I can’t quite seem to pinpoint why EPCOT’s International Food and Wine Festival is one of my favorite times of the year at Walt Disney World (with Disney’s Hollywood Studio’s Star Wars Weekends being a close second). Perhaps it’s the smells wafting from each food kiosk, or maybe it’s the food in general. Wait, who am I kidding, it’s the music.
Each night from late September to mid-November during the Food and Wine Festival, World Showcase’s American Garden’s theatre is filled with the sounds of popular music groups during their Eat to the Beat concert series. This year, the schedule included Taylor Dayne (who opened the festival), Billy Ocean, Sister and Hazel, Gin Blossoms and of course, my personal favorite—Hanson.
With a week left to go, it’s always fun to just go to the shows for something to do. I’ve seen artists that I normally wouldn’t see, or see groups that I’ve always wanted to see and of course see those that I love to see over again. I don’t know what it is about seeing my favorite groups at EPCOT. Honestly, I think it’s the fact that there are multiple chances per day (three shows a day) to hear my favorite songs. I also think another part of it is the intimate nature of the American Garden’s theatre.
On October 31st and November 1st, I had the opportunity to risk my sanity and see my all-time favorite group, Hanson, a total of six times over two days. To a normal person, this might seem a little much, but it’s no different than seeing anyone else at Eat to the Beat. Well, it kind of is. Upon observation, besides the Hazelnuts (the fans of the band Sister Hazel), the Fansons (yes, that’s what we’re called) and some of the crazies and dedicated people I’ve ever seen. The line to get into the theatre was, at times, enormous. People traveled from all over (there was a fan from Brazil who made the trek to EPCOT) and paid admission to see the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma.
I’ve seen Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson before, but this time, it was slightly different. On Halloween they dressed up as Stormtroopers, and for all three shows that day, it made the crowd go crazy. If you’re wondering if they look off their helmets before they started singing, yes they did. While each set was somewhat the same, they did manage to mix it up with newer and older songs, while also playing fan favorites. Hearing “MMMBop” six times over two days never got old, and while it caused quite a few people to roll their eyes, I sang along each and every time. There is something about that song that keeps reminding me why I’ve stuck with them for 14 years.
After every Hanson concert, I go through withdrawals, but this time, it’s different. Some may call it “Hanson-overload”, but I call it a good time. If you have a chance to check them out, do it. If you have any pre-conceived notions of what a Hanson show could be like, put them aside. It was amazing to see people come to the shows at EPCOT and not know what they were about to experience and come out of it smiling.
-Katie Bonneau
Katie can be reached on twitter at @waltcast_katie
Photo Courtesy Faith Keay
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