You Know You're a Bowling For Soup Fan When...

You've been told "it's just a phase" by every adult you've ever met. It's been 20+ years. It's not a phase...

You used to sing "1985" and laugh at Debbie. Now you sing it and say "...oh no, that's me."

One day you realized you're a lot more like Debbie than you thought. You used to laugh along from a safe distance. Here you are now, wondering what happened to that plan as you take your daily medication. Debbie was never the punchline. She was a warning.

You've sung "Ohio (Come Back to Texas)" in a venue that is, geographically, nowhere near either of those states.

The need to wave your hands in the air and shout along to a song about a state that most of the audience has never been to is unavoidable. Nobody cared. Everyone knew the words anyway.

You've told yourself "I'll just grab one shirt" and left the merch table with a bag.

There was a shirt, then a hoodie, then a poster you have no wall space for, and somehow a thing you didn't know the band made. You'll wear all of it. Your bank account saw none of this coming, and neither did your friends who "weren't buying anything."

You're more than "just a fan."

"Just a fan" would be "I like that song they play on the radio." You own the albums and the merch. The posters on your wall are now accompanied by shelves that are more than just shelves. They're shrines. You go to at least one show every time they tour in your country, because state lines were made to be crossed. You know every song on the setlist (and aren't afraid to share your opinions about it), and you probably own more than one version of an album because of a bonus track. This is a lifestyle. And it has an excellent soundtrack.

You've said "I'm not even that drunk" at a Bowling For Soup show.

Oh, you were.

You have a favorite deep cut, and you will defend it.

Ask ten fans for their favorite album and you'll get eleven answers. The catalog is huge, and "I only know the hits" is an expression nobody here has ever used.

You've gone to a show alone and left with six new friends.

Maybe a stranger's phone number, definitely a stranger's drink, and a bond that will last a lifetime. Fan page meetups are a regular occurrence before Bowling For Soup shows, and a real testament to the incredible online community of fans. If you're not familiar with it, go join nearly 16k members in discussing all things Bowling For Soup.

You've introduced a friend to the band, and they've said "wait, THAT'S them?"

They've been in your head since 2004, and you didn't even know you knew. No, they didn't do that song. Yes, they are the graduation band in Britney Spears' 2002 film Crossroads.

You've said "one more song" and meant it, three times.

The band has been very patient with you. They probably stayed on the stage because there were, in Jaret's words, "fucking stairs involved." Did you really think they wouldn't play "1985"?

You've waved at the band, and the band has waved back.

Other bands have mystique. This one has a friendly wave. You've been told, mid-show, "Hey, did you know that we are Bowling For Soup, the band you can wave to?" and then waved back like your life depended on it, and felt weirdly emotional about the whole thing.

You've asked yourself, "Are they bowling on behalf of soup, or to earn soup?"

It's a question as old as the band itself. Don't worry, Jaret from your favorite band Bowling For Soup has got you.

If you nodded along to more than three of these, congratulations. You're one of us. Grab a drink, find your people, and we'll see you up front.

And if you spot us across the room? You know what to do. Not all bands wave back, but we do.

What did we miss? Tell us your "You know you're a BFS fan when..." in the comments or tag us on socials.