The Chicago gig sold out in 10 minutes. For the past two days a perfumed shantytown outside the hotel has staked out the band around the clock. By 11 P.M., fishnet ****s, white-collar punks, and dead-eyed scenesters are battling for prime spots near the stage. From a box seat above the masses, Billy Corgan–draped head to toe in black wool like a fuzzy Darth Vader–nods his bald head to the band’s chart-bludgeoning hit: a little ditty called “MMMBop.”

Wait a…What the…You mean–?

Yes, Hanson are back. That Hanson.