We got stuck in traffic on I-15. It took us 25 minutes to go 2 miles! When we finally found the venue we were shocked to see a line of people wrapped around the building. It was so poorly advertised that we didn’t think many people would be there.
After buying 2 tickets from scalpers (for $20 a ticket -- $5 off the online price. Yay!), we lined up with everyone else and soon got in the club. After standing at the back for an hour waiting for the show to begin, we made friend with two girls near us who attend U of U. They went to a Hanson concert in Montreal. We got sick of standing in the back, so we followed one of the girls, pushing our way onto the floor level, 8 people from the stage! We waited there for about 10 or 15 minutes when suddenly the background music cut out mid-song and everyone started screaming as Zachary Hanson walked on stage followed soon by Isaac Hanson then Taylor Hanson!
Suddenly everyone started surging forward, and I soon got up to 5 people away from the stage. Because it was an acoustic set, they were sitting down on all but 2 songs, so we were on our tippytoes the whole time. After singing probably 15 songs they went off stage.
Everyone started chanting, “Hanson! Hanson!” over and over, and they came back on stage and sang two more songs. At one point Zac said, in a silly voice, “When I say Han you say son. Han! {son!} Han! {son!}” and repeated that a few times. It was really funny! Everyone kept yelling things to them throughout the set.
During the first half of the set each brother did a solo. Zac was first. He played Taylor’s keyboard and sang. Some girls kept yelling their love for Zac, and at one point he smiled -- trying really hard not to laugh. Isaac did his solo on his guitar and then Taylor on his keyboard. Very, very cool!
Right when the concert ended, we ran out to the fence where the tour bus was kept. There were already about 10 girls there. Taylor came out of the bus for a moment and waved to everyone. He had a red sucker in his mouth. We stood there for about an hour when Taylor came to the 1-foot wide gap near the fence. I had written silly little notes two minutes before Taylor came out. I handed him his. He read it and smiled. I gave him the other two and he put them in his pocket to give to his bros. Then I was able to get my two CD inserts in his point of view (fighting through tons of girls), so he grabbed them and signed them, but dropped my Sharpie marker.
I went around the crowd and fought my way back to the gap in the fence and started to stand up when Zac came out of the tour bus. When the crowd saw him they immediately started pushing so I got smushed right up against the brick wall with my face right in the gap staring right at Zac. He was faced the other direction, listening to Taylor talk to someone. I said, “Zac?” sorta pleadingly and he walked over. He kinda chuckled that I was squished there so I said, “Hi.” (hahaha) When everyone realized Zac was there they all shoved their autographing paraphernalia into the gap where my CD inserts and Sharpie were already. Zac reached through everyone else’s stuff and grabbed MINE! He signed them and dropped my Sharpie. I tried to reach for it but he said, “Oops.” and grabbed it and handed it to me. I fought my way out of the crowd (literally!). Zac signed three other people’s things, but then said he had to go. (Jules didn’t get one)
We hung around there for about an hour or so longer, hoping Isaac would come out, or Zac again. The gate opened and the bus started to leave. Taylor was standing in the entry way of the bus waving and mouthing, “Sorry! We have to go!”. A man held up his daughter for Taylor to see, then Taylor turned to say something to the driver and then opened the window on the door and motioned for the man to bring his daughter over. Taylor then signed the little girl’s cast on her arm. A very “Awww” moment!
The bus started to leave again and some people started running after it. We decided it would be funny to run after it also, and it was headed the direction of our car anyway. People gave up running, but we kept going because we were just trying to get to the car. Some people were cheering us on, hahaha.
We got in the car and saw that 3 other people were following the bus in their cars, so we followed along also. After a few streets, the bus started to turn into a hotel parking lot. We weren’t expecting this. We thought for sure they would just lead us to the freeway, hahaha. Because it was such a long bus, and was pulling a trailer of instruments, it was taking a long time to turn and was taking up two lanes of traffic. The other followers waited behind the bus, ready to follow them right in. I decided to go around, mainly because I was embarrassed about following their tour bus right to their hotel.
I was the first into the parking lot, and the first to park, but we waited for other girls to get out of their cars before we came running out. There were about ten, or so, girls in all. We waited on the sidewalk, all polite-like.
Their manager-esque guy came out and greeted us. He said, “Hey guys. Here’s the deal: We have to hurry. So, let the guys go into the hotel, but when they come out you may stop them for pictures, autographs, whatever.” We agreed, of course.
He went back to the bus and came out again with Taylor. They walked through the little aisle we made. Taylor looked at us and said, “The Hotel Group, nice! How are you guys?” Then they hurried into the hotel. We waited around for about a half hour, or so.
I was parked in a weird place, and didn’t want to get in trouble for it, so when a truck pulled up to my Beetle I got a lil nervous. I was also very thirsty, and I had a water bottle in the car, so I started walking to it. As I got near the truck I looked in to see if it was Police or something. I noticed the driver was a young dark-haired girl, so I wasn’t worried. Then Julianne called for me to come back because Taylor was coming out soon, so I just turned right around and walked back. Two seconds later, Isaac got out of the passenger side of what turned out to be HIS GIRLFRIEND’s truck. (Oops, hehehe) He walked past us all and went straight into the hotel.
Taylor came out and talked to a group of girls who had come out of the hotel. Then he came over to us and said, “Sorry guys, I have to go!” We were disappointed and he noticed so he said, “Ok guys, come on.” and took a picture with one girl. His manager-esque guy said, “We only have time for one picture. Come on guys, one group picture.” So I quickly walked up and wrapped my arm around Taylor’s waist, and Julianne did the same on the other side (we made many many girls bitter about that...hahaha). Taylor put his arms around Jules and me, and the other girls lined up next to us. The security guard and others were taking the pictures for us. The girl who was taking them specifically for Jules and me took a few group shots but then mouthed, “Another one?” I nodded. Then she mouthed, “Of just you three?” I nodded again, and she took them. We did a lil group-hug-type-thing then Taylor had to quickly get in the bus after that.
He wandered into the entry of the bus a few times and stood there waving to us. At one point he came out and just Julianne was there in front of the bus. They stood there smiling at eachother and Taylor did a little wave. (Cute!)
We were waiting around for a few minutes more when a guy walking past said, “The oldest one is in the hall.” Jules and I walked over to the hotel door and saw Ike talking to the girls who had taken up all the time with Taylor. The manager-esque guy was hurrying Ike through them.
I held the door open for them, and Jules stood on the other side of the doorway. Isaac saw her and started to sign her notebook (actually mine, but she didn't have anything for them to sign). Then the manager-esque guy saw me and then saw my two CD inserts and Sharpie and said to Ike, “You may pick ONE of these to sign.” Isaac started to sign the one and then said, “I’m going to sign both. Because Taylor and Zac did.” (Yay!) I thanked him. They hurried into the bus.
About ten minutes later, after the manager & roadies put in the luggage (we offered to help, but they had it taken care of. Haha, we're such nerds), they left.
I was the only person to get all 3 guys' autographs that night!!! Overall, it was a great night.
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