The Hanson wave rolls back into town (quick, take your seats!)
By Thomas Conner 09/20/1998 © Tulsa World Perhaps you have experienced this particular strain of Hansonmania: you're on vacation or speaking to an out-of-state friend or relative and they immediately ask to exploit your insider Hanson connections. "If I send you a letter, would you give it to them?" "Can you get me tickets to the show?" "Where can I find their first two independent records?" The assumption is always the same — Tulsa is so small a town that we all know the Hanson family intimately. In fact, we wave to them on Main Street every afternoon. We're all pals, all in the loop. That's what most young fans around the country seem to think, and they have spent the past year and a half of Hanson's pop music reign calling, writing and e-mailing Tulsa businesses and government in a tireless effort to milk every drop of information out of the MMMBoppers' hometown. For some businesses, the influx of attention has been mildly amusing; for others, it's been a real headache. "It's been crazy. I got a call just today from a little girl in Missouri wanting me to give her the Hansons' phone number," said Kirby Pearce, owner of the hip Brookside clothier Zat's. "We get letters and poems. We've been inundated with it — from all over the world. "It got on my nerves right before the concert. People were coming in with movie cameras and talking to my staff and photographing each other. It didn't cause problems — it was just kind of aggravating. One family came in from Brazil and hung out for several hours. They seem to think we all have this direct link to them." Why would Hanson fans be targeting a clothing store? A homemade fan magazine several months ago printed an interview allegedly with the Hanson trio in which the boys listed some of their favorite spots in Tulsa. The 'zine proliferated around the globe, and Zat's was mentioned as the city's coolest outfitter. "They've obviously been here, though I've been in business here for nine years and probably wouldn't have recognized them if they came in," Pearce said. The fan magazine also listed Mohawk Music as a cool Tulsa record store, but Mohawk owner Paul Meek was fielding frenzied calls long before that 'zine hit the streets. "We started getting letters and e-mail right away from people looking for the first two indie albums," Meek said, speaking of Hanson's two pre-fame, locally produced records, "MMMBop" and "Boomerang." "Everyone figures that Tulsa would be the most likely place to find them. Some say they'll pay any amount of money. I have to tell them I've never seen the product and didn't even know it existed until they became famous." The notice has, at least, increased the foot traffic in Meek's shop. He, too, has seen whole families come through the door inquiring about Hanson merchandise. "People stopped by all summer while here or passing through on vacation. They're just amazed that a Tulsa record store isn't overflowing with Hanson stuff," Meek said. The Blue Rose Bar and Grill in Brookside has become something of a tourist attraction since the Hansons played an impromptu but contract-clinching show there some years ago. Even details like that don't escape the short but intense attention spans of fans. "Apparently our name is all over the Internet. These kids are very resourceful," said Blue Rose owner Tom Dittus. He, too, sifts through calls and letters from eager fans — most of whom first assure him that they're not obsessed -- seeking phone numbers, addresses or just correspondence about their latest obsession ... er, group. "There were families on vacation this summer that made Tulsa a stop on their route so they could come by the Blue Rose and take pictures and see where the guys once were," Dittus said. "We can't allow anyone under 21 in the restaurant, but we'll let them peek in the door from time to time. They walk out of here with T-shirts, cups, menus, caps — I've even given out several autographs myself, which is pretty hilarious." Radio stations, too, have been strangled by the fiber-optic strength of Hansonmania. "We've been swamped. Everyone wants to know where they can get tickets," said Mike Davis, promotions director at KHTT, 106.9-FM "K-Hits." "I had a 90-year-old great grandmother call me begging for tickets, and I had to tell her to hit the streets looking for scalpers." Davis said that this summer, before the first Hanson concert in Tulsa, two radio stations in New Zealand called for information. They were organizing a contest to send listeners to Tulsa for "the Hanson hometown experience." That kind of strangeness at least makes local chamber of commerce officials happy. There's no denying the increased exposure and tourist dollars Tulsa has received since Hanson began spreading our name around. Officials at the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce said they've already noticed an economic impact around the concert dates. "We're looking forward to having them back again. They're bringing in people from all over the country, and those people stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and shop in our stores," said Chamber communications director Chris Metcalf. The Chamber's switchboard has been swamped with calls, too — more than the usual queries about what to do and where to go in T-town. "We've gotten lots and lots and lots of calls about Hanson. All last week we gave out the 800-number for tickets," Metcalf said. "It was anywhere from 300 to 500 calls last week. We don't ask where the calls are coming from, but we've heard all kinds of different accents, and some of the connections are obviously overseas calls." Lewis Vanlandingham, director of the Mayor's Action Line, gets the same calls. And letters. And ... pictures? "They even send me pictures of themselves. They want to know where (Hanson) will be tonight. At home, I guess," Vanlandingham chuckled. "We're not used to getting calls like this at all. When Garth Brooks was here, we didn't have any of this." Yours truly still screens a daily barrage of phone calls, letters and e-mail from Hanson fans who don't read the paper, have never seen this paper or are convinced I know more about the Fab Foals than I print in these pages. So don't be surprised if some preteen girls call your insurance office or giggle their way through your cafe this week. The boys are back in town — and so are the groupies. Hanson hotline For official Hanson info, call the Tulsa-based Hanson hotline, 446-3979 (a recording, usually of Isaac updating the tour schedule and thanking fans profusely), visit the group's web site (http://www.hansonline.com/) or write to the fan club at HITZ List, P.O. Box 703136, Tulsa, OK 74170. Hansonmania in full force BY THOMAS CONNER 09/20/1998 © Tulsa World That's right — Hansonmania is in full force again. The world-famous trio returns to its hometown this week for a second concert. A second sold-out concert. The Hanson show kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Mabee Center, 8100 S. Lewis Ave. The nearly 8,000 tickets for the show sold out the day they went on sale, Sept. 12, in an hour and a half. The group's oddly named continental trek, the Albertane Tour, originally was scheduled only through mid-August. The high demand for shows, though, has led to several extensions, including this final swing through the South which will include the Tulsa reprise. Tulsa is the second city Hanson has repeated on this tour. The return trip also allows them to play Dallas (Reunion Arena, Sept. 30). Officials at Hanson's record company, Mercury Records, said the tour keeps getting extended because "they're having a blast and they want to play more shows." Another Tulsa group, the smart pop band Admiral Twin, has opened shows for Hanson throughout the tour and is scheduled to play the second Tulsa date, as well. Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Brad Becker left the tour for two shows — he's still got a job here and an expecting wife — but he'll be back with the band this week for the Tulsa show. Hanson returns for second sold-out, hometown show By Thomas Conner 09/24/1998 © Tulsa World They're baaaaaaack! The hit musical group Hanson — three Tulsa-born brothers -- returns to Tulsa on Thursday for a repeat concert, following up on the high demand for tickets after its initial July 8 performance. The sold-out show kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Mabee Center with another Tulsa-based pop band, Admiral Twin, opening the concert. Hanson's Albertane Tour — named after a mythical location in one of the trio's songs -- kicked off early this summer and was scheduled to end in mid-August. The enormous demand for more shows, however, prompted the group to extend the tour several times, picking up cities they missed on the first legs of the tour. They returned for a second show in Detroit, then opted to swing back south to make a second stop in their hometown. "They've been wanting to come back," said Glenn Smith, the show's promoter, "and here we come again." There is less official hoopla this time around, though. No meet-and-greets have been scheduled, and the boys will not face another media conference before this show. Also, at press time plans to film the concert for a cable television special remained tabled as a result of scheduling difficulties. The nearly 8,000 tickets available for the show sold out in less than an hour and a half. Ticket buyers who have not yet received their tickets can go to the Mabee Center box office Thursday, at least an hour before show time. The ticket company handling the show will be there, Smith said. Also, although at press time the show was still sold-out, "production release" tickets sometimes come available at the last minute. Less than an hour before the July 8 concert, about 100 such last-minute tickets became available for sale. But don't hold your breath. Comments are closed.
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Thomas Conner
These online "clips" reproduce a self-selection of my journalism (music etc) during the last 20+ years. It's a lotta stuff, but it only scratches the surface. I do not currently possess the time or resources to digitize the whole body of work. These posts are simply a bunch of pretty great days at the office. Archives
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