HANSON WALKS ON WITH FANS, OLDEST BROTHER HOSPITALIZED

Hanson’s Isaac Hanson, has been hospitalized, but the brothers do share they’re still trucking because of their fans.

Isaac Hanson, the oldest of the three Hanson brothers was rushed to the hospital with a pulmonary embolism after complaining about shoulder and chest pain in Dallas, Texas earlier this week. News about the tour resumption will be forthcoming. Some were wondering what happened to child-pop-rock phenoms, Hanson, who had a monster hit with “Mmmbop” nearly ten years ago. If you’ve lost track, the boys turned men have just released their latest album, The Walk, and their latest tour has been close to being sold out.

Hanson, featuring the brothers Zac, Isaac, and Taylor Hanson, are still here despite those who thought their youthful blend of pop and talent was a novelty. The band talks about how they’ve been able to have a second life today as independent artists.

[Taylor] “It’s a really good question to say ‘Why?’ We have been really lucky to have maintained a certain level of passion and connection with a really good group of fans that have grown up with us. Again, nobody knows exactly ‘Why?’ [Zac] “…but I think, in a way, the thing that people would put most against us, starting young, the stigma, and all that crap is actually part of the reason why we’ve have such passionate fans. They’ve gone through all of the crap, and it never mattered to them.”

So what does a Hanson crowd in 2007 look like?

[Zac] “The same people it was ten years ago.” [Taylor] “The same people, but not the same people. Our fans are…, it always goes below and above this, but our core people are our peers. Zac is 21, I’m 24, Isaac is 26. You’ve got late high school, college students, people starting careers now.” [Isaac] “…a handful of people have kids.” [Taylor] “The thing that is amazing is seeing how many fans are totally different in their lives than when we were first introduced to them but have stayed passionate.”

They talked about the diversity and enthusiasm of their faithful.

[Isaac] “I looked out into the crowd the other day, into the line of people we were signing stuff for after the show, and, literally, it went from preppy girl wearing kakis and sweater to a girl who practically had a body suit of tattoos and more piercings on her face than I can count.” [Zac] “…it looked like she fell into a pile of thumbtacks.” [Isaac] “She came up, and she was just enthusiastic as ever, ‘Sign this!’ And you’re just sitting there thinking, ‘This is the wildest and coolest thing in the entire world. It’s like what band could ever hope for this diversity and yet this equal level of passion and enthusiasm ten years later. It’s just an undefinable and fortuitous thing for us.”

Hanson is currently on the road through November 8. Their single, “Great Divide,” is getting airplay in select cities, and is currently on sale, and proceeds are going directly to AIDS relief in Africa. The band is also staging walks prior to their shows with fans, and when they buy TOMS shoes, a duplicate pair will be sent and given to a needy child in Africa. We’ll have more on this in the coming week.