Found in Surf City

Jose Paul Corona

The look on Jordan Pundik’s face said it all.

As he walked out of the Tilly’s clothing store at Five Points

Plaza in Huntington Beach the lead singer of New Found Glory was

astonished when he saw the size of the crowd outside the store

waiting to meet him and his fellow band members. More than 500 eager

teenagers swarmed the storefront to meet the band and get autographs

on Monday.

The line to meet the rock stars snaked all the way down the length

of the strip-mall.

Young girls in hip-hugger pants and black-leather studded belts

shrieked and screamed the names of the band members as they exited

the store.

“It’s weird,” Pundik said with astonishment as he greeted fans and

signed autographs. “People want my autograph. I’m just a kid.”

The 22-year-old never thought that people would be screaming his

name when they saw him, let alone that they’d know all the words to

his songs.

When the band was formed in 1997, Pundik was only 17 and there was only one thing on his mind.

“I just wanted to get out of Florida,” Pundik said.

The punk band calls Coral Springs, Fla., home but are on the road

now promoting their latest album, “Sticks and Stones.”

After signing autographs for their adoring fans, the group was

whisked away by a limousine to their sold-out show at the House of

Blues in Downtown Disney.

Their music has been played on L.A.-based radio station KROQ-FM

(106.7), one of the most popular radio stations in the region.

The band is known for its incessant touring and incredibly

energetic live shows, in which Pundik likes to get fans involved.

“I like to go down in the crowd and let them sing,” he said.

That dedication to their fans is obvious.

While they had only an hour in Huntington Beach, they weren’t

going to leave until they gave each and every fan an autograph.

They signed, pictures, posters, CDs, guitars, T-shirts, several

body parts and posed for pictures without question or complaint.

They also gave two of their more dedicated fans tickets to their

sold-out show that night.

Long Beach residents Mike Fodor, 20 and Alan Rosenquist, 19, both

rabid fans, arrived at Tilly’s at 2 a.m. Monday. They weren’t sure

how big the crowd was going to be and they wanted to make sure that

they got a good spot in line.

They got the first spot in line.

“We thought it was going to be packed,” Rosenquist said.

The two Long Beach City College students sat in a white Volkswagen

GTI and didn’t see anyone in the store until 9 a.m., when the first

employee arrived. Rather then being chased away or accused of

loitering, employees brought them chairs, gave them water and allowed

them to use the store’s restroom.

The long wait was definitely worth it, the fans said.

“Those are the coolest guys I’ve ever met,” Rosenquist said. “This

is magical. This is better then Disneyland.”