Seeing Hanson in Colonge Germany
by Magda Wallmont

Ok, you want to hear the story? Well, here it is VERY briefly. I don't have enough time to tell you everything in detail!!! Well, I arrived in Cologne Germany (from Sweden) 4 days before the concert. So the first thing I did, was to find out what hotel Hanson would stay at. The most luxurous hotel in Cologne is the Hyatt Hotel so I marched over there right away. (this was like the 2nd day, 1 day before the concert).

As I get there, I see like 30 fans outside standing and doing nothing. So I carefully walk up to them and say in German: Excuse me, what are ya'll waiting for over here? And they answer me with smiles on their faces: Oh, Hanson..! I asked them if they knew what time hanson would come or anything, and they said they don't know. But they knew Hanson HAD to come that day because tomorrow was the concert! And one of the guys who worked there in the hotel, or all the guys who worked at the hotel, would tell us to go away all the time because there were other guests living there AND arriving and it didn't look too good having a bunch of girls hanging outside of the entrance you know! But they were really mean to us and they kept on saying: "Listen, go home Hanson won't come till later this evening!" At that time, it was like 3pm. Of course we didn't believe him or anybody else because we thought they said all that just to get rid of us.

So, to make a long story short, they were ALL right. It was true what the men had said. Hanson didn't arrive till like 11pm that night. During the day, most of the fans lost hope and went home, so we ended up being only 6 ppl outside waiting when they came! AND THEY DID!! Only we were SO pissed because they didn't pull in in the front entrance (like we thought), only they stopped the van a little further to the right of the entrance. And we knew there was ANOTHER smaller entrance (where they had stopped) but we actually thought they would go in through the main one. But we were wrong. It was VERY dark at 11pm then, and so we kind of missed them coming out of the van. Although we could see Diana and the smaller kids go in through the side entrance, and of course we ran over there but they already went it. Too late! BUT the entire hotel is made out of glass (you might have seen that on the pics) and since it was dark outside and bright inside, we could see them the WHOLE time standing in the lobby.

We saw them VERY clearly. And since we were only 6 ppl, nobody in the hotel security really paid any attention to us, like they had before. So we could basically run up to the hotel windows (the lobby was on the ground floor) and look at them through them! I swear, it was SO cool!!!! I saw little Mac run around in the lobby, Avery was sitting by the fountain inside, the nanny was holding Zoe, and Jessie was standing by Walker. Zac was looking down and walking around the whole time and his hair covered his entire face (darn). Ike stood tiredly by Avery and Tay stood by himself and watched the luggage, he looked VERY absent-minded. At one point we were so pissed that we had missed them (considering I had been standing there from 3 till 11pm!) when they were walking in, we decided we had nothing to lose and so we stormed the hotel lobby! Yup, we just RAN in there like idiots, and I'll NEVER forget the look on Jessica's face when she saw us. I personally wasn't screaming, but the other girls did. And you might know how Jessica hates screaming fans. She had this completely AAROGANT look on her face and just STARED at us FROWNING. I felt SO ashamed to be there with those hysterical girls. I mean gosh, you have no idea how tired Zac, Ike and Tay looked.

It was terrible. They had these bags under their eyes, they weren't smiling or even looking at us. We felt totally ignored and at first we were disappointed with them. I mean, we were only 7 ppl, they could have at least WAVED to us or something you know? But when we were there, they just looked the other way and pretended they didn't see us. And at first I thought: "Oh great, now they've become these proud little stars, Mr Bigshots, unappreciative of their fans" you know?" But later that evening I really understood that they must have been exhausted and I'm sure that Walker didn't allow them to speak to us or anything since it was so late. I took pics that night, but it was so dark none of them came out. =o( That was that.

Then it was the day of the concert and I was in the first row, right in the middle. So tay was facing me, Ike was RIGHT in front of me and Zac...well nobody really saw much of Zac behind those drums. Then the day after the concert we went back to the hotel because we knew Hanson was leaving for London then. We met Hanson's personal DRIVER (!!) and he told us that they would come out at 5pm! And he was right, of course they did! And this time they actually came out through the main entrance, like we had thought from the beginning. First, Diana came out with the little ones, and some other friends of the family plus the crew. Mac would have his mouth opened the whole time (weirdo...hehe). I was yelling "Mac, Mac, look over here!" because I wanted to take a pic of him. And so he did, but he was opening his mouth the whole time! hehe...But Jessica of course grabbed his hand and dragged him off to the coach. Fans tried to take pics of them in there too, through the windows, but they drew the curtains. (Jessica did). She's very protective of Mac and Avery! Diana passed the fans without even looking our way, they were almost running in! Security held the fans back the whole time, but I took pretty good pics anyway! Thank god I have a good camera!

Well, and then the BIG moment. Hanson walked out with their dad behind them. They waved to us and looked really happy. (happier than 2 nights before)...they stopped for a moment on the steps of the coach and then the security let go and everybody ran up to the coach. Of course we all wanted autographs but Tay (who else) said "sorry, we can't, we really can't"...and he actually wasn't going to take any letters or pictures fans had written and drawn, but they almost threw it and begged him to take them, and he hesitated and said no, but after a while he took them one by one anyway (how sweet). I was in such a shock that I just stood there and snapped pics the whole time ya know?! (Those are the pics you can see of Tay in his brown leather jacket, on the steps of the coach) They waved for a while and then went away! That's the story! And the pics you have seen (of the siblings) are from when they're walking out of the hotel about to go to the coach, the day after the concert.

Sorry that it was so long!!!
Love Magda Wallmont