I was trying to capture every moment of their performance, every detail. This was the stuff people wanted to see. They wanted to see their idols on stage, the passion in their eyes as they sang and played their hearts out. The film crew had multiple cameras filming the whole thing, but their footage wouldn’t be released for months. The stuff I was getting would be instantaneous, from my smartphone’s camera to their fan’s eager eyes.
My staff badge allowed me to get into the upper balconies and take some shots from the audience’s point of view. The venue wasn’t too big, and it was still possible to get a good look at the guys on stage from up there.
I made sure to capture a photo of the audience awash in a sea of glowing lighters. I also posted some of what the fans were screaming out loud, both at the guys and to their friends, especially when the exclamations were funny or risqué. One girl even talked about throwing her panties on the stage hoping Kell would take them. I was sure he would get a kick out of it.
When the concert began winding down, I made my way backstage to snap some pictures of the guys leaving the spotlight. They liked to linger, throwing the crowd guitar picks, drum sticks, water bottles, towels and any other items not bolted down to the stage. Kell used to tear off his shirts, but Deena scolded him for causing riots among the fans and giving away his wardrobe.
“We only have so many pieces of clothing for you to wear on stage,” she’d told him.
“I’ll go shirtless,” he’d replied, dismissing her concerns. She’d just looked resigned.
Feral Silence was on the cusp of hitting it big. Their growth had been organic, and their fans were rabid. The hope was that their sophomore album and secret tour would be enough to catapult them to worldwide stardom.
“Keep up the good work.” Deena clapped me on the shoulder as I walked by, not lifting her eyes from her clipboard. “I’ve seen the stuff you’ve been posting. It’s great. Just the thing we’re looking for.”
It was good to know I was on the right track. I hadn’t been given any kind of content marketing guidance. They’d mostly left me to my own devices, letting me decide what to post, how, and when. I only had one thing left planned for the night. I wanted a few backstage quotes from each of the guys while they were still riding their post-live adrenaline high and didn’t have time to come up with strategic answers. Kell and Jayce especially. I wanted it raw, real.
I waited while the guys threw the last of their tokens to the audience and gave their final waves, goodbyes, and thanks. Morris was out first.
“Morris! How was the concert tonight? How did you find the audience?”
“Fantastic. Crowd was screaming so loud. Craziness.”
“Is that good or bad?” I laughed.
“It’s goddamn awesome.” Morris flashed me a small smile, his usual somber face brightening up for a brief moment. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, grabbing a towel from one of the assistants.
“Ren, tell your fans how it feels to know they’re willing to trample each other to death to touch you?”
Ren grinned, flashing me a thumbs up, and I quickly snapped a pic. “Let’s keep the death toll to a minimum next time, ‘kay guys?”
I grabbed Kell’s arm as he tried to rush by, practically bouncing, giddy and hyper. I quickly turned my camera to video. I knew I had to capture his energy in motion. “Kell! If a fan threw her panties on stage, would you take them?”
“Hells yeah! Ladies, I welcome any and all undergarments you wish to throw in my direction. In fact, that goes for the fellas as well.” He threw a wink and blew a kiss.
Gold. This stuff was pure gold. Now, I just needed Jayce.
I looked around, but I didn’t see him anywhere. Had I missed him? He should have been right behind Kell.
“Where’s Jayce? I need him next.”
Kell almost did a double take and calmed down a bit. “You probably want to give him a few minutes.”
“Is he okay?” He seemed fine on stage.
“Yeah, of course.” Kell gave me a thoughtful look. “Jayce likes time to himself to wind down after a concert.” He shrugged and moved on before I could ask any other questions.
I frowned, frustrated. My day’s work wasn’t complete without Jayce. I needed to catch him while he was still hyped up. I grabbed the arm of one of the backstage assistants.
“Hey, did you see where Jayce went?”
She shrugged and pointed. I followed her finger to an emergency exit door. I paused for a second, not wanting to invade his privacy, but I needed to do my job. He’d just come off the stage, playing to a huge crowd. Surely one more person in his face wouldn’t be too bad. I’d get a quote, head back to the tour bus, and leave him in peace. I pushed the door open quietly.
Jayce was sitting on the grey concrete steps of an empty stairwell, head in his hands, back facing me. His shoulders rose with a deep inhalation and slowly dropped as he exhaled.
“Jayce?”
He whirled around, entire body tensing up, expression shocked. His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was dull, skin almost yellowed in undertone.
