“Showtime,” Riot said. “Everyone group up.”
I watched as the four of them wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. I could hear them whispering encouragement to each other, but I wasn’t close enough to make out the words.
“Hey, Muse!” Violet suddenly called out. “Get in here.”
“I’m not part of the band…” I said.
“Shut up and join in,” Riot said with a sparkle in his eyes. “It’s a band tradition.”
“It’s weird when you’re just sitting over there looking sad and excluded,” Cash added.
Riot and Milo made room for me between them, and I got up and joined the hug.
“Fucking crush it tonight,” Violet said.
“No prisoners,” Cash said. “Leave it all out on the stage.”
Riot nodded. “Always.”
“And don’t fall in love with someone in the front row,” Milo teased. “We’ve already got our Muse.”
“I didn’t fall…” Riot protested, but by then the group hug was splitting up.
They filed out of the room one by one. Riot gave me a smile and a wink before he went.
“Kiss my drumstick?” Milo suddenly asked. “For good luck?”
I took the drumstick from him and gave it a polite kiss. Then, in a burst of silliness, I parted my lips and pretended like I was sloppy making out with it. Withlotsof tongue.
“Wow, stop slutting it up with my drumstick!” Milo complained. “He likes to take it slow.”
“Sorry,” I said to the drumstick. “I’ll wait until our third concert before going all the way with you.”
Milo roared with laughter. “I like you,” he said, pointing the drumstick at me as he went out the door. “You’re my new favorite member of the band. Don’t tell Vi.”
And then he was gone, and I was all alone.
It was easy to tell when Cherry Midnight began playing because the floor and walls practicallyvibratedfrom the bass. It sounded so much louder than the opening band. Which, I assumed, was by design. Nobody wanted to be upstaged by the opening group.
I ventured out of the dressing room and into the backstage area. The music grew louder, but it wasn’t ear-piercing since the speakers in the venue were pointed out at the fans. I passed black-clad roadies and other workers, but nobody stopped me or told me I wasn’t allowed back there.
I found a nice vantage point behind a huge stack of empty equipment crates. From here, I could see the entire stage and all four members of the band, although their backs were turned to me.
But that wasn’t what took my breath away.
Beyond them were thousands,tensof thousands, of fans. They covered the entire floor in front of the stage and filled the stadium seating in an arc. I’d been to concerts like this before, obviously, but I’d never experienced it from this side, with the entire crowd facing me.
Even though I wasn’t in the band, it was thrilling. Adrenaline immediately surged through my body and I felt my pulse pounding in my chest.
Riot’s voice was like an angel’s as he sang the first song, every note perfect and captivating. I couldn’t take my eyes off him ashe clutched the microphone stand, his lips only an inch away from the mic.
And then the chorus was over, and he dropped back a few feet and started playing the guitar. An electric riff filled the arena, his fingers flying over the strings like he was born to play the guitar.
To my right, the audio-visual guy was quietly speaking into a headset: “Second light routine. Good. Now wait for the lasers…now. Bring up the overhead lights for a flash, but then turn them off. Perfect. Now hold here until the next song.”
The show lost a little bit of its magic when viewed from this side. But only a little.
The crowd moved like it had a mind of its own, one massive entity rather than thousands of individuals. They jumped up and down, screaming for Riot as he strode around the stage, head bent as he focused on his guitar. They were totally captivated by the performance.
