But here they are, crammed into a security office as they wait to greet 4,000 fans packed into the Westfield Shoppingtown Mall, located a few miles across the border from Staind's hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts.

A half-hour before the fanfare commences, the restless crowd — each waiting to get close to their local heroes — stands neatly corralled by security while a DJ from Hartford modern rock station WCCC "The Rock" fills the air with cacophonous music.

Staind, meanwhile, are huddled in the makeshift green room, sampling a catering tray and getting briefed on specifics by their road manager and label reps. Every few minutes they're interrupted by friends, family and station staffers looking for a little face time.

That time is precious, as this week saw the release of Staind's third album, Break the Cycle. Nevertheless, the guys feign smiles as they scrawl their names on everything from posters and publicity photos to copies of the new LP on demand.

"I can't believe this is in a mall," frontman Aaron Lewis mumbles while leaving the quiet confines of the security office. "F---ing Tiffany sh--," he says, finding nothing funny about treading the same path as the '80s mall-pop queen. But when a group of this magnitude comes home on the heels of a highly anticipated new album, no independent record store within a 25-mile radius can withstand the sheer breadth of its fans and handlers.

Behind a table erected near the Naturalizer shoe store, Lewis, guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny "Old School" April and drummer Jon Wysocki plant themselves for more than three hours of bonding and signing. A steady stream of passersby stretch their necks to see what the commotion is all about — an intensely personal band caught in a surreal portrait of suburban sameness.

While some fans are there simply to have the band sign their just-purchased copies of Break the Cycle — which arrived in stores two days before the event — others are there to say thanks to four men they consider to be more than musicians.