By Michael Burgos (June 6, 2002)

I don’t know if anyone could understand or realize how amazing it was. I think I may have gotten the most out of the thousands of fans that attended that night, and it was definitely the best day of my life.

It was a Friday afternoon, and I had been having a great day already. It definitely helped my mood to know that I would be seeing my favorite band of the past six years. Every class went by during the day as smooth as a baby’s butt, and nothing of negativity came about to deter my state of well being. 

I met up with a George Mason graduate of 2001 who said her friend had an extra ticket for the No Doubt show that was to be held in D.C. We then ate, and took the metro to the site of the venue, the George Washington Smith Center. Her friends were to meet up with us outside the venue. 

When we arrived at the building, there was already a line going half way around the block of people waiting to get inside; and we had arrived a couple of hours early. Waiting outside the venue, a couple of interesting things occurred. First off, there was a frat house across the small street from the Smith Center. As they noticed the growing crowd, college kids started coming out and doing wacky things for attention. They then put huge speakers in the windows and started blasting music and were dancing and goofing around. Out of no where, (and I’m not sure if she was associated with the house) a woman started dancing around topless in the street proudly letting her bosoms fly about acting as if this was commonplace. With no sign of the exhibitionist letting up, the crowd had a mixed vibe of emotion in it, mainly disgust. I found it humorous, and it definitely gave people something to talk about before the show. 

The attention of the crowd was certainly shifted elsewhere as Gwen (vocals) and Tony (bass) were coming in the back entrance to the venue for sound check. People started screaming, and I got as close as I could to take a quick snapshot. Because of security, no one could get anywhere close to the two. Little did I know, I’d be able to get closer to them, a lot closer.

We had been waiting in line for some time now, and it had even started moving, yet there was no sign of her friends anywhere. We needed them to come! They had our tickets! (Even though we hadn’t paid for them yet) A very lucky thing then happened, and I seized the chance as soon as I could. A man with two extra tickets was looking to sell them for face value. (Ticketmaster charges face value and a service fee) Seeing how these would be the cheapest tickets you could probably get, I approached him and the transaction was made. The two of us now had our tickets, and what luck. It turned out that her friends showed up after we had gotten inside. 

Cutting to the chase of the concert, using my mad maneuvering skills due to concert experience, I ended up in the ABSOLUTE FRONT & ABSOLUTE CENTER for the show. The opening band, The Faint, did not seem to do much for the crowd, but they put a lot into it, and I can only have respect for musicians, being one myself, especially ones touring with my favorite band. 

They left the stage, and then came the break in between acts. The stage was being set for No Doubt, the music techs were checking everything and anything before hand to make sure the show would run nicely. The crowd got packed more tightly, and the time ticked on. Chants of "No Doubt" started, and eventually…the lights went out. This is the universal sign that a band is coming on. 

The screaming couldn’t be stopped. They were here again. It had been some time since I had last seen No Doubt. It was good to have them back. Every time I see them it’s awesome. They are my idols, the ones I listen to so often and that are on TV and in the papers all the time. The show started and it was going so great. Nothing could have been better. The only other place I may have wanted to be was behind the kit with Adrian (drums). He’s been the number one influence on me over the past 6 years. No Doubt had the first album that I ever bought. They were the first band I ever saw. Adrian is the reason I got into drumming. I went on stage in my boxers for the JV Show because of him. I purchased the same exact cymbals he uses, and I use them in the same way Adrian does (positioning with the drums). I shaved my head and left two spots of hair for devils horns like the ones he sported for some time. Anyway, No Doubt has been a HUGE influence on me.

By the fourth song or so, No Doubt started playing "Simple Kind of Life". One of the greatest moments happened during that song as they played their single from their "Return of Saturn" album. During the song, there is a pause like moments when the music stops/fades out, and it’s only Gwen singing the lyrics, "You seem like you’d be a good dad." During that line, Gwen stopped, pointed right at me, looked me in the eyes and sung those eight words. It was the coolest connection I had ever made with a performer up to that moment. 

Throughout the show, I made a lot more contact with the band singing along and making eye contact wit the various members. Such fun! When No Doubt was done performing, they left the stage as usual. It was the forth time I had seen them so I knew they’d have an encore. After a few minutes after the chants and cheering, No Doubt victoriously returned. Tony carried out Gwen on his shoulders and a Heineken in his hand. They played three more songs, and then were done for good this time. They were waving goodbye to the crowd, then all of a sudden Tom (guitar) came up to shake a few hands. Being in the front, I got to shake the hand of the guitarist from the band whom I love so much. It was great. Then, unexpectedly, Gwen came up and shook fewer hands, but I got to be one of those people as well. It was so awesome. I got to shake Tom AND Gwen’s hands! What happened next put too much icing on the cake and made it too sweet to eat. Adrian took the four sticks he had been using during the show in his hand, and he made his way to the front of the stage. It was kind of surreal. Adrian, he came right up to me in the front, and gave me a PAIR of his drumsticks, my idol, this guy whom has influenced and inspired me for so long. Adrian then tossed the other two sticks out individually deep in the crowd, waved a bit longer, then left to the tour bus which had his new born baby on it. 

Everyone was leaving the building, and I was thinking, just so much, everything was so perfect, so good. I was so happy. Man, it was crazy. I bought a shirt and poster as I normally do, and exited the building.

I’ll cut to the next cool part quickly. I had left the building, and I just happened to bring No Doubt’s latest CD with me with a sharpie just in case I could meet any of them. I did not expect much to happen. Then, in an unreal fashion, Tony came out when only a few fans were left, and it was just like, "Whoa, it’s Tony." Making sure I didn’t do something I’d regret (not speaking), I went to meet him, shook his hand, got his autograph on their CD insert, and actually talked to him. I was totally calm, and didn’t even think much of it at the time. It was weird having him next to me in the flesh, conversing. Just kind of like another surreal thing. 

After that, the buses left, we took the metro home, and went to the Metro 29 diner in Arlington. I went home incredibly content having had such significant interaction with the four main members of No Doubt. I got to shake Tom Dumont’s hand, I got to shake Gwen Stefani’s hand and got serenaded by her, I got to meet, talk to and got the autograph of Tony Kanal, and my idol of so long, Adrian Young, came up to me and gave me a pair of the drumsticks he used. I think I got the most from that concert out of the thousands of fans there, and it was definitely the best day of my life, and the best show ever.