My Experience Meeting Hanson 2004

Tuesday, April 20, 2004
New York City, New York -- Times Square

After having lunch in the afternoon, I started getting ready to go to Manhattan for what else -- to go to the Virgin Megastore in Times Square to see Hanson! I found out recently that they would be making an appearance at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square, and once I learned of this, I just knew that I had to be there. They were actually on Total Request Live on MTV the day before. I had requested tickets for that, but I never got a response, so I assumed that meant there weren't any left anymore. It made sense, since I requested them late; I made the request on Sunday (the day before the taping). I knew it was probably too late, but I decided to try, anyway, even though it makes sense that the tickets would be sold out early on. So I wasn't disappointed that I couldn't get tickets for Total Request Live -- after all, I was about to go see Hanson at the Virgin Megastore, so I really had no reason to complain. At least I was still going to get a chance to see Hanson.

I finally set out at about 5pm. The performance was supposed to start at 6pm, so I figured I would probably arrive there right on time. And I did -- I arrived at Penn Station at about 5:50pm, walked up several blocks to Times Square, and finally reached the Virgin Megastore a few minutes after 6pm. I really was right on time, because once I stepped inside the store and walked a few steps, I suddenly heard a loud voice on a microphone announce Hanson, followed by excited screams from fans. I was thinking, "Ahh! Hanson are about to perform now!" So I hurried down the escalator to try to go see them. Hanson were performing a small acoustic set downstairs, two floors below the main ground level. As I rode the escalator down, I leaned over to try to see if I could see Hanson anywhere on the floor below. I couldn't, but I did see that the floor below was absolutely packed with people -- a lot of fans. There was no room or space at all down below on the floor where Hanson was performing. I guess all those lucky fans who were able to get the bracelet passes showed up, apparently (and why wouldn't they). I was actually glad to see it was crowded, because that means that Hanson still has a lot of devoted and zealous fans, which is good. I'm glad there were all those fans there who are so enthusiastic about Hanson. Obviously, after I went down one floor, I couldn't go down to the floor where they were performing below, because that was only for people who had the bracelet passes, and the Virgin Megastore staff made sure to close off the escalator that goes down to that floor (it was blocked off and it wasn't even running). So since I couldn't go down there, I was stuck on the floor above them. However, I noticed that a lot of people (fans like me) who didn't have the bracelet passes had gathered at the balcony that overlooked the lower floor, and it overlooked the area where Hanson was performing. I tried to get to the balcony, but there was a staff person who blocked that area off too, and he wouldn't let anyone else get closer to the balcony, and said we had to clear the area. So I ended up walking over to the other side of the balcony, which was also closed off by a rolling shelf/cart thing, but there were a few people gathered where it was closed off and were watching from there, so I joined them. Since I was standing behind the small group of people who had already been standing there, I had to kind of do my best to peak over their shoulders and move my head this way and that to try to see Hanson as much as I could. I was able to catch some glimpses of Hanson as they performed, but not much and not all three of them at once (actually, maybe I saw all of them at once twice, but that was about it). From where I was standing, the one I could see the most was Zac, and sometimes Taylor; but I couldn't see Isaac much, since there was someone standing at the balcony who was right in my way of being able to see Isaac.

While I was trying to watch from there, there was a staff guy who was standing by to make sure the balcony area was closed off. He was really nice to the people (fans) I was standing with. A bunch of them had cameras, but they weren't able to take pictures because the view wasn't good from where we were standing. So the guy offered to take pictures of Hanson for them; they'd give him their cameras, and he'd lean over the balcony railing and snap a picture of Hanson performing, then hand the cameras back to them. It was nice of him to do that for them. Unfortunately, I didn't have a camera with me -- darn. I used up my last disposable camera at the Champions On Ice show, and I forgot to bring a new one from home. I actually had planned to try to buy a new disposable camera before going to the Virgin Megastore, but it didn't work out. Initially, I thought I might be able to find a store that sells them on the way to Times Square, but I didn't have time to look, since I was really focused on making it to the Virgin Megastore on time to see Hanson. I didn't have enough time to stop by anyplace to look for a disposable camera to buy, since, as I said before, I just barely arrived to the Virgin Megastore on time, right when Hanson started playing their acoustic set. But when I saw that staff guy was willing to take pictures of Hanson for those fans, I really regretted that I didn't have a camera with me. Many times, I even debated whether to quickly run out of Virgin Megastore, and try to look for a store nearby that sells disaposable cameras, because I wanted to take pictures so badly, and this finally seemed like the best opportunity I've ever had to be able to take pictures of Hanson without security or anyone else giving you a hard time about it. But in the end, I didn't because I didn't want to lose my place where I was standing to watch the acoustic show, and I didn't want to miss seeing as much of Hanson as I possibly could. If I had a camera, I surely would have also asked that guy to take a picture of Hanson for me. But then again, knowing me, if I had had a camera, I probably would have been taking pictures like crazy. I would have probably snapped a picture every second until I'd run out of exposures. And I bet I would have run out of exposures before I'd know it. Haha. When it comes to an event like this, I'm not very careful nor selective in choosing when to snap a shot; I'd just be taking pictures excessively. Haha. I really would like a picture or two of Hanson performing from this appearance, though. I'm hoping that someone who was there (and took good pictures) will see them on eBay or something, and if the pictures are pretty good and the price is reasonable, I'll buy them. I would like to have a picture of their performance at the Virgin Megastore; it would be a terrific memory for me of seeing my favorite band performing there.

I watched from the closed off part near the balcony for maybe about five minutes, before something good happened. The staff guy who had been taking pictures for fans told us that in a few minutes, he would let us enter the balcony area and get closer to watch Hanson from the balcony! I couldn't believe he was going to unblock the area and let us go in; it was music to my ears -- no pun intended! Then shortly after he told us that, he let us in! I went over and watched over the shoulders of two people who were standing in front of me, who were standing right against the balcony railing. This view was much better, since now I could see all three of Hanson from there. And then, as if that wasn't already great enough, my good fortune increased even more -- one of the ladies who was standing in front of me decided to leave. When she turned around and saw me standing behind her, watching Hanson from behind her, she said kindly to me, "Come in, sweetie," and let me take her place by the balcony railing! It reminded me of something similar that had happened to me at the Hanson concert in 2000. There was a woman who had been standing a bit more up-front than I was; when she turned around and saw me, she offered to let me move up and stand where she had been standing, so that I could be a little more up close and have a better view of watching Hanson perform. In both of these cases of my Hanson experiences, it was very kind of both of these women to let me take their places so that I could have a better view of watching Hanson, and I greatly appreciate what they did for me. It was actually not a bad view at all to watch Hanson from up at the balcony -- in fact, the view was excellent! I thought it was a lot better watching Hanson from the balcony on the floor above, rather than on the same floor below where they were. When you're on the floor level and have to stand, it's usually hard to see the band, since people's heads are in the way and whatnot. I know that from experience, since that's how it was for me at the Hanson concert in 2000. And when you're looking on from a floor above, you don't have to worry about people's heads blocking your view and you can see everything. Sure, you may not be as close to Hanson, distance-wise, as the fans watching from the floor level where they're performing, but at least you're able to see everything without anyone blocking your view (particularly no heads in the way). So I guess it was a blessing in disguise that I didn't get a bracelet pass to watch Hanson from the floor below, since watching from the balcony was great! And I'm sure it was a much better view than it would have been from down there, with people standing in front of you and heads in the way.

Watching Hanson perform was awesome; the acoustic set they performed was simple but cool. They performed about five or six songs; four of them were "Penny & Me," "Strong Enough to Break" "Hey," and "Where's the Love" (classic!). Sometimes during a couple of the songs, Taylor would look up at the people standing by the balcony overlooking him and sing to them, which obviously really got those fans going crazy (shrieking and waving wildly and whatnot). Haha. The performance was really terrific; everyone was having a great time and really enjoying the acoustic show. In between the songs, they sometimes introduced the songs they were about to play, and they talked to us (the audience). They would call out things like, "You guys having a great a time?" (which was always received by lots of screams of delight, of course) and "You guys rock" and whatnot -- basically the typical things they usually call out during their shows. "Hey" was a fun performance, since they had us clap along with them and yell out "Hey!" whenever that lyric came out in the song. And, of course, at the end of every song, the audience cheered loudly and clapped a lot; the songs were really well-received and everyone seemed to like them, as did I. It was really nice to see all these people really into the performance and liking the music; it was really great.

While they were performing, to the left side of the acoustic set stage, I saw a few people standing off to the side over in that area. I don't think they were regular fans; I think they were people associated with Hanson -- as in, family, friends, crew, and whatnot. I noticed a middle-aged blond woman standing off to the side, holding a baby in her arms. It made me wonder if perhaps that was Hanson's mother, Diana, holding Taylor's baby son, Ezra, although I really don't know. I also saw two girls standing off to the side who were brunettes; I wondered if one of them was Taylor's wife, Natalie, or one of the girlfriends of Isaac or Zac, maybe. I later heard that Natalie was there, and so was Hanson's guy cousin, although I don't know which ones they were, but I probably did see them and just didn't recognize who they were.

Since it was an acoustic set, the performance wasn't long; it lasted for only about twenty minutes. By the end of the set, Taylor asked the audience how many of us have "Underneath," and all these hands went up in the air, as well as excited shrieks. Haha. Unfortunately, I couldn't raise my hand, because I didn't have the album yet; the album was just released today, but I didn't get a chance to buy it before the performance. However, I knew that I definitely planned on purchasing a copy before I'd leave the store -- I wasn't going to leave without getting one! Taylor also said to the audience a couple times that he'll see us on tour this summer, so evidently they'll be touring this summer -- cool! I hope I'll get to see them on tour and that the timing won't be bad like last summer/fall. It'd be cool to get to see them live in concert on tour again; they really put on great shows.

Right after the performance was over, there was the autograph session, which was also held down on the same floor below. A couple of the staff guys told us that they would shortly let us go down to the lower floor to get in line to get autographs. It just seemed like things were working out and that my luck was getting better and better. I was so surprised at how well everything was turning out and materializing just great. Things like this rarely work in my favor; I usually have the worst luck with things like this, so I couldn't believe that things were working out so well, for once. I'm so glad that I made sure I went to the Virgin Megastore today to go see Hanson, even though I wasn't able to get the bracelet pass for the performance. It all ended up working out, since I was still able to watch Hanson perform their acoustic set, and I was going to get their autographs -- not to mention that I would finally get to meet them! Before I knew it, the staff people were leading us over in a single file to wait in line to get autographs. The line was very long and took a while, though, since there so many people. I think there were probably around at least 350 people waiting to get autographs, since I know only 250 people were allowed to watch the performance from the floor below, and I'm sure there were at least 100 people who had been watching from the balcony like me, or came later to get autographs.

While I was waiting in line, I discovered that the girl standing in line behind me was from Argentina. There was also a girl standing in line nearby who was from Denmark. It was interesting to see some foreign fans there. The girl from Argentina and this other girl who was standing in front of me were talking and getting acquainted, although I didn't join in their conversation. I was never really the type of person who can just strike up a chat with people I don't know; I guess I could do it if I really wanted to or if it was absolutely necessary, but otherwise I'm usually hesitant to do so. Plus, I don't like to stick my nose into other people's conversations when I feel it's not my place to speak up. I suppose I'm not really comfortable talking to strangers -- at least in starting the conversation. If someone tried to talk to me or initiates a conversation with me first, then I'll politely respond (and don't mind doing that), but I wouldn't be the one to start a conversation with someone I don't know. It's just something I don't really do, I guess. At any rate, I just stood by and listened silently to their conversation; I found their chat pretty interesting, actually. What was interesting was that both of them came to the performance from New Jersey. One of them (not the one from Argentina) said that she's met Hanson before several times, since she doesn't live far from Manhattan. It was funny she said that, since I don't live far from Manhattan, either, yet I had never met them before and this was my very first time getting to meet them. But then again, there's luck and opportunity involved, and I guess she had that in meeting Hanson in the past while I didn't. Something else I found interesting was that the girl in front of me said she's twenty-one, and the girl from Argentina said she's eighteen. I found it kind of fascinating, because I guess that's the age range for a lot of the Hanson fans who have been fans since the beginning (1997). We were all preteens or early in our adolescence back then, and now, seven years later, we're all in our late teens or twenties. It's interesting how time has passed, we've all aged and grown older, but we still like Hanson and we're still fans. It's like we've grown with Hanson -- when they came onto the music scene in 1997, they were still kids, and most of their fans were, too. And now that they're all adults now, so are we. I know it sounds kind of corny, but I just found that thought fascinating for some reason.

The wait in line for autographs took about an hour and a half; I had been waiting in line since 6:38pm, and I finally reached the front of the line to meet Hanson and get autographs at about 8:15pm. It was interesting how the staff people arranged the way the line was set up. First, we (people who had been standing by the balcony like me) had to wait in line upstairs for a while, before we were finally able to go down to the lower floor where the autograph signing was. Then when we were downstairs, the staff divided up the lines, breaking us up into several smaller lines, and they would gradually join the lines together again as the line moved up and got shorter. Everything was pretty orderly and under control for the most part, which was good. At one point, though, there was this girl fan who was a bit too excited; she was kind of running by, waving her arms wildly and shrieking, "Eeeeee!" That was kind of a funny sight. I saw a few of the staff guys noticed that, too, and they started snickering. I'm sure they must find it highly amusing to see certain fans' behavior and reactions whenever a celebrity appears at the store; that alone must be pretty entertaining to watch. Haha.

While I was waiting in the broken up line, I asked a couple of the staff guys if they knew where I could get the album, since I needed to get it before I reached Hanson, so that I'd have something for them to sign. But the staff guys I asked seemed like big oafs who didn't know what was going on, so they weren't very helpful. I was kind of getting desperate at that point to get a copy of the album while I was waiting; I had to get a copy before I'd meet Hanson, so that they could sign it. I was even considering giving money to one of the employees and asking them to go buy the album for me, and bring it back to me, since I didn't want to lose my place in line. Finally, I asked this other man passing by, who looked like someone more important who worked at Virgin Megastore; I think he was probably the head manager in charge of the store or something like that. Only after I asked him, I was finally able to get a copy of the album. He was nice about it; I told him that I didn't have the album and that I wanted to buy it before I reached the front of the line. So he went over to a nearby checkout counter and asked the cashier, before he turned to me and said, "He (the cashier) can sell it to you." I appreciate that he actually helped me, unlike those other two staff guys. So I was able to buy the album and get back to my spot on line, in the end. Whew! That was a relief. I was actually at the front of my line segment, although my line was the last line to join the rest of the other lines ahead. I was definitely closer to the last part of the line (no surprise there), although not the very end or anything, since there were at least forty more people waiting in line behind me.

Once I got my copy of the album, I opened up the wrapping and examined the album -- the cover over the case, the disc, the CD booklet, and whatnot. The copy I got is the one that includes the DVD, so it's good, since it's a limited edition one. I also took out the cover to read the dedications that Hanson wrote to thank the people who have made their album possible. They thanked their fans, of course, and also their family. The "thank you" message to their family was interesting, since they listed the names of everyone in their clan, and Natalie's and Ezra's names were there as well. It's still kind of hard to believe that Taylor is already married and has a kid; it's a strange thought to think about, but that's his life. I found Hanson's personal message to Natalie particularly intriguing; Taylor wrote in parentheses, "You are my heart and soul." It's a sincere, touching message from him to her, although I don't know how some fans will take it -- at least the ones who are obsessed with Taylor and convinced that they're in love with him. They probably won't be too pleased to see that message, but oh well. He's a married guy now, whether any of the fans like it or not, so that's that.

During the wait, the store was playing Hanson songs the whole time. They were all new songs, since I couldn't recognize a lot of them (but knew they were Hanson songs), so I assumed they were playing the "Underneath" album, which I suppose made sense, under the circumstances. Haha. While we were waiting in line, one of the staff guys struck up a conversation with the two girls standing in front of me and behind me. He was telling them about how he's been able to meet several celebrities who came to Virgin Megastore, since he works there, and talked about which ones he's met, recalling those experiences and whatnot. He was saying how when Britney Spears came to the Virgin Megastore, the line of people waiting to see her stretched out of the store and down several blocks. He also remarked that she's very short, and that she kept having to get up and go to the bathroom several times while she was signing autographs. His stories didn't really impress me much, though, since I'm not a fan of Britney Spears or most of the other celebrities he said he had met. But oh well. What did catch my attention while waiting in line, though, was when I saw one of the staff guys pushing a cart that was loaded with large cases that had masking tape labels with Hanson's names written on them. The cases were probably full of their instruments and stage equipment. I found that more interesting than hearing about that guy's tales of Britney Spears' appearance at the store.

So at about 8:15pm, I finally reached the front of the line! Truthfully, to be perfectly honest, I didn't feel too excited or nervous or anything, the whole time I was standing in line, knowing that I was finally about to meet Hanson. I guess it's because I'm not as huge of a zealous fan as I was in 1997-2000, even though I am still, of course, a fan of theirs -- and I'm sure I always will be. I think if I had met them back when I was a really huge enthusiastic fan (circa 1997-2000), I probably would have been very excited and nervous, and I'm sure I would have had butterflies flying wildly in my stomach. In fact, back then, I always thought that if I ever were to meet Hanson one day, I always felt pretty certain that I would be pretty excited and nervous. But I didn't feel that way this time around; I was just calm about it, basically. I guess I was a little too calm and quiet, though (and I probably must have looked like I was in the twilight zone as a result), because right before it was my turn to get autographs, the security guy who was standing by asked me if I was okay. I guess the expression on my face was so blank that I looked like I was in some sort of a trance, even though I was just fine and really just felt very calm. But I suppose it was probably quite a change for that security guy to see a fan who looked so composed, since I'm sure the vast majority of the fans ahead of me in line had probably been ostentatious in showing their excitement (probably jumping up and down, squealing and screaming, crying, etcetera). Haha. Although I always knew that if I'd ever meet Hanson, I wouldn't go crazy or be overly excited -- as in, get carried away, go overboard, and let my zeal take over. I would never scream, shriek, cry, or get all jittery and hyper like that in front of a celebrity. Plus, I'm sure it must get annoying for Hanson or any famous people when they constantly face fans who are like that (overly crazy). I knew I'd be calm and that I would talk to them like I would to any other regular person -- just polite and amiable. I was never the "screaming, going crazy" type of person or fan, I guess. I'm just calm, I suppose; I kept my cool.

We handed whatever we wanted to get autographed (which was commonly the CD booklet of the "Underneath" album) to the security man, and then he'd pass it on to Hanson for them to sign. The good thing was that the security guy seemed pretty amiable, which was nice; usually, security (especially for celebrities or at a celebrity event) can tend to not be the friendliest of people, but this guy seemed all right. Right before it was the turn of the girl who was in front of me, the security man asked us if it was the three of us (her, me, and the girl from Argentina) together. At first, I was confused what he meant by that, but then I realized that they had probably asked him if he could take a picture of them with Hanson. And since I was standing in line in between them, he probably thought I was with them or a part of that, I guess. The girl in front of me had a camera phone, and she had been saying that she was planning to take a picture once she reached Hanson, and she had offered to take a picture for the Argentina girl as well. And then apparently, it looked like they decided to have the security man take a picture of both of them together with Hanson instead. I guess if I had been talking with them and gotten acquainted with them, I could have been invited to be a part of that -- in the picture and all -- but I wasn't. I don't really regret it, though; to tell the truth, I'm not really that keen on the idea of being in a picture with people I don't know. Plus, it was a camera phone, so the picture wouldn't have been that good quality, anyhow. And if I could have gotten a picture, I would have wanted it with just me and Hanson, or just Hanson alone; I don't think I'd want other fans whom I don't know in the picture.

When it was finally my turn, the security man placed my CD booklet on the table where Hanson was sitting behind, signing autographs at, placing it right in front of Zac. Hanson were sitting in the order of Isaac, Taylor, and Zac, from left to right. Since the line was moving from the right, it was Zac who signed first, then Taylor, and finally Isaac. It was kind of surreal, realizing right then and there that I was really, in fact, standing right in front of Zac, looking at him as he was about to autograph my "Underneath" CD booklet. For the first time, I was finally within reaching distance of Hanson! It was amazing for me, since I've waited so long for that opportunity, and now it finally came. I guess it was at that point when the reality of the fact that I was finally about to meet Hanson really sunk in and registered in my head. Something I'm proud of is the fact that I didn't stumble on my words or get really tongue-tied when I spoke to them, but I did feel like I kind of forgot the things I've always wanted to say to them. I always imagined if I'd meet them, I would say things like, "I really like your music," "Your music is really great," "You guys are really talented," "I wish you the best," and such things like that. But somehow, those things didn't come to mind when I was standing in front of Hanson, getting the cover of my album signed. At one point, I had also considered saying to them, "I've waited seven years to meet you guys," but I decided against it, since I figured they probably wouldn't care to hear something like that. All I could think of saying at that moment when I was standing right in front of them was just, "Hi, I'm a big fan." I guess that was fine; it sufficed, although I always thought I would say those other things, too, but I just couldn't think of them for some reason once I was actually meeting Hanson. I actually said that same line to all three of them -- first to Zac, since he was the one I met first and he signed my CD booklet first, then I got to shake his hand after he signed it. Zac's handshake actually wasn't that firm or tight; I've always heard from a lot of fans that he has a firm handshake, but if it was, I didn't feel it. To me, it just felt like a regular handshake -- not too tight, not too loose -- it was just right. Actually, all of their handshakes felt like regular, normal handshakes; nothing special or particularly unusual about their handshakes or anything -- not that I was able to notice, anyway, although maybe a more obsessed fan could find something notable about their handshakes, but I couldn't. In any case, Zac was very friendly and congenial; he said hi to me and thanked me. When I said to him, "Hi, I'm a big fan," he didn't hear me at first, so he leaned forward, moving closer to hear me, and I repeated it more loudly. I think what I said was good enough after all, since it seemed to make him happy to hear. He seemed very appreciative, smiling and all -- he just kept smiling a lot! It was really nice (and so adorable to see such a smiley Zac!). Then, after Zac signed my CD booklet, he passed it on to Taylor for him to sign. As I moved over to the left, about to meet Taylor, Zac suddenly added to me (still smiling -- it was so cute), "Hey, I hope you enjoy the record!" Again, for some reason, I couldn't think of what to say, so on instinct, I just smiled and nodded. It was really unexpected; I completely didn't expect Zac to say anything more to me once he finished signing my CD booklet and I stepped over to the left, so I guess the spontaneity of it was cool. Unexpected kindness is always nice. What he said really touched me for some reason, even though it was just a simple remark; I think it was because of the way he said it. There was just something really nice about it, and the way he was smiling at me when he said it. His tone of voice was genuinely warm and sincere, and I just felt really happy when he said that to me in such a kind, friendly voice. I just felt this huge smile form on my face once he said that to me while smiling at me; I probably looked really goofy right then and there (I blame Zac -- it's his fault for that, haha). I was also happy that he was so amicable, since I've heard before that he has sometimes been rude and moody to some fans in the past. But I guess those circumstances were different, and those fans probably did something that irritated him, or they just happened to catch him at a bad time (let's face it, we all have our bad days when we're just not in a good mood, and Zac's no exception). I was just glad that he was super nice when I met him, since it made it more of a pleasure to meet him.

Zac was actually the only one who really talked to me. Unlike Zac, Taylor and Issac didn't really say anything to me, actually; they just signed my CD booklet, and then shook my hand. It was a little more awkward when I met Isaac, since he was the last one to sign my CD booklet, and as he was about to hand it back to me, I was extending my hand for him to shake at the exact same time, so he accidentally dropped the CD booklet so that he could shake my hand (I quickly retrieved it, though, of course). I thought it was kind of a little weird that they didn't say anything; it was a little odd, but it doesn't really matter, I guess. If I was able to meet them during my more zealous days as a fan in 1997-2000, or say, if Isaac or Taylor were my favorite Hanson brother (which neither are; I don't have a favorite), then I think if this happened back then under those circumstances, I would have been more disappointed. But now it's not such a big deal to me; they can't talk to everyone or say something to every single fan, I suppose. Although an interesting coincidence is that Zac used to be my favorite Hanson brother back in the day when I used to have a favorite (circa 1997-1998), and he was the only one who really talked to me when I met all three today. But in any case, as much as it would have been nice to have Isaac and Taylor say something to me, too, I don't really mind; it was okay. I'm just glad that I was finally able to meet them all in person, shake their hands, get their autographs, and let them know that I am a fan of theirs; that's something I've always wanted to do, and I finally got to do it, so that's what matters and counts the most. Although I suppose a possible reason for their lack of talk might have been because there were still some forty people left waiting in line to get autographs, and Hanson had been signing autographs for the past hour and a half for hundreds of fans, so I guess they were just kind of trying to get it over with and get through everyone as quickly as possible. Maybe they were getting tired, too, even though they didn't look like they were (but then again, they could still have been tired without looking like it, I suppose). But the staff guy had commented earlier when he was talking to those two girls that the line was moving more quickly than he had thought, and he said it was probably because Hanson were getting tired and wanting to get the autographs over with quickly. He also said that by the time we'd get to the front of the line to get autographs, their autographs would probably be just a black scribble and not look like a real signature. But that wasn't really true; their autographs on my album cover look like typical Hanson autographs, and you can read their names scrawled out. Their autographs are always pretty scrawly, anyway, so it's not atypical of them or anything unusual.

Meeting Hanson and getting the autographs went so quickly; before I knew it, it was over! It all happened so fast. I would have liked to linger and stick around a little longer if the circumstances had been different, but I felt kind of rushed to leave as soon as I met them and got their autographs. First of all, the two girls who had been in front of me and behind me were still hanging around. I kind of felt like I didn't really have a chance to talk to Hanson more, since after I shook Isaac's hand, the girl in front of me immediately said, "She's from Argentina!" and pointed to the girl behind me. I think those girls probably figured that it would probably impress Hanson to hear that they had a fan from abroad who came to meet them. So after she said that, I kind of felt that all the attention was diverted over to the girl from Argentina at that moment, so I just kind of slipped away, rather than stand there doing nothing. But oh well. I didn't mind, since I'm not the type of fan who wants to hog Hanson all to myself when meeting them; rather, I'd want every fan to get a chance to meet Hanson and have their turn. Besides, I really don't have any complaints, since I still got to meet Hanson, shake their hands, and get their autographs. Plus, Zac was extremely friendly and so nice -- and he talked to me, too! I still can't believe I've met them now; it seems pretty surreal, since it's something I've longed for so long, and now it's already happened. The only thing I regret about the whole experience was not having a camera with me; it was too bad that I didn't. I really wished I had brought a camera and had one on hand at the time. If I did, not only would I have taken pictures during the acoustic performance, I think I would have asked if I could have a picture taken with them when I got my autographs -- or at least asked to take a picture of just them. But since I didn't have a camera, none of that was possible. Oh well -- still, it was just great to finally get to meet them in person, shake their hands, get their autographs, and see them up close, face-to-face! That was something I've always wanted to do, and I finally did. Granted, it took seven years and a lot of bad luck getting to meet them along the way, but today it finally happened! In any event, I'm just so glad that I finally got to meet Hanson! It's something I've wanted to have happen to me for so long; I've waited for that moment for so many years. Even though it didn't quite exactly go the way I had always hoped and imagined it would (me getting to say to them all the things I've always wanted to tell them, and the unusual silence from Isaac and Taylor), I'm still really content that I was able to finally meet them. Now after all the excitement from getting to see them perform and meet them today, I feel like I'm becoming more into Hanson again like in the old days. It's nice, since it always made me feel delighted to be enthusiastic about Hanson, so it's not a bad thing at all to have resurface again.

After I got my autographs and shook hands with all three of Hanson, I left and went up the escalator back up to the main level. While I was riding up the escalator, I turned around and looked back one last time before Hanson was out of my sight. Once I reached the floor above, I noticed that the "going down" escalator was once again blocked off and closed. I guess the store staff didn't want anymore people to come down, since there were already a lot of people as it was. I would have liked to stick around longer and try to see Hanson again as they were leaving or something, but since it's a school night, I had to start heading back as soon as possible. So I left Virgin Megastore, walked back down a few blocks back to Penn Station to catch a train back. It was about 8:30pm by then.

And so that was my experience of finally meeting Hanson! I'm happy that I was able to make it -- it was definitely worth it! And now I can say that I've met Hanson! (Plus got handshakes and autographs!) Nice!