Tulsa Times #25 Fans that Give a Little.

Fans that Give a Little.

“Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here!”
J K Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Music has the power to do many things. It touches people deeply when words alone are lacking and it brings people together in ways that nothing else can.
It can forge friendships that would otherwise never have existed and it can soften even the hardest heart.

Within the Hanson fan community there are countless stories of people making friendships across the miles with those they met online; people they then travelled to meet, attend shows with and celebrate Hanson encounters alongside.
Some of these friendships have endured over years and held people together through all that life holds; both happy and sad.

Whether through chance encounters in the line before a show, in a forum on a Hanson related website or in the Hanson App, fans have stood on common ground with each other.
Often, in that space, their mutual love of the music and the men has inspired an idea that has become an impressive reality.

During tours especially, fans have used their collective ingenuity to shout out their love for Hanson in original ways.
The stupendous Hanson Jacket which was sent from fan to fan to be worn at shows, the amazing Puppet Show during Get The Girl Back in Sao Paulo and the gifts given by people across the globe, all show that the friendships developed through Hanson’s music are driven to say thank you.

So it was that the newly created and oft times updated Hanson App, brought together many new and well established Hanson fans, to generate a stunning idea which came to fruition last week.

The Heart and Soul project began when a fan posted a picture of herself in the App, wearing an Old Navy Store sweater with the words “Heart and Soul” emblazoned across the front.

Conversation on the fan wall became interspersed with encouraging and warm singing of “Give a little” and the finding, buying and wearing of the Heart and Soul sweater spread like wildfire.

“Within two weeks over 60 women from the app had flocked to the Old Navy Stores to purchase the sweater and sent me pictures of themselves in the sweater. Two even bought them for their young daughters,” said Katie Heinzen, who collected the pictures and transformed them into a video for Hanson and other fans to enjoy.

The idea was simple and ingenious. Buy a sweater. Wear it. Take a picture wearing it. Make a video.

Reminiscent of Hanson’s own Favourite Christmas Sweater video, this project marries Hanson lyrics with smiling faces and a celebration of community.

In around 3 weeks this idea went from conception to completion, with one sweater even being sent to South Africa, because the store didn’t ship there.

It seems that nothing can stop the passion of Hanson fans with a plan.

From Jacksonville to New York City, in bedrooms and in front of seascapes, fans can be seen wearing their sweaters and giving more than just a little!

They have been worn at shows on the Anthem Tour in Seattle and Vancouver and many more are bound to make an appearance before the US leg is over.

Many of the people taking part in this project have never met outside of the App, but this expression of their friendship and love for Hanson may well correct that.

It seems that the Hanson App has generated many new friendships, with members sharing tour news and concert photos as well as their own stories of the daily ups and downs of life.

We asked Katie what she has learnt about Hanson fans from this experience and she said,

“Hanson fans are across the globe. We have fans it seems on nearly every continent. The fans truly are one big family.”

Hanson and their fans have seen the music industry change drastically since 1992, when Hanson performed their first show.

However, while technology may change, some things stay the same – the pursuit of happiness in the company of friends – with music at the heart and in the soul.

Watch the video here – http://vimeo.com/75987044

Many thanks to Katie for the information and permission to share this story.