Going The Same Way – Tracing Footsteps

Each month until June 2017 we will share fan stories from around the world to celebrate Hanson’s remarkable career and Fan Community.
We have invited fans from five continents, to share their experiences and they tell us in their own words, how they have traced footsteps on a journey with Hanson and their music.

This month we share Ellen’s Story.

I am Ellen from Belgium and I became a Hanson fan in 1997 when I saw the MMMbop video on MTV when I was 10 years old.

I saw the video and planted my butt in front of the TV so I could tape it, where after I jumped on my bike to my best friend’s house to declare ‘The one on the keyboards is mine, you pick another one!’
So she did and we are still friends to this day, for which Hanson is certainly to thank.

What keeps me coming back for more with Hanson is simply that they keep inspiring me.
My favorite Hanson song is The Walk, though I can’t explain why really. I think it has to do with how when I listen to it, Zac seems to really tell me a story – which is true for most of their songs, but with this one I could really see it happening in front of me clearly.

I waited 16 years to finally see them live on the Anthem tour in 2013 and I don’t think I had ever been that nervous. Although I did not exactly know how I would react to seeing them walk on stage. I saw them and sobbed like a three-year old.
That very first concert was one of the best I have seen to this day, purely because of the huge impact it had on me and the fact that when Zac sat down to sing his solo, he read my mind and played The Walk. I was very lucky to hear my favorite song played live on the very first concert I had seen of them.

The very best concert I have seen from Hanson was to my opinion the MOE concert they did in Tulsa in 2016. I can’t really tell you why, though I believe it had to do with the company I was in and the fact that a lot of my favorite songs were played. The overall atmosphere was great that night and it was the first time I had room to dance.

Because I am from Belgium, there aren’t many Hanson fans extremely close to me, but the ones I have met, tend to stick together so that is great. I met my best friends because of Hanson, (you know who you are) and it has been more wonderful than I ever could have predicted. It is amazing how easy it is to make friends when you have this inspiration and passion in common.

What Hanson music has taught me is to follow my dreams and do it now. If you want something, you will have to do it and work for it. They often bring me back to reality because I have an extreme problem with procrastination.

Three words I would use to describe their music are: Inspiring, Fun and Passionate, simply because it has inspired me countless of times, because they don’t always takes themselves too seriously, and you can hear the passion for the music in every note.

On a desert Island I would take the album The Walk with me, because it has my favorite song on it, and many more that I really love, but it does remain very hard to choose.

If I could spend one day with Hanson I would cook a meal with Taylor (and in the meantime persuade him to write a book with me because that is my ultimate dream), then I would do a movie marathon with Zac and pick his brain about his opinions. And I would definitely want to have a conversation with Isaac over a nice cup of coffee and pick his brain about mental health and life in general, because I feel like I could learn a lot from him.

If I could write them a letter and say thank you for one thing, it would have to be for the inspiration they have provided me with. Though I would probably cheat and sneak some more THANK YOUs in there, because it is too hard to pick one thing.

Many thanks to Ellen for sharing her story and her pictures.

• Tags: anthem, belgium, europe, Hanson, Isaac Hanson, MOE, MOE 2016, oklahoma, Taylor Hanson, the walk, tulsa, Zac Hanson