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
