? Kickstart My Heart - Mötley Crüe ?
The venue was buzzing. Josh said the crowd was a mix of familiar faces—local fans, people from the scene—and some unfamiliar ones who had come to check out the hype around his move from drums to vocals. Velvet Shadows had been building up steam for a few months, and tonight was the night we were going to see if we could deliver on the promise.
Even though this was my first live show with the guys, there was a chemistry between us that I had never experienced before. The way the four of us locked in together, the way we fed off each other—it was magic. I couldn’t shake the feeling that tonight was going to be something special, but the nerves were there, following me like a shadow.
I looked out from the side of the stage, watching Josh, Max, and Kevin warm up. Josh was pacing back and forth, adjusting the mic stand, his voice low as he spoke to Max. Icould tell by the way he moved that he was getting himself into the right headspace.
Max was working out a few last-minute riffs, his guitar strapped low, fingers moving effortlessly over the fretboard. Kevin was doing his usual thing—quiet, focused, sitting at the back of the stage with his bass, looking like he was analyzing every detail, waiting for the curtain to fall.
There was a pit in my stomach, but I felt ready. I was a mix of nerves and excitement that I couldn’t quite explain.
“Eric!” Josh’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. He was looking at me from across the stage, a grin on his face. “You good, man?”
I gave him a thumbs-up. “Yeah, just thinking about the set.”
“You’ll do fine,” Josh said, his voice reassuring but also brimming with excitement. “You’ve got this.”
I nodded, trying to calm my racing heart. He was right. The last few weeks of rehearsals had been great. We had honed the setlist and spent a lot of time just hanging out and getting to know each other.
The crowd wasn’t here to see perfection. They were here for the energy, the vibe, the feeling that only live music can give you. That was all I had to remember.
I pulled my sticks out of my bag, tapping them together in my hands to warm up. My palms were already starting to sweat, and I hadn’t even sat behind the kit yet. The rhythmic thumping of my sticks against my palms grounded me a little, bringing me back to the present. I closed my eyes for a second, letting the noise of the venue fade into the background, focusing on my breath.
“Five minutes!” the sound tech shouted as my heart skipped a beat.
I walked over to my drum kit, which had been set up just to the side of the stage. The familiar sight of it, all the pieces in place, gave me a small sense of comfort. I took a seat on the throne, adjusting my sticks in my hands. The bass drum pedal felt tight under my foot, and I had to fight the urge to start playing right then and there.
Josh stepped up to the mic as the curtain fell. The crowd cheered, and I could hear a few shout-outs from the front row. I had no idea who they were, but I could feel their contagious energy seep into my bones. Max strummed his guitar, a few jarring notes ringing out, and Kevin adjusted the strap on his bass. The crowd quieted in anticipation, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
The lights dimmed, and the spotlight hit Josh. He gave a quick nod to Max, who gave the first few power chords of “Legends”, our opening track. It was fast and punchy, a perfect way to get the crowd moving. I felt my foot hover over the pedal on the kick drum, ready to let loose and set the foundation for the song. The bass from Kevin kicked in next, a deep, rumbling presence that sent vibrations through the floor. Then it finally was my turn.
I slammed my sticks into the snare, letting out a solid crack that echoed through the room. My foot followed, the thud of the bass drum deep and steady. The energy in the room shifted as Josh’s voice came in, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. Max was shredding on his guitar, each note sharp and clear, while Kevin’s bass rolled underneath, creating that thick, solid layer that kept everything together.
I didn’t have time to think about the nerves as I lost myself in the music. My hands and feet moved on their own as it flowed through me. I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins, my heart pounding in time with the beat.The crowd was starting to move, heads bobbing and fists pumping in the air, and I reveled in it.
The first few minutes passed in a blur. I lost myself in the music, feeling the pulse of the drums beneath me, the roar of the crowd building with every hit. I glanced over at Josh, who was singing with everything he had, eyes closed, lost in the words. Max was a blur of energy, his guitar riffing with such ferocity that it almost seemed to take on a life of its own. Kevin kept his cool, his bass our anchor.
The song shifted into the bridge, and I knew it was time to pull back a bit. I eased up on the cymbals, letting the sound fill in the gaps where the guitar and bass needed room to breathe. I held back on the kick drum, letting the snare work with the toms to add texture. This was the moment I had been practicing for—where subtlety mattered as much as power.
Josh’s voice rose again, soaring through the room as Max picked up the pace, and I felt the entire room hold its breath, waiting for the drop. When it came, I hit the crash cymbal hard, the sound reverberating through the space, and we were back to full throttle. The crowd went wild, and I couldn’t help but grin.
Thiswas it.Thiswas why I played music. It brought people together. Every single person in this room was going through something, and every single one of them came out tonight to forget about it all. To throw their hands up and let go.
The song ended with a final blast of sound, and for a moment, there was nothing but the ringing in my ears. The crowd erupted into applause, and I let out a breath. My hands were already slick with sweat, but the energy from the crowd kept me going.
“Hell yeah!” Josh shouted into the mic, his voice loud with excitement. “You all ready to keep this thing going?”
The crowd cheered again, and we jumped straight into the next song. This one was a slower burn, more atmospheric, and it gave me a chance to show a different side of Velvet Shadows.
I found that groove easily—something smooth, like the music was floating on air. We worked through the intro, and I let the toms speak first, building up the tension as Max’s guitar swirled around me. Kevin’s bass slid in like heavy fog, and Josh’s voice came in low and haunting, and the crowd was mesmerized—hanging on his every word.
We played through the rest of the set with precision, each song flowing flawlessly into the next, the crowd bringing the energy from start to finish. As the final song approached, I could feel the exhaustion creeping in. My arms were sore and my legs were heavy, but I pushed through.
We finished with “Wicked,” our most energetic track, and my favorite so far, and the room exploded. The crowd was jumping, fists in the air, and I let myself go, pushing through the soreness in my limbs, letting the music carry me. By the time we hit the final chord, everything had come together. We ended with a burst of sound, the cymbals crashing as Josh held the mic stand high in the air, a triumphant grin on his face. The crowd went wild, and I sat there, breathing heavily, letting the applause wash over me.
As the lights came up, I could feel the sweat dripping down my back, my heart still racing. It was over. Velvet Shadows had played their first live show with Josh as the new frontman, and it had been an obvious success.
Josh stepped up to the mic. “Thank you!” he shouted, his voice filled with gratitude. “You’ve been amazing. Thank youso much for coming out. We are Velvet Shadows, and we’ll see you next time!”
