Celeb Sighting

So, the store was graced today by yet another celebrity that I couldn't have picked out of a lineup - Noodles from The Offspring.

His arrival had a few of us standing around reminiscing about The Offspring and seeing them in concert. Of course, since I'm one of the "elder statesmen" of the store, I have a longer history to draw from. Some folks were talking about seeing them on Warped in 2004 or some such. I predate that by close to a decade.

But as I stood around and really thought about it, I recalled some strong Offspring-related memories that brought a smile to my face.

Someone mentioned that Smash was the first CD they ever bought and that they bought it at Tower Records for some horribly marked-up price. I couldn't remember when I bought it. But I did very vividly remember someone else buying it. It was the summer of '94 after high school graduation and I was on my way to first concert (Stone Temple Pilots, by the way) in a venue that now is just down the street for me - the place formerly known as Irvine Meadows. There were four of us in the car that day. My friend Danny and his sister Amy, my friend Brian, and myself. We stopped at the Virgin Megastore in Costa Mesa on our way to the show. It was my first time at the store and I was overwhelmed. In the end, our poor asses settled on one CD each. I couldn't tell you what Brian bought but Amy bought the Weezer album, I bought a Beastie Boys album [that I long ago sold] and Danny bought Smash.

Offspring was also responsible for my first and only concert-related vomit. It was Offspring at the Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hills. There was a pit that I was circling, circling, circling - until I took a sucker punch in the gut and hurled right in the middle of the pit. It was the last song and I simply staggered to the side, shoved my way clear, and slumped down to sit on the ground until the show ended. Good times.

Offspring was also "in the house" for the Missus' first "real general admission" show. She didn't know what to expect - something I quickly realized when she showed up for a show at the sweltering Hollywood Palladium in a sweater. I had to physically yank her out of the way of a pit opening up a few feet in front of her as she got soaked in beer. Again, I say... good times.

Oh, and Offspring was responsible for me getting to see the Beastie Boys... sorta.