The Palace of Auburn Hills

We've had our high's and low's;
But we've let our feelings flow into the sea.
Our feelings come and go, but if we let our feelings show,
This river just might flow to you and me.
— The new section of "River."

I've ripped a few pages from my "Hanson Journal." They contain Hanson moments surrounding and including our experiences at the July 28th, 1998 Albertane concert:

Sunday, July 26
13:00 Jenn (of "Here We Go "Round") and her mom arrive at our apartment. It is their first time in Michigan (BTW: I live somewhere near Clarksville, Jordan Lake and Walker - these are actual place names near my home.). We welcome them with a big spaghetti dinner.

15:00 Jenn and I go shopping for art supplies that will become presents for Hanson. Jenn finds a miniature R2D2 who will bear a message to the band for her. She also finds a calligraphy pen and some cool marbled paper. I purchase some construction paper and a frame since the scissors were always my favorite tool in my pencil box.

19:00 We begin formulating messages and constructing collages for the guys.

21:30 Our masterpieces are complete. R2D2 waits in a Scooby Doo bag for his big day. My collage of images from Hanson songs gets wrapped in Lighthouse paper (For those unfamiliar with Michigan, it has the most coastline of any other state in the contiguous U.S.).


Monday, July 27
17:30 Jenn survives a meal of chicken stroganoff. (grin)

19:30 We originally planned to watch "Return of the Jedi," but due to our anticipation of the next day, we decided to check out some ET footage with Hanson and rewatch TT&MON . . . which later leads to comparing two versions of "Weird" (from "Oprah" and "Wal-Mart"). I have to agree with Jenn, that the guys are definitely more expressive during the "Wal-Mart" performance of this beloved song. Unforgettable! Therefore, it indeed overshadows my initial favorite.

Tuesday, July 28
Noon: I force Jenn to leave this early so that we will have plenty of time to catch the original site of Motown Records before camping out at The Palace, in hopes of spending hours with Hanson fans who would, no doubt, be pounding on the doors, shouting to be let into the ampitheater (Do you sense some sarcasm here? Perceptive. (c;) Karen, you will be happy to hear, the staff at AAA kindly mapped out the entire trip for us. (grin)

13:30 We arrive at the Motown Museum. We could hardly believe that such a modest house was indeed, our destination. We watch a video about the history of Motown and then check out the memorabilia in the upstairs rooms. Again, the modesty of the home is astounding. A guide informs us that over $20 million was made in a cramped upstairs room where visitors can still see the wooden playpen, the vinyl couch and one of those 70's style tables with the old counter-top material on it that were Berry Gordy's everyday belongings. Stevie Wonder, the Supremes, the Jackson 5, Gladys Knight and the Pips, the Temptations, and many more . . . it's almost impossible to believe that these music greats once recorded here. We were tempted to test out the piano and drums in the small recording studio. We quickly glanced around before posing in front of the old-time mics that hung down and, at one time, caught those amazing voices for the world. Of course, we pose for a picture in front of the plaque that mentions "Money." (smile)

16:30 The parking lot staff at the Palace inform us that no one is let into the theater until 5:00 p.m. We soon find that the gas station across from the ampitheater is overrun by eager Hanson fans, all checking their watches. I almost decide to yell out the window, "Where's the Love?!" But I resist. Hehe

17:00 We join hundreds of fans outside the Palace. Many of these fans soon begin pounding on the doors when, apparently, the band makes a brief appearance. Of course, Jenn and I miss this appearance since we're not into throwing elbows among twelve and thirteen-year-old girls.

17:15 A guard throws away Jenn's Aquafina at the door. (Later, we find out that while he was concerned with our water, some other equipment slipped in unnoticed . . . ) We are then told that there is not a drop of water left at any of the food stands. Can we say, "parched?"

19:00 Jenn and I hand over our gifts to the chatty guards on the floor. We spy what appears to be a huge birthday table of gifts: stuffed animals, wrapped clothes boxes, and later we find out, the book which contains the original version of the "Tin Soldier." (During the show, the band thanks the person who gave them this.) One guard appears to be sadistically teasing an overly zealous fan by telling her how he had hung out with Hanson all day and, in fact, knew that at this exact moment, Zoe was wearing pink (He had to be reminded of who exactly Zoe was before he gave up this information. Hmmm . . . curious.). This fan is hanging on his every word, as Jenn and I exchange rolled eye glances. She further reveals that Mr. Hanson and the Hanson bodyguard were not at all pleased with her when she was stalking the band at their hotel the night before. Yikes! Frightening.

19:05 Brad from Admiral Twin comes out to greet the crowds. He waves in our direction - sweet.

19:15 We notice some hilarious signs, including one that says: HASON! This fan, apparently didn't suffer any embarrassment, since her misspelling went unnoticed. But, I wonder if the entire ampitheater was oblivious to it, as the sign was flashed on the overhead screens for all to see. Check out Jenn's page, Here We Go 'Round Again, for some other scary sign messages. (NOTE: Later, a couple of these signs would bring out my crabby side, as fans blocked our view of the band during the concert. Please, please, be considerate of other fans when you bring big signs to the concerts! Grrr . . . )

19:20 A man in 2nd row (who had scalped his 10th row seats to the woman next to us) comes to chat with his customer and asks me why, at age 17, I'm not at a Backstreet Boys concert instead. Since I'm neither 17 nor an official BSB fan, I begin to understand how Hanson feels when people assume things because of their age. Another observation: I'm beginning to sense that being seated so close to the stage, although I had purchased our tickets through a TicketMaster agent, we are probably surrounded by people who had not . . .

19:30 Admiral Twin: With our 10th row seats, Jenn and I are able to see the band members more clearly. We now have a brand-new appreciation for a certain member of AT! Sigh. (grin)

20:30 Our seats are on the left side of the stage. We can not help but notice Isaac's longer hair and the attractive suit he is wearing. Whoa! (c: Taylor's body-hugging, red, crushed velvet (I'm guessing at the material here.) pants are quite, um, striking (smile). Unfortunately, we can not see Zac during the first set. A lighting note: After having lawn seats at an outside venue for the last concert, I am able to fully appreciate the lighting at this indoor concert - Squiggles, stars, lightening streaks (I think these were some of the shapes.) flash in sync across the "blades" behind the guys as they performed. Later, Isaac's sillhouette is captured in a shadow light of the Albertane insignia (which apparently he designed himself). Very Cool!

20:45 Taylor removes his outer shirt. After playing "Weird," he says that the title of the next song is the last word of the one they just finished. I can not tell you how much I ADORE the concert version of "Sometimes!!" This is a favorite for me from "3CG" anyway, but the brief hesitations before some of the lyrics are dramatic and unforgettable. (i.e. "I guess sometimes I forget . . . Just how much you mean to me.)

21:00 One of the "3 Car Garage" backgrounds refuses to come down. The crew (The Men in Red - Jenn . . . ;-D) raises them all back up. During this set, Isaac is hit in the head with a beach ball while performing "Soldier." Huh? Unbelievable! As old pros, the band just keeps on playing.

21:05 Taylor tells us that Michigan is the only place on the tour where they made TWO stops! Yay! He also wants to know if we want to hear "Money (That's what I want . . .)" or "Madeline" . . . hmmm, or both? What do you think got the most applause? ;-D The green lights during "Money" are really fun. This song sounds like it belongs to the Motown crowd. An acoustic "Madeline" is always my favorite version. (I am now able to notice that Zac is wearing a similar shirt to the one he wore in Toronto: white with black trim. Taylor has returned wearing a dark shirt, instead of the white t-shirt that was beneath his other shirt. Isaac has removed the jacket to his suit and his hair is in a ponytail.)

21:15 Zac gives out, not only drumsticks, but a round thing from his drum set. His mischievous grin, while pumping his Super Soaker is worth the price of any ticket! Just adorable! Taylor wants to see everybody's glow bands, "That's how we can see you." With the lights on, their effect is lost. "Bring down the lights," Taylor requests. It hits me, a 15-year-old is able to make a request of the Palace crew, and get an immediate response. Amazing!

21:30 I am beginning to piece together the thoughtful lyrics for"Ever Lonely" — If you're every lonely, you can call on me . . . (The first line, at least. ;-D)

12:30 Although the floor was crowded and I wasn't able to move about has freely as on the lawn, I did enjoy using the back of the chair in front of me as make-shift bongo drums during most of the songs. For the love of Pete, how does "MMMBop" stay so dang charming every time I hear it?! Incredible!

21:40 A guard spies some fans in the row directly in front of us filming a bootleg copy of the concert. She swan dives for the camera. A struggle ensues. She triumphs and runs down the aisle clutching the $700 piece of equipment that these fans have just given up. During this struggle, we miss part of the show. Jenn and I are annoyed that our view, is once again blocked by inconsiderate fans.

21:45 In a classic "Steven Tyler" move while leaping to end "Man from Milwaukee," Isaac falls to the ground. Once we see that he was alright, Jenn and I exchange surprised expressions and burst out laughing. (We later find out he repeats this move at the Tinley Park concert. Intentional or no?)

21:55 A note about "Summertime Blues": After catching the VH1 "Before They Were Stars" special where Hanson is seen singing this song at Mayfest in 1992 (I'm guessing), can you help but get nostalgic and choked up about how music has virtually been the boys' life?! Jenn and I are amused as we appreciate Isaac's deep voice during his solo parts.

22:00 Isaac announces that they have one final piece for us. But wait! Taylor whispers something to his older brother. Oops! Apparently Taylor still has some ammunition in his Super Soaker, and the a cappella portion of "Weird" can wait for a minute or two. (chuckle) He and Zac make sure that no drop is wasted before they all come together for the last song of the evening.

22:15 Jenn and I leave the Palace, exhausted, but having had a ton of fun! Whew, despite being irritated a couple of times, we did not break the only rule at a Hanson concert ("There are no rules! Wait, there is only one rule: You've got to be having fun. You can't be here if you're not having fun," Taylor)! We went home happy!

22:30 We're still thirsty and when we pull off in search of bottle water, we get caught up in the Pine Knob traffic where the Loverboy concert has just let out. hehe

Wednesday, July 29
19:00 Jenn and I finally watch "Return of the Jedi" where we notice that one of the Ewoks is indeed named, Wicket.

Thursday, July 30
6:30 We leave to meet Renee and her mom in Indiana. Jenn will be staying with them for the Planet Hollywood press conference and Tinley Park concert — where my sister and I will see them again. More on these experiences to come . . .


NOTE: The 1999 Calendar ROCKS!! Like the 2nd MOE, you can see that the band had more of a hand in making the decisions for it.

The Albertane Tour