Sorry I'm Not Home Right Now...

As I think I mentioned a few days ago, we recently bought tickets for the "reunion" show for No Doubt. I'm pretty stoked about this since they're apparently not touring in support of an album but rather hoping to get inspired by being on the road. To me, this represents a much higher possibility that they'll play older songs. I hope. I really, really hope.

In honor of that (and the fact that I think at last count, we had totaled seeing them about a dozen times), I dug through Gigposters.com to look for some No Doubt shows that I've actually attended. I only found one...



However... if my memory and dates are right, this is the show I attended with my friend Brian during midterms when I had a sinus infection. Awesome, huh? I had a pounding headache the entire time but had a blast. Of course, the next morning when I had to take a Sociology midterm, I wasn't so happy but as a former boss of mine once opined, "That's the price you pay to the party gods."

The other memorable moment of that show was... well, let's preface this by saying I'm a pretty big guy and "back in the day" when I used to go to a lot of shows, I kinda shoved my way around to get to the front of crowds. On this particular night, in a tiny venue, I was determined to be on the barricade when No Doubt hit the stage.

I was very close to that goal by the time they came on... but the damndest thing about No Doubt shows was that you always had to deal with pint-sized girls who had no qualms about stomping feet and throwing elbows in strategic soft targets to get their way. So, I was a few feet from the barricade but a sharpshootin' child kept drilling me in the twig and berries with her razor-sharp elbow. It was quite maddening not to mention painful. I can't for the life of me remember how I got past her but I did somehow manage it.

On this night, that wasn't a good decision for me though as I was constantly being rained down on by crowdsurfers trying to get over the railing but falling short... right on my head... repeatedly. With my brain pounding on the sides of my skull trying to be released from its anguish, I was in a lot of pain and growing short on patience.

So, after one too many little girls landed on the back of my head, I reached over my head backwards with both hands and did my very best Ultimate Warrior impression as I gorilla pressed her high in the sky and threw her in the direction of the stage. She managed to clear the railing as well as the security guards right past it. A guard who should've been playing center field somewhere managed to basket catch her moments before she crashed down on the stage. And to top it off, she got a high five from Gwen before being dragged away.

That high five is how I rationalize that I nearly caused physical distress on a likely waaaay underage child... but she was okay by it in the end.

I don't really have a point to this story. But if you've been reading this page for more than a week, you probably already guessed that. If this is your first time...

Welcome! Enjoy your stay!

Hey! Check that out! The back side of water!