A few minutes later, Dean walked into the suite. Normally, when Dean performed, he wore a racy or dirty t-shirt, usually having something to do with gay sex, but for that particular show, he had dressed in a tight navy-blue polo shirt. Colton’s heart swelled. He knew he’d dressed more conservatively for his parents, never wanting to shock or offend them —always so thoughtful— and his heart did a little somersault.
Everyone in the suite knew the deal, so Colton wasted no time walking over to Dean and giving him a big hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Hey everyone.” Dean hugged Sophie and Mary and shook hands with Peter and Casey. “Just wanted to come say hello before we started the show.”
“This is the first time we’ve seen a show like this.” Mary smiled and sipped her red wine. “We’re really excited.”
“Good. There are a few racy and raunchy parts, but it’s all in good fun,” Dean warned with a smile. “Well, I need to get backstage. I’ll see you after the show.” He kissed Colton on the cheek, patted his lower back, and headed back around the stadium to the backstage area.
As showtime approached, Casey, Colton's little brother, joined him and Sophie at the window overlooking the field. The stands were full, and the field was filled from end to end, standing room only. “Fuck! That’s a shitload of people!”
Colton smiled, immensely proud of his boyfriend. “It certainly is.”
Sophie stared down in wonder. “This has to be twice the size of Bayside Grooves.”
Colton grinned. “Oh it’s got to be at least triple that size. This place is packed, from the upper decks all the way down to the field.”
The curtain covering the stage slowly began to rise as the lights began to fade, leaving the stadium in darkness as the crowd cheered.
A video montage of all the previous stops on the tour played across the screen, then a deep, ominous hum swept through the sound system as Dean’s face appeared in the center of the giant video screen. DVLN appeared on each side of his face as a thick dance beat began to fill the stadium.
The crowd cheered louder, bouncing in unison to the beat, hands clapping in the air.
The video screens split in the center and slowly opened to reveal Dean behind the mixing deck, dancing to the beat in atight black t-shirt with the word ‘filthy’ next to a picture of a pudgy, pink pig.
The crowd went apeshit, cheering and screaming at ear-bleeding levels.
“My goodness! I’ve never heard such a ruckus.” Mary looked at the scene below, wide-eyed and slack jawed.
Colton cracked a wide smile. “He’s amazing, and people love him. This is pretty standard.”
Mary hummed. “And I thought your games were loud. This is astonishing.”
Colton smiled and gave her a side hug as she sipped her wine. “Just enjoy the show, Mom.”
For most of the show, Mary didn’t really pay attention to what happened on the field below. She enjoyed her wine, nibbled on snacks, and chatted with her family. Eventually, she joined Colton and the others at the window overlooking the stadium. Colton shot her a quick side glance as she sipped her wine and watched the show. He knew it wasn’t her scene. She had always been more country pop or 80’s rock, but Colton hoped she could appreciate the artistic value of the live performance.
“People really like this, huh?” she asked as she stared out into the sea of people.
“They do. It’s one of the most popular genres of music,” Colton responded proudly.
Later in the show, Dean transitioned into his new remix of Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’.
“Oh my God! This is his new song!” Sophie shrieked and put down her cocktail so she could dance.
The dancers slinked onto the stage, dressed in skin-tight sequined short shorts, black knee-high boots, shirtless, each with a feather boa a different color of the rainbow. Their routine was a silly, irreverent series of strutting, hip shaking, and finger snapping, and lots of choreography with their feather boas. Theover-the-top routine made full use of the width of the stage and worked the audience into a frenzy.
Colton and Sophie bounced to the beat as Mary stared silently at the spectacle below. After a few moments, Colton snuck another side glance at his mom. She stared down at the stage with furrowed brows. She looked…flustered?
Colton turned his attention back to the performance on stage. It was feminine and campy, and probably something Mary wasn’t used to seeing. But the crowd ate it up. He turned his gaze back to his mom and now, she looked downright agitated.
“Mom?” Colton muttered.
She turned quickly and leveled him with a glare. “Isthiswhat you’re going to become?!” She pointed to the stage, eyes wide and maniacal.
Colton stopped bouncing. He felt like someone just slapped him across the face. “Mom…What?!”
“I didn’t raise my son to be some…dancing fairy!” She huffed.
