Lifehouse performs at Best Buy
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Shoppers heading into Thousand Oaks' Best Buy store to pick up a movie or browse for appliances were surprised to see a line curving around the building last month.

The crowd wasn't due to a sale or new release but a bigname concert that swept in and out of town in just a few hours.

The band Lifehouse performed June 20 in the car audio section in the back of the store, with fans pushed right up to the mini-stage, filling the aisles of headphones and keyboards.

"Welcome to Best Buy," said singer-songwriter Jason Wade. "This is really cool. I'm from right down the road, used to shop here. Ya'll from Thousand Oaks? T.O., right on."

Wade lived for a time in Agoura Hills, and his band got its start playing at a church in Malibu. Now with a few albums under the belt, Lifehouse is touring the country with the Goo Goo Dolls, stopping for a few hours to perform on Best Buy's unlikely stage.

The band played three songs, including the hit "Hanging by a Moment," inspiring screams from the crowd. Kids were hoisted onto the shoulders of their moms, and teens snapped photos on their phones throughout the set. An encore was demanded, and on the day of its release, the sad and soft "Broken" was played off the new CD.

Kellie Fietsch, 18, and Lauren Mathews, 17, who both graduated from Westlake High School last month, attended the concert together.

"It was really great," said Fietsch. "We were just saying that they sounded just like they do on the CD. They were so good live."

She and Lauren, along with the rest of the crowd, lined up to meet the band and get autographs.

Lifehouse jammed for more than 300 fans at the somewhat impromptu show. Best Buy manager Rob Guzman said he was pleased with the way the concert was run.

"It was very smooth and well organized," Guzman said. "We had a lot of compliments on how efficient it was. (The concert) was awesome."