C: "During the concert, while Taylor was standing at the keyboards, I saw someone hurl something small and white (looked kind of like a gumball) at Taylor. It hit him square in the back of his head and I saw him make a face and quickly feel his head. He didn't look at where it came from or anything like that, he just pressed right on, he didn't even skip a note!

This wasn't like throwing a stuffed animal or a flower or some other gift onto the stage, this was just somebody being an ignorant jerk!

WhoEVER you are, you little putz, I hope you NEVER get to attend a Hanson show again! You didn't deserve to be there in the first place and had I been sitting near you, I would have smacked you into the following week!"

Water---

The Super Soakers and Water Bottles.

Super Soakers..."THE EPITOME of Concert Interraction!!"

Sprayed by Tay and Zac: "It felt SOOO good!"

Water Bottles..."Watch it Tay..there is STILL water in that bottle!"

Spellbound---

"My feet hurt...I can't possibly move anymore...OH! Tay is bouncing??? OK!!!!"

"I don't think I can put my arms in the air ANYMORE...OH! Zac is swaying??? OK!!!!"

"I do NOT have the energy to MOVE!!! What's that Tay??? 'Come on?!!' SURE!!!!!!!"

"We KNOW the rules Tay...I'm NOT sitting, all right already!"

M - "Shhh...NOT NOW!!! IKE IS SINGING!"

C - "TAY ON DRUMS!!!!!"

K - "Tay played drums??? I was watching ZAC!"

K - "I SO need three sets of eyes that work independently!"

IF YOU EVER HAD ANY INHIBITIONS...THEY WENT WAY OUT THE WINDOW FROM THE MOMENT HANSON APPEARED ON STAGE!

You become AGELESS at a Hanson concert!!

Afterglow---

M - "I think I have jello legs." (which describes the conditions of your legs POST HANSON CONCERT)

C - "I have brainglaze." (which describes the condition of PURE BLISS)

K - "It is IMPOSSIBLE to move...I just wanna SIT here..."

After being CHASED from seats we, with our jello legs and brain glaze, proceeded to the stairs in front of one of the lower level doors.

There we got to see Ravi, Hanson's former back up guitarist, stroll by.

M - "My he is a CUTIE!"

C - "Afterglow...refer to the Clairol Herbal Essence Shampoo commercials...Hanson Concert="We had a Clairol Moment."

K - "While we thought that we were going to fly back to our car after the concert on our Hanson high...what we found in reality was called 'trudging'".

M - "I dont wanna leave..it can't be over."

"How can you EVER go back to normal life after this??" - Kristen, Mo's niece

--THE DAY AFTER--

Driving past Key Arena Wednesday morning, looking for the cheap $5 parking garage, we noticed...

(Zac's "da da da da DAAA" inserted here)

...a BIG BLUE BUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We found a parking space and shoved our money into the pay box as quickly as we could. Two blue buses were parked behind the arena. The "holier than thou" guard informed us that the light blue bus belonged to Admiral Twin (!) and the dark blue bus was for Hanson Management. This meant that the band had not yet arrived.

This meant that WE MAY get to see them!!!

We visited with a couple Hanson fans while we waited for a couple hours and then...

THE BIG BLUE BUS ARRIVED!!!

"OMIGOSH!!!!"

The bus parked and we noticed a small black and white sign in the windshield. "Dave's not here," it declared. "DUH! TAY, ZAC, AND IKE ARE!!!!!!"

Tay stepped off the bus and was soon followed by Zac.

Tay responded to the shouts of his name with a turn, a super smile, and a wave to the small group. (which included US!)

We felt free to go, for again the "holier than thou" guard informed us that Hanson had reserved Key Arena until 8 pm.

Well...this meant...TIME FOR LUNCH!!!!!!

So off we scurried, via the monorail, to Planet Hollywood.

Planet Hollywood---

M - "A door handle...they MUST have touched this. A handrail...they MUST have touched this."

C - "We'll go down this side of the stairs and touch this handrail but then coming back up, we'll go the other side to cover both possibilities."

K - "What if they just went up the middle and didn't USE the handrails?"

As soon as Wendy, our friendly waitress, hands us menus Circe asks, "What did Hanson have when they were here Monday?"

"Pepperoni Pizza, Cheeseburger, and Chicken Fajitas." replied Wendy.

Naturally after hearing this, our decision was made. Mo had the Cheeseburger ("Im so sure ZAC had this.") Circe opted for the Chicken Fajitas ("This sounds like a Tay order.") Mari chose the Chicken Caesar Salad (maybe this was a Walker order?????)

After stuffing ourselves and paying our check, we bounded over to the Adventure Room, where Wendy had informed us Hanson had been.

We had been told they sat at the table next to the Titanic stuff, so we ran over to said table and sat down. Circe made sure to touch the salt and pepper shakers (just in case) and seriously thought of filching one, but didn't want to look bad in front of Mo and Mari. Never mind that it would have been stealing- it's Hanson!!

We found a total stranger willing to snap pictures of us sitting at "Hanson's table." He must have thought we were dorks, but he was very nice about it.

Mo noticed two gals also in the Adventure Room wearing Albertane T-shirts.

She quickly told them "hey...that's where THEY sat!"

As we left Planet Hollywood, we went back up the stairs in a zig-zag fashion, to cover all possibilities.

Something Fishy---

After lunch, we still had some time to kill, so we walked to the fish market.

Did we forget to mention Seattle is very 'hilly.' Yup, lots of hills to hike on our way to Pike Place Market. On our way there, we passed several people who looked like they had gotten dressed in the dark in a costume shop.

Being a little sun-drunk and not having had enough sleep, it was hard to get a grip on ourselves and not laugh out loud. Halfway to the fish market, we passed a woman wearing what appeared to be a schoolgirl dress and saddle-type shoes. That wasn't a big deal, but her hair was in pigtails on top of her head and she sported a big red plastic apple on top of each tail. We choked back our laughter. Giggling and sputtering, we finally made it to the fish market only to see a man wearing a "hat" made out of what appeared to be about 20 balloons. This was too much for us and we promptly lost it.

We made sure to take some "touristy" pictures posed by the giant brass piggy bank! The bank! Circe put a penny she had found in it and made a wish. Well- *blush*- what had she wished for? That we would see Hanson that night!

That was a VERY lucky pig!

C: I love that pig! : )

We checked the time and decided it would be a good idea to get back to the arena, so we took the monorail back.

Nobody here but us shrubs---

~5:30pm~

We got ourselves three large bottled waters and walked over to a raised flowerbed-embankment type area and sat down. Yes, we were trying to catch a glimpse of Hanson from some bushes...go us!

Mo then went around to the front gate where we had been that morning, and scoped out the crowd. There weren't too many people at the gate, but it was right in the sun, so we all agreed that we'd stay put.

Where we were, we could see Hanson's equipment trucks loading up and we figured we were in a prime spot to see the guys as they came out to get on their bus.

As we waited, we were able to see assorted Hanson family members coming and going from the bus. We took one or two pictures of them, but soon stopped because we felt like we were invading their privacy. After all-Isaac, Taylor, and Zac are the stars, not their family.

We saw Diana come out with one of the "infamous" SuperSoakers to which Mo said, "Look! She still cleans up after her boys!"

A bit after that, we saw Zac walk to the bus carrying a SuperSoaker and apparently, he couldn't get in, because Mo swears she heard him say "Let me in!" as he pounded on the door. After he unlocked the door, he disappeared into the bus and came out about ten minutes later. Walking back down into the arena, struggling to keep his hold on TWO SuperSoakers, he proceeded to drop one. After retrieving the fallen SuperSoaker, he began to walk back towards the backstage area. On his way he passed some fans, who were also waiting for Hanson in some other shrubs, and did them the favor of their lives. He sprayed them. **Remember, SuperSoakers are the ULTIMATE concert interaction...same goes here!

Click here for some pictures of Zac & the SuperSoakers!

K: It happened here first, but also throughout the night. It was so choice to see them as being completely "normal". By this I mean, in interviews and on stage...I don't see a 12 year old boy. Instead, a seasoned performer who has, with each appearance, honed the professional skills of his craft. Here, I saw a ordinary 12 year old kid who tried to carry too many things at once and dropped stuff just like any other guy would have. To me, seeing that, was priceless.

~8:00pm~

It got to be around eight o'clock and we weren't seeing any signs of Hanson.

Okay, we understand. They were working until 8 o'clock, right???

With every passing minute, however, we were getting more and more restless.

We were tired and getting very grumpy. At this point, Mo was checking her watch way too much saying, "It's eight-ten, are we gonna stay?", "It's eight-fifteen, are we leaving now?", "It's eight-twenty-five and I'm not hanging around."

Circe said she had waited this long and she wasn't leaving, while Mari was busy doing some Zen gardening in the shrubs.

~9:00pm~

Where the heck is Hanson?????

It is at this time, where Mari is feeling every drop of water, juice and soda consumed throughout the day. She really had to go since they got there, but why move if you might see Hanson??

Finally, we saw "a" Hanson go up the stairs to the bus. We couldn't tell which Hanson it was because their hair was wet and it was almost dark.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

This is a "Pardon Our Brain" time~SA Brain Glaze Problem!!!

Circe: It must have been Isaac. He went back down the stairs and disappeared.

Mo: Now...this I thought was Zac...didn't he get into the bus with his younger siblings?

Mari: I cannot remember...but I know Zac went in and out about 2 or 3 times..once for the SS and another time...is this that time??

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Again, more watch checking from Mo, more grumping from Circe and more gardening from Mari. it was here that Mo and Mari proceeded to play a game of pine cone toss between each other...hey, it was boring! ...hehehe...

We had picked up our belongings and crept further down the embankment towards the bottom of the fence to get a better view of Hanson when they finally did come out.

We hadn't been there long, when the same 'holier-than-thou' security guard showed up and told us to move out of the plants. So we did and he said "Move the property," meaning our purses and backpack and cameras, "or else we'll think you're gonna go back down there." Hah, if only!

We moved ourselves and our stuff back up the embankment and waited till he left and then scrambled (just like eggs! JK!) right back down. We soon became tired of lurking in the pampas grass and again, moved up out of the foliage and sat down. Do we sound like stalkers here?? ...just asking...

~9:30pm~

Some Hanson's come out, enter the bus-there's Diana again. But still no Isaac, Taylor, and Zac!

Okay, now we're saying things like (insert a whiney voice):

"They take such LONG showers!!!"

"They need to eat so they're BOUND to leave soon!"

"Four Hansons down (in the bus), five to go!"

"No, you!! You STAY IN THE BUS!!"

Side Note: Jessica, Avery, & Mackie came to the arena with some friends (we guess) and proceeded to go down into the backstage area. In every picture we see of Mackie, he has had a bag of chips with him. This time was no exception...hehe...that little boy is absolutely adorable! Bounding down the steps with chips in hand! Jessica had a cute little stuffed bear backpack on and Avery had a huge...mind you, HUGE...orange backpack that was almost as big as her!

~9:40pm~

We saw some people approach the blue buses with an armloads of pizzas. "Are those pizza men?, we asked each other.

"Hehehe...now they HAVE to come up because their dinner is here!!"

"Noooooooo!!!!!! Don't go down there to give it to them!!!"

"Oh NO! They're gonna EAT?! We have to wait LONGER?!"

Despite our pleas and complaints, the delivery guys went down to the backstage area to deliver the pizzas to Hanson.

More time passed.

Side Note: Although we aren't seeing Hanson, we are seeing the Hanson back-up musicians-although no Admiral Twin. Much to the dismay of Mo and Mari, who wouldn't have minded seeing Jarrod one last time.

~10:00pm~

Could it be???

"Yes!!! That's Zac!!"

"Is that Zac??? Naw, that's Taylor! Zac doesn't wear clothes like that!!"

"That's Taylor!!"

"No, that is Zac."

"That was Zac." we said, as he hurried into the bus.

Let's do a count now. We've been waiting for 5 hours to see 2 minutes of Zac hurrying into the bus. Fair trade? You decide!

~10:15pm~

Who is that??

"That's Isaac!"

Isaac, who is coming up with two, count 'em TWO, big backpacks plus his guitar.

"You think he has enough bags??"

"His hair is wet!"

"Have a safe trip!" called Circe. And to that, Isaac turned, waved and said, "thanks!" as he disappeared into the bus.

...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...wait...

After what seemed like an eternity...

~10:30pm~

Someone appears.

"That has to be Taylor!!"

"He's in shorts!"

Yes, the beauty and wonderment that is Taylor Hanson FINALLY emerges from backstage. He does have shorts on, about to his knees. Typical Taylor garb-teeshirt with an overshirt up top. And also, what looks to be some sort of sandal/shoe...no Docs in sight, in other words.

So now, all Hanson's are present and accounted for.

We then grabbed our stuff and ran down to the gate where we found ourselves immersed in...

Teenie** Hell!

**We mean no disrespect to anybody by saying "teenie". We know...it does not hold a good connotation...but neither did the girls we encountered. As we saw it that night, our definition of teenie included: claiming to 'know all' about Hanson, disrepecting Hanson's parents, being extremely rude to those around them, and of course...showing WAY too much skin! You can be a teen without being a 'teenie', after all. We have to tell you that we were surprised the behavior of these girls because the teens that we've encountered (past & at the concert) have shown tons more class than these girls did...teenie was used here for lack of a better word...OR...because we don't want our language to get too offensive.

There were six adults, about five girls and one boy waiting at the front gate.

We waited at the gate, where we could see all the buses.

Now that all the Hanson's were in the bus. All ready to go...the most obvious thing to do is leave, right? But do they??

OF COURSE NOT!!

They weren't showing any signs of leaving.

So again, we wait.

After we got to the front gate, we learn that Hanson has been...get this! Playing soccer in Key Arena for the past 2 hours!!! The fans that were waiting there got to listen to some play-by-play from one fo the arena security guards over the walkie talkies...bummer for us! On the other hand, our being in the shrubs allowed us to talk to Hanson by ourselves, so that seemed like a fair trade.

So that's why they took so long!

It was already about an hour and a half past time. We waited and waited and finally saw Taylor get off his bus and get on another. A scream of "TAYLORRRR!" erupted from our small crowd. Then, a little later, he got off that bus and went back to his own. Again, "TAYLORRRR!" He waved to us.

More time passed.

Because we were so overtired and hot and had to use the bathroom, tempers were getting edgy. Small things became annoying.

Such as...UNDERPANTS GIRL!

We christened her as such because she had on tight black shorts that looked like unfulfilled Underoos. "Remember? Underwear that's fun to wear!!" She was also wearing one red sock. Not two socks. Just one red one. This one red sock was irritating beyond belief. So was the way Underpants Girl was hanging on the gate and blabbing on about Zac.

C: I was going to mention how Mari thwarted a possible homicide attempt, while I was glaring daggers at Underpants Girl. I suddenly felt someone grab me and holler, "Back! Back Circe!" LOL! I will always wonder how Mari knew!! : )

Her friend, Miss 'I have an OPINION, but I have no idea what I'm talking about' was also getting irritating.

She proceeded to tell us that Mrs. Hanson was "too old to have a baby" and that "it was really gross that Mrs. Hanson has another baby at her age." These announcements were made in between random Tiger Beat Hanson Data such as "Hanson has a closet full of dirtysocks at home that they spray Raid on."

Meanwhile, Mari is moaning. Moaning about how much she needs to go use someone's facilities! "I just bet they have a bathroom in that bus!!" "They HAVE to have a bathroom in that bus!" "Hey Hanson! If you let me onto that bus to use the bathroom, I swear that I won't look at you, bother you, or even CARE about you in any way!!" "Please let me use the bathroom!!"

Suddenly, we heard someone yell "THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY!!"

We scrambled to the gate and saw Isaac and Taylor walking towards us.

Yippeee!! There was no Zac...sigh...but they did bring some short-haired, blonde guy, who we guess was supposed to serve as security? Although, we probably could have taken him...hehehe...

Isaac reached us first and said "Thank you guys for coming out so late for us." Then Taylor said, "Hi guys" and started to shake hands.

Isaac came over to our end of the gate and spoke to Mo. When asked if she could have a picture of them (we had forgotten the all-or-none rule), he hedged a little and then Taylor politely explained that they couldn't because Zac wasn't with them.

When asked where Zac was. Taylor replied, "You know, I don't know where he is. I think he's sleeping."

Someone else's request for an autograph was politely declined for the same reason. Mo asked Ike, "How about just a smile, Ike?" Which was replied to with a huge Isaac grin!

Some of the fans had their new Hanson calendars with them and Taylor noticed this. He seemed surprised that we had them already and said, "Wow, you guys have the calendar already." Mo told him it was a beautiful calendar and Taylor thanked her sincerely.

Mari thinks that it was then that Taylor noticed Underpants Girl with the one red sock and was trying to change the subject so as not to burst out laughing...but anyway...

More small talk was made. The guys seemed tired, but they were friendly and seemed happy to be talking to us.

After about fifteen minutes or so, they said they had to get back and thanked us again for being there. Circe wished them a good trip and Mo told them to sleep well. Tay thanked them both. Then the guys walked back to their bus.

WE HAD PIZZA WITH HANSON!

A short time later, one of Hanson's crew, a very nice guy with long dark hair, came over with a pizza box and said "Hanson thought you guys might like some pizza," and slid the box under the gate. The fans dove headfirst into the box, yelling,"Hanson's pizza!"

It looked like feeding time at the zoo.

Underpants Girl carried off four slices and quite possibly, she was the one that took the box for a souvenir.

Not long after that, the same guy delivered to us another pizza. We thought this was really thoughtful of Hanson, that they would share their dinner with us.

Right about this time, Taylor came off the bus and stood in the parking lot, talking to a small crowd of people. Occasionally, he would look over and wave at us. We saw the other members of Hanson's family milling about. It was apparant here that even in a small group of close friends, Taylor is quite captivating...the group around him seemed to hang in his every word, even as Avie hung all over his arms, legs, shirttails, etc.

K: Again, here is a good example of the guys just being the guys. Taylor hanging with friends. Taylor being a big brother. Avery was tugging at Taylor and talking to him and instead of brushing her off, like some would do, he bent down and took the time to talk to her and be a brother to her. Again,to see this, was priceless.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, everyone got on the buses.

It wasn't that we wanted them to leave, but that we needed to find a bathroom and we were tired of standing, yet we wanted to see them off.

Again Mari began to suggest about the tour bus' facilities, "I just wanna use your bathroom, I don't CARE if Hanson is on the bus...I promise not to look..I just wanna use the bathroom!" When everyone was safe on the bus, someone set off a couple of fireworks in the parking lot. The nice exploding in the sky (aka Aerial) kind of fireworks!

It seemed like they were almost ready to leave, when the side compartment on Hanson's bus came open and all their stuff fell out.

K: OH, FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!!!!!!

Then Isaac and some other people got off to repack.

Finally, the buses were loaded and ready to go. We cleared out of the way and the buses passed us. Hanson's was the last one out and we all waved and hollered at it, although we couldn't see for the darkened windows. However, Isaac did peep out the front curtain and waved to us as the "big, blue bus" departed the gate.

We watched them go up the street and then they were gone.

AFTERSHOCK

We cannot help but be impressed. Not just about Hanson giving us a great concert, but that they took the time to come over and acknowledge us. That they were so friendly, so sincere, and so real. And that for a short time, beneath the glow of the streetlights, we were just hanging out with Ike and Tay.

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