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” They don’t even know what it is to be a fan. Y’know? To truly love some silly little piece of music, or some band, so much that it hurts.”
- Sapphire Almost Famous
In the spring of 1997, I was a high school freshman, and I felt a little bit more than lost. The only reason everyone knew me was because I was “that Irish dancer girl.” Not that I had a real problem with that, it was nice to finally not be teased for my Irish dancing, but I really didn’t feel like a I had a whole lot of an identity. I didn’t love school, and was hardly what you could call a motivated student. I was in love with a boy who would never be in love with me, I was failing Algebra 1 (for the first, and not last time) and I had a 40 mile commute to and from school each way every day. So, when my friend asked me if I would PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go to the Sam Goody on City Walk for her in May, and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get her a copy of Hanson‘s debut album, Middle of Nowhere, because her mom was being so mean and making her go to a family friend’s wedding that day, I begrudgingly said I would do it. The truth is, I was some what curious. I had only seen the video for “MMMBop” once and didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t losing my mind with how much I loved it either. Because I was trying to decide who I was going to be in the big world of high school, I was trying to figure out if liking a band like Hanson would be social suicide, and if I cared.
So, that afternoon, my mom picked me up from my weekly sewing class (see, I was really cool, right?) and we headed out to Universal City, thinking we would be in and out in no time. I didn’t think Hanson was that popular, so I was shocked when I discovered I had missed getting a meeting and greet wristband by five people. I was also shocked to discover that the store was really crowded, especially around the stage area. After buying the CD for my friend, and one for myself, I tried to find a place to stand where I could see the band when they gave there two or three song performance. Not only did that not happen, but I was shoved, violently into a display case by a girl who appeared to be rabid. No, really. This experience was terrifying. What really surprised me was when the band started to play. They actually played their own instruments. They actually sang, and they sounded almost exactly like they did on the radio. I was impressed. I managed to catch a glimpse of the guys as they were rushed off stage and into the elevator, but I found the whole thing to be so overwhelming.
In the car on the ride home, my mom and I listened to the CD, and about three songs in, I was sold. I couldn’t have known then, but 13 years later, I would be attending my 12th (?) Hanson concert.
I really struggled through high school, emotionally, and as cheesy as it sounds, having a band like Hanson in my life kept me together. I made amazing friends, I honed my writing skills, I taught myself HTML and Photoshop. I fell in love with the band because they came to me at a time when I needed someone who “got” me, and each song, every lyric, felt real. It felt like they “got” me. Sure, I loved Taylor Hanson, sure I got teased, relentlessly, but honestly? I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I never hid my love for the band, I put it all over my myspace and facebook pages, I got to a point where I no longer cared what anybody thought of me, and that was the greatest life lesson of all.
During the show on Friday at the House of Blues on Sunset, when the guys played “MMMBop,” I got a little emotional. I know it sounds silly, but there was something so amazing to me, about this group of people, who all knew the words to this one song. Who sang it loud, and proud, and jumped up and down and danced with abandon. No matter how crazy some of them are (and, trust me, they are. Seriously, those Twi-hards don’t scare me, I’ve SEEN things,) we all have this band in common, this music, and I find that beautiful.
