World tour, p.26
World Tour, page 26
Kris is the same height and stature as Darrell, except that she has really dark black hair, short, and her face is curvier, with an angled chin and a boney nose. She’s attractive, but Darrell is definitely the prettier of the two. “Hi, guys. I’m Kristina, Darrell’s sister, but you can call me Kris if you want me to answer you.”
Getting up off the couch, I go to shake her hand, giving her a nod and a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” She grins. Darrell and Kris have the same smile, too.
When I go take my place beside Darrell again, Wade elbows me in the ribs. “Hey, she doesn’t look as ‘damaged’ as you let on, man. You see how she’s latched on to Corey?” he murmurs as Darrell goes to rewind the tape, so we can start it over. I’m guessing so Corey can see it, too.
“Then it doesn’t matter, anyway, now, does it?” I scoff, feeling irritated. “Hey, where’s Gordon?”
Wade takes a sip of beer from a can that Bobby just handed him. “With a groupie out back, I think.”
“There are groupies here?” Kris hisses, clearly impressed. She’s starstruck, and I’m suddenly glad that Darrell is the one we’re doing business with, but then I get the feeling that maybe Darrell doesn’t share some of her work bullshit with her sister. I assume that a lot of it has to be kept confidential. Not unless you don’t want to continue doing business with bands. You can’t bite the hand that feeds you, so to speak. “Can I go see?”
“Easy, killer.” Darrell say, and I feel her embarrassment. “Keep this up and I’ll go buy nosebleed seats for you from that scalper that tried to pick me up.”
“Alright, alright.” Kris whines. “How are you not crawling out of your skin? I mean, ‘Swivel’ is going to be here any minute, and we’re hanging around with the guys from ‘Brave Face’! How surreal is this?”
“They’re people, Kris. And they’re also people I do business with, so please stop embarrassing me, or they may never invite us back, or do business with me again, for that matter.”
“It’s okay, Darrell.” Bobby smiles.
“Easy for you to say. At least you didn’t pull a gun on her.” Darrell jokes as the tape finishes rewinding. “Okay. Should we wait for Gordon?”
“Err…he may be a while, sweetheart.” Wade says. “I saw him grab a handful of condoms before he left.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh…okay.” She snorts a laugh. “Well, he at least knows when the show’s going to start, right?”
“We flip for who’s going to go get him.” I explain, only half-joking. We really do have to go find him usually. It’s starting to piss me off if I’m being honest. I mean, we have to get revved up to go on stage, and he’s usually out the back fucking some chick, and he proceeds to fuck another one right after the show, too.
“It’s my turn.” Wade interjects. “Fuck him. We’ll watch the video without him.”
I gesture with my hand for her to proceed. “Okay.” She nods, pressing play. I pat the couch, so she’ll come sit next to me again. Kris takes the seat right next to Darrell and is all ears. The video is so awesome. I love it. I could watch it over and over again. The footage comes to life the way she did it. With the filters and highlights she used, the naturalness of the video is brought out, without it looking fake or embellished.
“Man, I’m very impressed, babe.” I say, and I inwardly chide myself for calling her that. She must think it’s part of the backstage rock & roll lingo, because she lets it roll off her back.
“What do you guys think?” she says to the room, after smiling at me.
“It’s fucking awesome, Darrell.” Kris says. “I’ve seen your work, and this is, hands down, one of your best.”
“Thanks, sis.” She grins.
“Yeah, it’s awesome. I’ll book you to do the next single as soon as I get the green light from Crimson.” Bobby says.
“Man, I can’t wait to see this thing on MTV. We’re going to tear them up.” Wade compliments. “You done good, kid.”
“Thanks. It’s my job.” She says modestly. Then she addresses her sister. “Well, Kris, should we let these guys get ready? The show starts in about twenty minutes, right?”
“Yeah. Hey, Wade, go hunt down Gordon. Whether he’s finished or not.” Bobby instructs, and we watch Wade saunter out the back door.
Darrell rises with her sister and looks at me. “Well, thanks again for letting us come back here, and for giving us great seats.”
“How do you know you have good seats?” I tease. “You don’t even know where you’re sitting yet.”
“I’m sure they’ll be much better than what I could get at the door.” She says matter-of-factly.
I turn to face Bobby. “Hey, can they sit behind the speaker cabinets? Have we got enough room with ‘Swivel’s shit back there, too?”
“I’ll check.” Bobby says and exits.
“Speaker cabinets?” Darrell asks me as Kris keeps eying Corey up and down while he takes his shirt off and starts tapping his drumsticks on the wooden benches by the wall.
“Yeah, at the side of the stage. They’re the best seats in the house besides front row, and at least back there, you won’t get trampled in the mosh pit.” I explain.
“Oh my God!” Kris gushes, starstruck again.
“Relax, Kris.” Darrell admonishes, and then she addresses me again. “Don’t you have to reserve those seats for more important people? Don’t you have like a V.I.P. list or something?”
“No, not really. This is our first show, remember.”
She rolls her eyes and sighs, embarrassed. “Oh my God. This is your first show! Why aren’t you like…puking or something? Why did you guys invite us back here, when this is your first show?”
“Relax, babe.” There it is again. “We’ve done hundreds of shows, just not with this many people. It’s not that much different. Sure, we’re a little bent out of shape because we want to charm the pants off the audience and ‘Swivel’, but this type of stuff is like breathing to us.”
Bobby re-enters the room. “It’s done. Mark’ll take you guys over to where you’re sitting.”
“Did you get them a spot at the side?” I ask.
“Sure, yeah. They’re going to sit by Stu.” Stu is one of my guitar technicians.
“Okay.” I nod at Bobby, and then turn back to face the girls. “Mark’s a good guy. He’ll show you the way. And Stu’s a good guy, too, he’s my guitar tech. He’ll be passing me my guitars, so I’ll see you when I come back that way. You’ll have a great view from there.”
“You guys are so awesome.” Darrell says warmly. “I wish I could give you the video for free. If it were up to me, I would.”
I kiss her on the cheek. “Don’t sweat it, babe. I’ll see you after the show.”
Man, what is it with that?
Chapter 5
Darrell
I was so apprehensive, thinking that the guys would be all nerves or all business backstage, so I made sure that I fit the part, and me and Kris got all dressed up for the concert. I’m so nervous I almost can’t take a deep breath without effort. But when we arrive, aside from Kris humiliating me with her teenage-like behavior, it goes off without a hitch. After we watch the video and the guys all give me a thumbs up, we’re led to a special place between the audience and center stage, where we can see everything.
The lights are dimmed as we await ‘Brave Face’ to come on stage. There is a din of noise as fans scramble to get into their seats. It’s a full house for miles, as fans wait to see both ‘Brave Face’ and ‘Swivel’, two of the hottest bands around. Even though ‘Swivel’ only has one single out, it’s hit the charts hard, and it gets so much radio play, I don’t know who doesn’t know the lyrics off by heart, unless you live under a rock or don’t own a radio.
Randy told me that they’re going to be playing a bunch of tunes from their new record, which they’re in the middle of cutting, plus one or two cover tunes that they haven’t decided whether or not will make it on to their first record. Kristina is acting like she’s at least ten years younger, whistling, screaming aloud, egging the people around us on, and then I realize that I’m always so goddamn busy earning a paycheck, that I forgot how to have fun. So I join her.
We’re making enough noise when the lights come on, that we almost drown out the screams from Randy’s guitar, but not quite. He squeals the whammy bar so loud I have to cover my ears for a half second, until he leads into a slamming riff, as the guys all shuffle onto the stage. My heart is beating so fast I feel faint. When I see Randy take the stage on our side, the smile on my face is a mile wide. He’s got incredible talent. And it helps that he’s shirtless, and already glistening under the hot lighting, not to mention what kind of warmup exercises they do backstage that I wasn’t privy to.
I can’t take my eyes off him. I mean, when I saw him in the footage, it was different. I’ve seen him without a shirt on. I’ve seen him play his guitar. I’ve seen him sweat. But all bets are off when he’s twenty feet from me, doing all these things live. Good…God. I’m not sure who’s drooling more; me or Kris. Her jaw is wide open as she views Corey from behind the drum risers. Wade is a natural as he goes to the front of the stage, batting out the lyrics to the beginning of a song that I’m unfamiliar with, and I’m guessing is one of theirs, because it’s definitely not a cover tune, but it kicks ass and is as catchy as hell.
By the second chorus, the whole audience, including me and Kris, are singing along, it’s that addictive and their engagement with the audience is that electric. These guys are going to go far with their talent. Randy, with his smiles, tossing guitar picks out into the audience, and then squealing into a smoking riff that blows the pants off of any other guitar player I’ve ever heard, Wade, with his en pointe singing, unique style and getting right in front, touching the hands of the crowd, throwing caution to the wind. Gordon, with this look on his face like he’s having the time of his life, and Corey, hitting the beats with pure perfection, slamming his head in the air as if banging it against something, with sheer energy.
I’m so pumped I feel lighter than air as we sit at the best seats in the house, watching what I feel is one of the most popular rock bands of the eighties being born, and I realize that this job, despite the bullshit, is so worth it. Out of all the garbage that I have to put up with on a daily basis, this makes up for it. It’s a privilege to be here, and they’re only the opening band! Randy goes into a guitar solo just after the second verse, and I’m mesmerized. It’s like the guitar is an extension of his body, he’s so natural with it. He barely has to look at it, he’s so versed.
Fingers tapping, and then a hammer-on, I watch his digits dance on the fretboard magically, as if possessed. He’s so in his element, it’s like he’s in his own dimension, and he loves it. The positive vibe coming from him matches the vibe from the other band members, as Wade sings like it’s the last song he’ll ever sing, but that’s how he does it. I can’t help but sing aloud, clap, and scream in time with the music. When the song ends, Randy takes a few steps back, and I realize that he’s coming toward us.
“You like that tune, girls?” he asks, smiling at us in the semi-darkness. God, he’s so sexy I could die. Forget that I basically work for him. Forget that he’s married to a gorgeous blonde. Forget that he’s so out of my league I’m blessed to be sharing a roof with him tonight. Randy Jackson is the sexiest, most talented man alive to me, and I’ll never forget this night for as long as I live. I’ll never be able to look at him the same way again. He’s like an enigma.
As if floating, I answer dreamily. “It’s kickass.”
He scoffs and smirks a sexy little smile that only he can pull off, while his guitar technician takes his guitar from him and hands him another one. “Pay attention, because if you thought that one was kickass, the next one will blow you away.” He winks, and I feel like I could melt into a puddle on the stage floor. Who’s starstruck now? Kris gives me a look. “Uh oh.” She grins. “I know that look.”
I don’t care. “Isn’t he…”
“He is, but be careful, sis. He’s also taken.”
“Not in my head he’s not.”
She chuckles, gesturing at him with her chin. “That man will break your heart into a million pieces, Darrell. Admire him from afar if you know what’s good for you.”
“I know what’s good for me.” I say, watching him walk to the front of the stage as the drumming starts into the next song. “Him.”
She chuckles as they rip into their second song with a drum beat that starts slow and then moves faster at a graduated pace, until Corey is pounding so hard it’s a wonder that he only has two hands. The crowd is going wild, and Kris and I are screaming and cheering like two teenagers high on root beer and pop rocks. Randy breaks into a few jumps high in the air while playing, and my jaw drops. Then he does something that makes me squeal. He makes a run for the speaker cabinets, right towards us, and leaps into the air, still playing his guitar, and kicks the cabinets with both feet in the air. I’m guessing that this is a routine move or it was part of the play, because his guitar technician and a few roadies are at the ready as the cabinets sway from the force. They grab the cabinets while out of sight behind them, and prevent them from falling, as Randy is hailed a guitar hero.
What an awesome sight to see. Both Kris and I are clapping until our palms are chaffed. The adrenaline is pumping through my veins so fast my whole body feels like it’s humming. I can’t take my eyes off him. I’ve never been one to fall so fast or hard for someone, but this is it. I’m not sure if this is just me getting caught up in the moment, as I’ve never experienced this sort of thing before, or what. Growing up, concerts were nothing more than nosebleed seats for mediocre bands, and most of them were just tag-alongs with Kris, who was much more a raving fan.
I got into the business I’m in sort of by accident. While I was doing a major project in my senior year in high school, a friend of mine, whose father was an agent for a huge metal band back then, hooked me up with the manager, and I did some marketing materials for them as part of my marketing project. After that, I had a little bit of clout in the industry, and despite the side jobs I did being strictly volunteer-based, it lent me a hand in building the career that I have now. Graduating at the head of my class in high school gave me a head start for college, and it just took off from there.
While I was in college, I already worked for Brian part-time, as he was building the production company, and when I graduated from college, Brian all but handed me the reigns. Until then, I’d met many bands, but I was always able to keep things professional…until now. God, how am I going to do this? I mean, I’ve been given tickets for concerts here and there, but most of the time, the seats were still nosebleeds, not that I’m ungrateful, because the shows were sold out and getting tickets would be next to impossible, but this…this is beyond what I could have ever imagined.
It’s like I’m on a spiritual high. Watching Randy and the boys perform at this distance is almost like being on the stage with them. Especially when he turns around while he’s playing and looks at us, as if asking our opinion of his performance. We both give him the thumbs up and it seems as though our response spurs him on, because he rips into a riff that, yes, as he says, blows our mind. The whole song is over the top and the crowd is so loud it’s a wonder we can hear the music over them. How the hell ‘Swivel’ is going to top this is beyond me.
The set is over so fast, I feel like time has stood still. The audience is screaming so loud for an encore, that I feel like the roof is going to implode. It’s so loud my body is vibrating. I actually place my hand on Kris’s shoulder to feel the vibration, and she smiles, nodding, as if she knows exactly what I’m thinking. But then I realize, as the boys don’t exit the stage, that the ending is feigned. They were never going to leave it with the energy as high as it is. This was staged. This band is genius. They turn down the lights for a moment, and the crowd responds with more shouting and screaming. It’s like ‘Brave Face’ has been around for decades the way that the audience responds to them. And just when we think that they really are leaving, they come back with a bang.
The lights come on even brighter, with colored spotlights, smoke pots that go off in front of the drum risers, as Wade takes a huge leap from the front of them, diving into the air like he’s performing in some Cirque de Soleil act, and more lighting goes off. Corey’s got a gong behind the drums, and I can’t help but wonder what on earth he’s going to do with that, aside from make one hell of a racket. Randy pummels into another riff, shredding so fast his hands are almost barely visible, with the reach between his fingers almost inhuman, and I shake my head, thinking that this is the greatest band that ever lived.
Kris and I scream and shout in time with the audience, dancing and gyrating to another fabulously catchy tune, but this one has serious balls, and then I realize that they’ve played all their own songs. Not one of them was a cover tune, and yet the crowd sang along like they’d heard the material hundreds of times. When the song comes to a close, Corey shocks us all by igniting the flammable ring around the gong, and hitting it with a lit club, putting us all into another level of awe. It’s like the best show I’ve ever seen in my life. We’re placed in total darkness for a moment, and then the band all appears at the front of the stage, hand-in-hand, to take their departing bows.
Kris and I are whistling and clapping and carrying on so loudly, I almost can’t hear the rest of the audience. We see Mark approaching, gesturing for us to come with him, as this part of the show is over, and part of me feels disappointed that it’s finished, but the other part of me feels totally exhilarated to have been a part of it. “Come on with me, girls. The stage crew for ‘Swivel’ will kick you out if they catch you hanging around the side of the stage.” Mark says.
“No problem.” I answer with a smile on my face so wide my cheeks hurt. We follow him into the same room we were in before the show, and my heart skips a beat when I catch a glimpse of Randy from the corner of my eye. It’s only for a second, but our eyes lock, and he winks at me quickly, before a camera is shoved in his face, and we’re led to the room. I’m relieved, because I figured that we would be escorted to the exit, but instead we’re taken back to the green room. “Don’t we have to leave?” I ask Mark.
