Jumping off to the side of the circle pit, I bent down to put my shoe back on. Without hesitation, 4-5 people quickly locked their arms together and formed a “shoe back on protection circle” around me until I stood back up. I’m used to crowds taking care of each other, picking up fallen fans and keeping an eye on one another, but this crowd took that to a new level.

Bad Religion and The Offspring took the stage after Pennywise and Stiff Little Fingers at the Mesa Amphitheater on August 29. Such a fantastic lineup and a sold out crowd, lead to a night full of fantastic moments that will no doubt last in all of our minds.

Memorable Moments:

• A rather large guy noticed a fellow concert goer retying his shoe on the edge of the circle pit, and stepped in front of him to make sure nobody ran him over. After the shoe was tied, this rather large fellow plowed right into the circle pit, heading against the flow of traffic, fans bouncing off of him in every direction with a few people taking him head on, only to be stopped in their tracks.
• Just after a massive pileup in the pit, only moments after everyone was back on their feet, a massive wall of bodies, sweat and dirt came barreling around the circle, backed by wildly flashing strobes, blasting guitar and a roaring crowd. Such a wonderful sight caused me to stop in my tracks and stare at the madness for a brief moment.
• Barely keeping balance, running, jumping, pushing and being pushed in every direction while screaming the lyrics to Bad Religion’s “Infected”. Catching glimpses of faces passing by, each one shouting in time with the other.
• A bra flies up on stage, gets picked up and shown to the crowd, who responds in a roar of cheers. A few songs later, a full grown man was rushing his way around the pit without a shirt, but instead wearing that same bra. Full circle?

In between moments of the sold out crowd singing along to Bad Religion’s “Sorrow” and The Offspring’s “Come Out And Play”, fans pushed, jumped, and threw their fists in the air. And despite having a few new bruises the next day, I don’t think I stopped smiling at any point during the show.