen him at an RGB show (and me a couple of nights before).  While the setlist said Isaac’s solo was going to be Hand in Hand, he ended up doing River because Pittsburgh has a lot of rivers.  Zac did Broken Angel and Taylor disappointed me once again by playing Save Me.  Again, it was a very similar setlist to previous shows.  (It may be harder to mix things up as much as they’d like because it’s 2 nights and twice as many songs to remember?)   Zac once again was annoyed with Isaac needing to tune and started to go on about how it would be if drums needed tuning and if he just tightened them before songs.

After the show we went outside to wait for the after party, saw Isaac and Zac get on the bus and waved.  Zac ended up leaving and we weren’t sure what happened to Isaac as we went inside for the party but Taylor has been playing the same DJ set pretty much every show so I am not sure we will end up going to the other 2 that we have tickets for… Once again we left before 1am. (We are OLD Taylor… how do you do it?!)

Pittsburgh October 19

Night 2 was a special one – it was my 300th Hanson show!  On the train on the way to PA I ended up ordering 3 0 0 balloons to hold up during the show.  I ended up deciding to do it during MMMBop because I knew that one was going to for sure end up played.  However, I could have really had my pick as the setlist was still pretty similar.  We DID get an additional Isaac solo where he called a “special guest” – a guy came up from the audience and then Isaac called his girlfriend on stage as well.  I’m sure you can guess what happened next – he proposed and she said yes and Isaac sang For Your Love for them.  I think that is the first time I’ve witnessed an engagement during a show – but there was another one I think before they hit the stage in DE?

During MMMBop I ended up holding up the balloons (with a little help from my friends) and it seemed like it took forever for anyone to notice – but once Taylor did he pointed and gave me a thumbs up and then a salute.  We were pretty excited and then before If Only he actually said to give it up for 300 shows and pointed me out in the balcony and said something about how he didn’t even know if he had been to 300 shows.

After the show we waited by the bus and I was able to get photos with all 3 of them and my balloons. The highlight though was Taylor telling me he uses my site (hansonstage) to see what he’s played before and also just said “wow”.  But still no Pink Moon.  I requested it to Taylor via bracelet, he said they were having some issues putting it together… I’m not hopeful that I’ll end up hearing it.

Underneath Experience New York City

Katie November 10, 2024 No Comments

New York October 15

We got into the city the afternoon before the shows and ended up wanting to get Italian and decided to go to Becco, owned by Lidia and Joe Bastianich. The food was absolutely delicious and to our surprise, Lidia herself was there and dining as well! We had hoped to continue the celebrity sightings and were not disappointed as the days went on.

New York October 16

Before the show we ended up going for Italian again, since we weren’t able to get any pasta at Becco. This time we tried Carmine’s and got some pasta and chicken parm.

Then it was time for the acoustic show. For this show I opted to sit in the ADA section once I saw I’d be able to have a pretty decent view of Zac due to the acoustic setup.  Shortly after Hanson’s set started I saw Kate McKinnon make her way up to the balcony and join 3 friends. The venue was a service black hole and somehow the only message that came through was that Liam from One Direction had died. Not sure what to do with myself I ended up just watching Kate enjoying herself.  I had gotten a lot of questions about if she really was a fan or not and based on how many songs she was singing along to, I would say that yes, she is legitimately a fan. Hanson added “Go” to the setlist for her after she had mentioned on the Today show it was her favorite song of theirs.

This was also John Calvin Abney’s first show subbing in for Matthew Sweet who couldn’t continue the tour. He joined the guys on harmonica for Dressed in Brown Eyes. The set was pretty similar to Baltimore – but Zac solo’d Broken Angel and Taylor solo’d… Crazy Beautiful? Which was an odd choice since they’d likely be playing it the next night.

After the show was Taylor’s after party where they left me in ADA all alone and were actually telling my friends they couldn’t stand with me. I’m all for following the rules but… for the after party? We stayed for almost an hour and spotted Natalie Morales. We hit Times Square to see the 11:57-midnight art gallery which was pretty cool! There also seemed to be way more people around late night than on our afternoon pass through.

New York October 17

For the electric show I decided it would probably be best to sit in the seat I had paid extra for. Except no one knew how to work the lift. (Might I add my seat was sold as being “accessible”) one of the staff carried Toaster up the stairs and told me to “sit anywhere” by the time Phantom Planet was over, another staff member told me I needed to be in my assigned seat – which I had asked about when I was told to sit anywhere! I also got asked 4 or 5 times if I wanted to go to ADA. If the platform didn’t completely block my view of Zac when they are in their traditional set up maybe I would have considered it.

Before Penny and Me, Isaac needed to tune, and I think Zac is getting a bit fed up with it so he started singing “The Tuning Song” while Isaac tuned his guitar.  Again the setlist was pretty similar to Baltimore – but for the encore they added a mic to center stage and taped down some lyrics.  I got excited thinking it would be something new, and technically it was, as they had all of Phantom Planet join them for Lost Without Each Other – the lyrics were for Alex.  Also of note, Andrew from Phantom Planet played Zac’s left handed drums even though he is a righty and the bass player that I had seen previously, while at the show, was not playing, they had Sam who played bass on Underneath performing with them.

After the show we waited outside for a bit, saw Zac leave and get on the bus, then we believe attempt to open the bus window, which led a guy near us to immediately put his phone up by the window and the window then closed.  We left before anyone else had come out.  Then I had a strange encounter with a man in a red Elmo skin jacket who came up to me with his arms out and then started blowing a whistle.  Only in New York…

Oh! I almost forgot, I had another celebrity sighting – Mark Hudson!  AND STILL NO PINK MOON.