2017 - Reverse Bucket List

2017 was, for me anyway, full of a lot of firsts. So I made a list of all the things I did this year that I have never done before (I WAS BOOOOORN TO DO...oh...sorry...).

KT’s 2017 Reverse Bucket List

This year I…

Performed in my biggest Shakespeare dream role - Ophelia in Hamlet.

Saw one of my best friends make his Broadway Debut.

Finally saw Walk Off The Earth live.

Wrote a novel.

Spent the summer teaching and playing with some pretty awesome kids.

Joined a band.

Learned to like my body.

Repaired my relationship with the gym.

Wrote enough songs for an album and started making one.

Survived a hurricane.

Played in my first ever ukulele festival.

Had the best birthday.

Went to California.

Put my feet in the Pacific.

Lived in a van.

Travelled across the country for my favorite band.

Met my favorite band.

I hope your year had some good moments, and if it didn't, there's always next year. Sometimes we have bad years, and that's okay! The cool thing about life is that it just keeps going. 2018, here we come!!

Peace, Love, and the Best of Times,

KT

On The Road: EPCOT

You know...any sane, well adjusted, responsible adult would come home from an exhausting week long trip to California, get some rest, and continue on with their life.  But, I’m apparently none of those things and I’m definitely not a casual fan.  So three days after landing back in Tampa, I once again woke up before the sun to drive somewhere...for Hanson.

Every year, Hanson plays at the EPCOT Food and Wine festival as part of their Eat to the Beat concert series.  They play for three days (three short concerts each day) and they give a beer seminar the morning of the last day.  I went last year and it’s hilarious looking back on that experience compared to the one I had this year.  I wish I could tell that KT about the absolutely insane three days that she was going to live in a year.  But I’m getting ahead of myself!  

I scooped Sarah up on my way out of town and we made our way to Orlando.  We wanted to get to the park at 9am to secure our spots at the American Gardens Theatre.  EPCOT is a unique experience from any other Hanson concert because you get to sit in the venue when you get there instead of lining up for hours on end BUT you also have to leave your hard earned front row spot as soon as the first short concert ends.  So anyway, Sarah and I quickly learned the the back part of the park doesn’t open until 11am (last year I didn’t get to the park til about 2pm so I had no idea about this little detail).  So...we waited.  At this point, I had lots of experience waiting. My entire life for a week was waiting!  Bring it on!  

When the back section of the park finally opened, a crowd had formed and  a hoard of full grown women were running towards the venue so, as a person who is very competitive but only about very niche things (I don’t care who wins at board games but if someone in my gym class gets heavier dumbbells than me, you better believe I’m switching mine out) I started running too.  I’m not proud, but I also play to win.  We secured our front row, Taylor side spots and hunkered down for the relatively short wait (11am-5:30pm??  That’s nothing!).  Also, we were at Disney World!!  So there was food to eat, drinks to have, bathrooms galore, and if we needed to stretch our legs we could go visit Germany (okay that was just me, I LOVE GERMANY).

By the end of the three day extravaganza, we had our system down to an exact science.  On that first day, we met up with two of our line friends from St. Pete (Robin and Meredith) and ended up spending the whole trip with them.  The second day, I was NOT kidding around, and Meredith and I sprinted to the venue in order to get the best seats in the house (shout out to Jamarcus for getting me in shape!).  We knew what we needed to do in order to get in line for each mini-concert, and find the best seats, and haul ass after each set was done.  But when we weren’t running around like crazy people, we were hanging out with other fans who were doing the same exact thing as us, and laughing so hard it hurt.  

The third day brought the morning of the Beer Seminar, and let me tell you, this might rank as the single most craziest thing I have ever done for this band.  Sarah and I woke up around 5:30am (at this point my body was really not having it so I was trying my best to rally that morning!  Surprisingly, I felt much better after my morning JOG lol) and went downstairs to get breakfast for our crew.  We ended up having a breakfast picnic on the concrete outside the entrance to EPCOT, which was great because we needed to fuel.  I felt like the stakes were so high, and...so did everyone.  It’s hard not to get swept up in it all.  Anyway, the seminar was held at the festival center and only the first 100 people to get in line were allowed in.  Even though someone tried to do the Hanson tradition of numbering the line before we got into the park, once the gates were open, it was every man for himself.  Trust me when I say that I wish this wasn’t what it was like in this fandom, seeing as we’re all in our mid-twenties to forties at this point, but hey, it keeps us young, right?  All four of us made it into line for the seminar after our nice, relaxing morning SPRINT.  The entire line was comprised of the people we had spent the whole three days with, but the insanity was worth it.  The seminar was awesome and we all got to have some individual time with the guys and get pictures with them.  Taylor remembered me from the California follow and was absolutely delighted to see me, which made me feel pretty cool, I’m not gonna lie.  He made sure I was going to be at the shows that night.  

Um...yeah, I was gonna be there.

The rest of the day was a delight, and I was once again reminded of why I love this band and the experiences they have brought me (or put me through, depending on how you want to look at it).  I was surrounded by people I met through this music, laughing so hard I was crying, spending the day at Disney World, coasting on the feeling of talking to the musicians that I admire the most.  So yeah, I had to run and get really hoarse and be exhausted and feel like it was a life or death situation when they opened the gates.  But...isn’t that what we’re all kind of wishing for?  A life that is exciting and risky and significant?  A life that brings you joy so big that you feel like you’re going to explode?  

All I know is when they started playing “Penny and Me” during the last concert of the night, I absolutely dissolved.  I know it was partly due to exhaustion, partly due to the overwhelming gratitude I felt, and partly due to the fact that now my autumn of Hanson was officially drawing to a close.  I cried so hard I almost choked, but that’s beside the point.  They always dedicate that song to the travellers in the audience, and I did my fair share of travelling this fall.  After Penny ended, they transitioned to “I Was Born” which made me weepy in a different way.  Taylor did an abridged version of his speech from tour, and I just stood there watching, tears in my eyes, soaking it all in.  

So, I guess I should probably wrap this up since I’m once again getting emotional.   This fall I did something I’d never done before, and I followed a band on tour.  It came with a lot of crazy and not so pretty experiences, but it also came with friends, memories, and definitely the best of times.  Hanson, I’ll love you til the end, forever and a day.  Thank you for everything.

Peace, Love, and MmmHops,

KT

On The Road - Las Vegas

As soon as our camper van rolled into Las Vegas the morning of the 25th, I was hit with an indescribable sadness.  I knew that I would be seeing the guys in less than a week (at EPCOT for Food and Wine Fest), but it wasn’t really about missing the band.  It was about missing the insane lifestyle of following a band, and the memories you make along the way.  It was about the people I had experienced the whole thing with and the hours in line we had shared.  I was also strangely nervous about the show, seeing as the San Diego concert was so incredible.  But, I was (as usual) getting ahead of myself.  The Las Vegas show was one that I will never forget.  

We parked in the Mandalay Bay parking garage around noon and headed into the casino.  I had checked in with a few people already there, and confirmed that there was, in fact, a line inside.  When we finally found the House of Blues, we were greeted by a gaggle of girls who we now knew by name.  And so, I spent my first and only day in Vegas, inside a corral that the HOB staff had created specifically for Hanson fans.  Thrilling, I know.  

But, I wouldn’t have it any other way, and since we were in air conditioning and had easy access to bathrooms, food, and starbucks, the day went by in a flash.  The venue was pretty organized, and the lines were handled well (thanks in part to Stephanie, who I may or may not have deemed “line-mom”, HANSON YOU SHOULD HIRE HER).  We got into the venue (right in front of Isaac’s microphone, as usual), and were surrounded by people who had all made the same trek as us.  

The first...third?  Half?  Of the show was pretty emotional for me.  I was just so thankful for everything and how a little over a year ago I was in a fandom lull and for whatever reason, one night I was home alone and decided to re-watch Strong Enough To Break and there I was, going full speed ahead back into the life of a fully fledged fangirl.  This year has been insane in all the best ways, and I have this band to thank for that.  I cried during Go and SETB (no surprise there) and then straight up BAWLED during Wildflowers.  I was emotional, sure, but I was also really exhausted, and I always cry when I’m tired.  So...yeah.  

And then...the show got real silly.  As they were setting up for On and On, all three of them were whispering and suddenly, everyone but Zac was leaving the stage.  Taylor barely got “Zac is going to sing a song for you” before bolting offstage, and the rest of the band followed suit.  Zac was left alone at his center microphone, looking bewildered, but playing the intro to On and On and realizing that he was going to have to do the little Hnet speech himself.  There were clearly a lot of newbies and non-members in the audience, so Zac was having trouble getting people to participate in the call and response.  Honestly, I’m not even sure he “taught” it to us before launching into the song (I was also very distracted, laughing at the absurdity of the situation).  He said “I can’t hear you guys!”, and the group of us who had been there for the entire week decided to make up for everyone else not singing.  We basically just started screaming  the response, and dying laughing over it  (I distinctly remember sinking to the ground in laughter, and someone pulling me back up).  Hey, he asked!  No one else was singing!  We couldn't leave him hanging!

The band came back and I Was Born was great but...the lights went out and I guess distracted Taylor because he repeated a part of the second verse?  The night was spiralling into a very silly concert, but I don’t think anyone minded.  I didn’t, that’s for sure.  In fact, this is the exact reason why I love live music.  Ya gotta roll with the punches, and take everyone along for the ride.

By this point, I felt like the guys were playing the show for the 20-ish of us who were going absolutely insane in the first few rows.  The crowd as a whole was very chatty, and not super responsive, so they started making silly faces at us, pointing at us...Taylor came over to our little crew more than usual, and of course we went absolutely bonkers every time.  It was so...FUN.  It felt like a celebration.  

The encore was Man from Milwaukee and I’m pretty sure we all lost our damn minds.  

While San Diego was the best show of the tour, hands down...this actually might have been my favorite.  It was very special (and hilarious) in a totally different way.  It felt like a party, and even though I was completely exhausted at the end of it, I didn’t want to go home.  

But, I never really do.  

Peace, Love, and Zac solo shows,

KT

On The Road - San Diego

Right before I left for tour, I wrote about Spring Awakening, and how nothing will ever come close to the experiences I had with that show and the friendships I forged through it.  And it’s true, there will never be another Spring Awakening, and I don't want there to be.  The weirdos I met because of that musical have now been my close friends for over a decade, and have stuck with me through it all.  I will never try to replicate the fan experience of that show, but now I can definitely say that I will never be able to replicate anything that comes with loving this band.  I learned that in San Diego.  

Between LA and SD, we had a whole day to recharge and get ready for the next couple of shows.  And boy, did I need it.  I think we all did, the guys included.  On Monday, Lorraine took me to Hollywood, where I got to pay homage to my hero, Shirley Temple.  After that, we headed to San Clemente, where we camped for the night.  The time we spent at the campsite was probably my favorite part of the trip (shows excluded, of course).  It was so peaceful and beautiful.  We got to watch the sun set into the Pacific, drink wine as the stars came out, fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing, and take some much needed showers in the campground bathrooms.   I know I conked out pretty early, and slept at least ten hours (I needed it BAD).  In the morning we spent some time at the beach (I got to put my feet in the Pacific!  Finally!  It was cold!!) and then headed to San Diego, where we were greeted by all of the wonderful ladies we had gotten to know over the last few days.  

We were right in line with the same crew from Anaheim, and it made the day go by quickly.  I seriously love these people!  After the sun shifted, the line was in the shade and the day passed in a haze of laughter and stories and jokes.  Oh, and the staff at the House of Blues San Diego is quite literally the best staff in the history of venues.  I can’t even begin to thank them!  They made sure we had water, came around to collect trash, took time to talk to us, made sure we were doing well, etc.  Plus, the members only/general admission lines were super organized and they broke us up into the two groups hours before doors so there was no confusion around 7pm like there usually is.  On top of all of that, they were so nice!!  No eye rolling, no bitterness, just seemingly real excitement that we were there, seeing this band at their venue.  I was super impressed.

I felt about a million times better walking into the venue than I did in LA, and I was so thankful for the great night’s sleep I got the night before.  I was surrounded by friends right in front of Isaac’s microphone.  The lights dimmed and I could just tell that there was something about this show that was going to be different.  And it was.

I’m a performer.  I’ve been doing this my whole life...literally.  And as much as I love being in the audience of shows, I love even more to be up on that stage, singing or playing or telling a story of some kind.  I know how much the audience plays into your performance and vice versa, so there must have just been some magical energy zooming around the room that night because there aren’t enough good things I can say about this particular show.  I’ve seen a lot of shows in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of Hanson shows in my life, but this was by far the best I have EVER experienced.  This Time Around was so powerful.  They played Crazy Beautiful again.  Watch Over Me blew my mind.   Fired Up was on....just another level of incredible. The audience was so great and excited and ready to be taken on this wild ride with the band.  That makes a huge difference.  

The night was a blur of face melting guitar solos, incredible vocals, and a wall of sound from the crowd.  A Song To Sing was an amazing surprise that had me sobbing like a little baby.  I was very affected by the line “I’m lookin’ for a friend to borrow,” because there I was, grasping the hands of people I know and love simply because we all happen to like the same band.  Hanson has given me countless friends to borrow, and I will never be able to thank them enough for that.  

And sure, I got to have a little time with them in the bus line (even though it was mass chaos), and I got my little MON cassette tape signed, and I was lucky enough to have very kind people around me (as well as a security guard who apparently appreciated my patience) who scooted around so that I could get a selfie with Taylor...but at the end of the day, if those things hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t care.  Because I got to jump up and down like a lunatic during If Only, and laugh the afternoon away, and see the Pacific ocean, and drive down the open road singing with my friend.  Yeah it’s a band, but it’s also all of those friends I’ve gotten to borrow.  And I think that makes it all more than worth it.  

Peace, Love, and Scott

KT

On the Road - Los Angeles

In an effort not to make every post just a retelling of the day waiting in line and the concert that followed, I think it’s time to talk about the nitty gritty of following a band.  First of all, you’re gonna be tired.  It’s a thing that’s going to happen.  You’re not going to get enough sleep.  You’re going to get up early to line up, stay up late waiting for the guys by the bus or going to the after party, and spend a few nights driving as far as you can before you actually have to lay down.  You can be as prepared and scheduled as you want, but you’re still going to be tired and not get enough sleep.  That’s just....how it is.  Before lining up for the LA show I got probably three solid hours.  Three.  I’m not proud, but here we are!  

Luckily, the line in LA was pretty pleasant.  The spots Lorraine and I procured were in the shade for all but an hour of the day, and we were next to a door that sometimes blew out some air conditioning.  I also have learned that it’s totally acceptable to spend the better part of the day in comfy clothes (ahem...pajamas) and change later, and I have perfected the art of sleeping in a camper chair.  This was the second show, so there were plenty of friendly nods and smiles of recognition when we took our spots.  Hey, we’re all here again!  Cool!  

I was able to take a nap in the van during the day which definitely helped my mental and physical state, but I was still pretty wiped from the day we had in Anaheim.  When we finally got ready to go into the venue, a wave of exhaustion hit me.  When we actually got into the theatre, it was hot and stuffy and I definitely had a moment where I thought I was not going to make it through the show.  I sat on the floor, since we had an hour until the show started and took a few deep breaths.  This was probably the low point of the follow for me…

But then the show started….

I don’t know how we do it, every single time, but somehow the music is magic.  Already Home began and I felt my heart pumping and the smile returning to my face and it was like a jolt of energy coursed through my body.  I was definitely still tired, and by the end I could feel myself crashing (I could barely jump for If Only!!  The blasphemy!!), but the show itself was incredible.

The night was full of surprises. Some highlights!

• Well first of all, a humongous disco ball was lowered during Where’s the Love.  I’m talking HUGE.  Zac’s face when he saw it right above him was priceless.

• This Time Around was a definitely a high point.  It was just so powerful and resonated with me this….time around.  
• They played Runaway Run which will ALWAYS be one of my favorites and will always give me the best kind of goosebumps.  I love it so much.
• Wildflowers again!!
• They brought Danny Hutton from Three Dog Night on stage to sing Never Been to Spain with them.  I’m pretty sure they were way more excited than anyone in the audience was (even though I was screaming pretty hard myself).  It’s so cool to see musicians you admire play and interact with musicians they clearly admire.  
• I actually DIDN’T cry during SETB.  So that was the biggest surprise of the night for me.
• I Was Born really is a high point for me every night, which is still crazy considering how long it took me to really warm up to the song.  I was so tired by this point and I was kind of crashing so I just stood still and listened to Taylor’s speech and smiled like an idiot.  I let it all kind of just wash over me, and that was exactly what I needed it to do.  
• I did in fact cry....during…...MmmBop???  I know, I know...out of all the songs in the entire Hanson catalogue.  MmmBop.  But let me explain!!  The ASL interpreter signed the chorus in a way I was definitely not expecting.  She made a heart with her hands and then signed “I love you” in rhythm with the music and it really choked me up!!  Because that’s what it’s all about, right?  Holding on to the ones we love, and making sure they know we love them and are there for them.  Because this moment is all we have!  

Oh yeah, and it was Zac's birthday!!!! 

And because this moment is all we have, sometimes it’s okay to only get three hours of sleep in order to go to a concert.  Sometimes it’s okay to take a nap in a van and spend the day on the sidewalk and talk to your best friend on the phone even though you sound like you’re completely delirious.  Sometimes it’s okay to make friends fast and hard and cling to them for a week, only to say goodbye when the stage lights go out and it’s time to go home.  It’s okay to go through the nitty gritty in order to do the things that make you feel the most alive.  

Peace, Love, and my first birthday on this planet,

KT

On The Road - Anaheim

Well it’s now November and my Autumn of Hanson is officially over.  I know a lot of you following along at home might think that I’m actually certifiable for following a band across the country and back, but I also know that I just had the absolute time of my life and I don’t regret a single moment, dollar, mile, hour I spent in line, or night that I literally slept in a van. The first show of my west coast follow along was Anaheim...so let’s get started, shall we?

My friend Lorraine and I had been planning this trip for months, and we quickly learned that there was a slew of fans with the same idea.  There was a whole group of us who were all following the band for the same cluster of shows.  For all of you who think I am the only insane person who does this, let me just say...following Hanson is not uncommon.  It’s actually a thing that...a lot of fans just do every tour.  By the end of the follow, I felt like I was at summer camp or something, because we literally spent the week with all these girls!  It was such a cool experience, and one that I will never forget.

We got to the venue around 7am and ended up being 21 and 22 in line (respectable, honestly).  I immediately loved the ladies around us in line, and we all fell into comfortable chatter quickly and effortlessly.  Right at the beginning of the day, a cop pulled up and asked what we were protesting, and we proudly exclaimed that we were just in line for a Hanson show. The whole week I kept making jokes about how I love line culture, but at the end of the day, they were not jokes!  I had so much fun that afternoon getting to know the girls around me and laughing and chatting.  Everyone was so chill and kind!  I also got a to see a bunch of friends from past shows, and people I have known for years on the internet, which is one of the best parts of Hanson concerts!

Lorraine and I travelled around SoCal in a campervan, and let me just say, this is the WAY TO DO IT.  Having the van at the venue in case we needed to take a nap, or make a snack, or change...a literal life saver.  I’m sure I could make it work in a regular car but like...the van was the way to go.  A serious game changer that made the days in line so pleasant!  After a whole day of chatting and laughing and waiting, we went in for the Member’s Only Event.  We were front row on Ike’s side which was AWESOME but we lost our front row spot because MOE’s are not organized and I just don’t think there is a right way to do it.  Not leaving after pictures doesn’t work...leaving after pictures doesn’t work...whatever.  But it was fine...being in the front for the MOE and getting pictures with the guys was great...okay on to the show!

Highlights from Anaheim, CA:

• When the show started and the guys started playing Already Home, I actually felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest.  I’ve never experienced anything quite like it.  Pure, unbridled joy.  I would have that feeling every time that song was played for the rest of the tour.
• They played Crazy Beautiful, which is one of my favorites (Underneath songs are the key to my heart, boys!).  I would get to hear it again during the follow, and it made me so happy.
• They sang Wildflowers which, silly me, I was afraid I would never hear live.  I heard it thrice.
• Taylor was very chatty during this show.  He just...he had a lot to say!  I get it!! I loved it!
• Strong Enough to Break (and Taylor’s speech beforehand) made me cry again, surprise, surprise.  That’s like...THE song for this tour I guess.  Whatever.  It makes me feel like I can actually do anything, so I’ll take it.  
• Penny, always.
• The last three songs are almost too much for my little body to handle (in the best way)!  I will always love If Only live...then pair that with Fired Up ---> In the City.  WOW they sure know how to end a show.  And it got better every single night!!  Gah!
• For the encore they did Finally It’s Christmas which made me stupid happy, then Lost Without Each Other finished us off (always a highlight for me).

I feel like I’m forgetting so much!  But most of it was feelings and glances and an overwhelming sense of belonging.  Even the three VERY drunk girls behind us couldn’t bring me down.  

After the show, the van once again proved its worth and we were able to cool down a little before the after party.  If I ever do another afterparty, I’ll try to organize it so it’s not on a day I line up early because I was pretty much completely wiped out by the time it started.  I still had fun because I got to dance around like an idiot with my friends and watch Taylor DJ and look happier than I’ve maybe ever seen him.  All in all, it was an awesome day, and the perfect start to this crazy, west-coast adventure.

On to LA…

Peace, Love, and No Tomatoes!!!!!

KT