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Zachary

I've only been to a Hanson concert once (unlike many other zealous fans). That one time was something like I didn't imagine, actually it wasn't like I had imagined it to be at all.

It all started when I met this girl named Miranda, she's the daughter of one of my mom's friends and we started talking because we were both Hanson fans. She told me that Hanson was going to in Atlanta for a show and we both thought it would be cool to see them. At the time, my sister was engaged and we wanted to go shopping for her a wedding dress. Luckily we were to Atlanta the very same weekend as the concert.

Miranda's sister got me and my two, older sister's concert tickets from 'Ticket Master' and we were all set to go. It also turned out that Miranda was going with a bunch of her friends and wanted me to go with them, but since we were going to Atlanta anyway (for my sister), I just went to the along with them.
My aunt (at the time) lived in a suburb of Atlanta called Hampton and my family and I stayed that weekend with her.

The day of the concert was a Sunday. The Saturday before we had gone shopping for wedding dresses and Sunday we decided to shop some more. If I remember right, we went to eat at Quincey's for lunch/dinner before the concert and I couldn't eat because I guess I was nervous.

Concert time came around and I had my headphones on, singing along with the music as we made our way to the amphitheatre while my sister's made fun of my singing. (I was 14 at the time, give me a break.)
We got to the venue and my parents dropped my sister's and me off (their names are Jennifer and Stephanie). There were alot of people already there (obviously since we were just a few hours early) so I didn't even try to look for Miranda and her friends. I do remember hearing a group of girls singing MMMBOP and I started getting excited.

With only, about $50 dollars on our hands, I bought an 'Official Albertane t-shirt' from the stand out front. I remember standing there waiting for my turn in line, and noticed a blonde girl with a white tank top and bright blonde hair. She was talking to someone and they were saying something like "We'll you have front row seats...." and that's all I remember about her.
(Don't ask me why, but that's just what's always stuck out in my head)
My sister's and I were shocked that the t-shirt cost $25 dollars but what can you expect, this is Hanson we're talking about. I also wanted to get a tour book but we didn't bring enough money so I could only get the t-shirt.

Our turn came to go into the venue and when we gave our tickets to the admissions guy, I walked on in. He called me back and I waited for my two sisters (just slightly embarrassed). We went to the bathroom and stood in a long line, I think some people said that a girl was throwing up in the bathroom and they had to clean it up, that's what took so long.
I went to change into my Hanson tour shirt and noticed a girl with another Hanson shirt on (her's showed the guys in the back of that cadillac thing) and I told her that I thought it was cool. (Another faint memory)
To the concert, I wore long, baggy khaki, a white t-shirt and a yellow shirt with brown, diagonal strips over that. I wanted to wear my brown Timberlands (but I left them at home, 4 hours away) so I opted to wear my black skechers. Around my neck, was a fish pendant that I bought the day before and my hair was parted in the middle, which my sisters made me put up in a high ponytail.

After we went to the bathroom, my sister's wanted to buy a few bottles of water ($7 bucks each, again to my surprise), and we went to find our seats. The venue is an amphitheatre so the seats were partial outside or either under a shelter thing. As we walked by, my sister (Im not sure which on) said
"Look, there's Zac's drums." and I wanted to go down there of course, but our seats were on the lawn. I was upset, 'pissed' as my sisters called it, cause I couldn't even see the stage with some many people around. Not to mention we were so far back.

Aerosmith was playing over some loud speakers and my sister's were enjoying that. Also, as we waited I think Zac (or Mackenzie, Im not sure which, cause I couldn't see) ran across the stage and some girls up front started screaming every so often.
Admiral twin came on and we started getting into the music, but my sister were making fun of them cause "All there song's sound the same" or that what they said.

Something else I remember vividly, (though I don't now when it happened) was that a guy came out to where we were and started signing autographs. I think he must have been Jarod Gollihare or somebody but Im not sure who. He was talking to these girls (all laughing an screaming), that were standing right next to me, but I didn't ask them who he was. I just watched and observed.

Hanson finally came on a few hours later, but I couldn't see them (cause of the lawn thing). Even though we were near those big screen's that were supposed to help you see, I didn't want to watch that. I wanted to be up front and be able to see Hanson. It felt like I was watching them on tv, by looking at the screens, so I didn't really pay attention to them.
Instead, Stephanie held me up in her arms, so that I could see. I couldn't, but I do remember some of the songs.

First they sang 'Gimme some lovin' but I don't really remember that. When 'Ever lonely' was playing, my sisters and I couldn't hear what they were saying so we made it up and thought they were saying "...until my dog gets through..." instead of "..until my call get's through..." it was funny.
Another funny thing my sisters sang was on 'Where's the love?' and they sang 'Where's my glove?' instead.
The song 'Summer time blues came on and it was really cool. That song was also done as a cover by country music star Alan Jackson (he's also from Chatanooga, GA) and the guys put a cool twist on it saying 'Give me a jelly donought...' in one part.
A little ways into the concert, the guys went backstage and came back out Tay had taken off one of his shirts, to reveal a tight, white one cause all the girls were screaming, except for me of course, cause I couldn't see anything. My sister's told me what happened, I guess they were watching the big screens.
I also remember Taylor asking the crowd "Is it always this hot down here?" (talking about the heat of the summer in Georgia).

Somewhere in between the songs, we got some nochos to eat. I had one in my hand, about to eat it when the opening chords of 'Weird' came on. I thought it was 'I will come to you' so I just put my nocho chip down, got up and started swaying my hands along with the other fans.

Toward the end of the concert, they started playing MMMBOP and it was now dark outside. I was dancing along with the music (like all through the concert) and this woman near us, let me use her binoculars, we think she may have been drunk, but are not sure. (why we hadn't brought our own binoculars, as well as camera, is beyond me). Anyway, Using her binoculars, I got to see Taylor playing his bongos on the song.
(Even though he was still far away, it was better then nothing.)

Man from Milwaukee was the last song and I was dancing and cheering along. I like to think that my cheering, was not screaming, mind you. I was cheering for the music and having a great time along with it. I didn't scream like alot of the other fans.

As we were leaving our seats/lawn, I held onto the back of Stephanie's shirt cause of all the people. We met our parents to go back to my aunts house and that night, I slept in my Hanson t-shirt, while on her couch. Another memory that I have (it's actually a lasting one), is that my fish necklace, somehow had gotten lost at the concert. I guess from all the jumping up and down, or that it came off when I was changing my shirt. Afterward, my mom teased me saying that 'Maybe the roadies at the concert found it and they gave it to Taylor.' Yeah right.

My concert experience is one that I'll never forget , but probably the most memoriable thing about it was what I found out a few weeks later. Miranda's sister Candi (who also went to the concert), said that she (Miranda) got sick before the concert (throwing up) and was upset that she wouldn't get to see it. Luckily, (a hint of sarcasm) a body guard took her up front and she got to see the concert from the front row.
Candi said that afterward, Miranda was saying that "Taylor wet me with his water bottle".

Do I sound a little jealous? Yes? No? Well, the answer is that I was jealous after I found out that she got to be up front and now she doesn't even like Hanson anymore. Ironic isn't it, that I still like them after all these year, had lawn seats (they suck majorly), and she got to go up front?

But Amy, you way, she was sick, and yes (I admit) she probably was sick at the time of the concert (in fact, she has never really told me about it). Yes, it probably was stupid to be jealous because 'at least I got to go'. And it is about hearing the music, not just seeing the guys, but you don't realize. See, I have a vision problem (I can only see out of one eye and I have a prostetic one). I guess I could have talked to the admissions people about it but I didn't so thats in the past. So I guess it doesn't help to say how I actually, visualized and thought that my seats were going to be somewhere at least in viewing distance of the stage, but they weren't. Actually, I think it was in section G or something.

To actually think about it, I am glad that I've seen Hanson in concert (even though it's not what I expected, cause I couldn't even see them), and I just hope that you all will have/or have had a great experience just like mine. (Minus the let downs, and shocks that were present).

The moral of this story, is that I had a great time at the concert (filled with memories), I've now bought another fish necklace just like the one at the concert. Hanson still rocks, forever and a day. And hopfully Miranda will one day see that.

Did I have a right to be jealous?

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