Not sure how she expected me to score a rock star when the concert was at a place like this. A band that sells out a venue this size probably has women lined up for the chance to bang them. I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t planning to go through with her idea, since there is no way it could have actually happened.
“What’s the plan?” I ask. Becca is taking shots of the venue as it fills up. She has permission to shoot whatever she wants while she’s here. Her job is just to take a few photos of the meet and greet session after the show, but I know she loves to photograph all things music related so she won’t pass up a chance to get some great shots of the show itself.
“We’re going to stay up here and get some shots of the floor filling up, and then we’ll go down to the floor. Press passes will get us backstage, and I’m hoping I know some of the security guys so they can get us right up in front of the stage so I can take a few shots of the bands performing. When Sleeping Dogs is nearly done, we’ll go backstage to wherever they have the meet and greet set up, probably the dressing room, so I can get my head around the space. We’ll take the pics I’m actually getting paid for, hopefully get a few good shots of the bands after the show, and then we’ll go. You work early again tomorrow?” Becca lays down the plan for me while I drink my 2nd coffee of the evening. They made me dump the last bit of my first coffee when we came in the building, but luckily I could buy another once we were in. It’s not as good as the one I bought at Bump & Grind but it’s caffeinated, and that’s what matters.
“Not too early,” I say. “The family is going out of town for the night and they won’t be back until the afternoon. I don’t need to be there until noon.” Good thing, too. I’m going to need to sleep in after tonight. These coffees just aren’t doing it for me.
“Ok, that’s good. I was thinking we get into the after party and we can have some fun. Party it up, single girl style and whatnot.” Becca lets a whoop and gives a little fist pump before she looks through her camera again.
“Sure, crazy girl. If we get an invite to the after party we can go.” I agree, because I seriously doubt we’ll get the invite. We’re dressed to blend into the background, not stand out and get the attention of rock stars. Not that I really want that attention, anyway. I’m off men for good this time.
Chapter 5
Connor - Family Drama
“Dude! You almost ready? You already look prettier than any girl here tonight.” Ryder is messing with me again, teasing me for taking so much time with my appearance. I may not be taking anyone home to fuck tonight, but I still want them to look at me and think they have a chance. That whole ‘illusion of availability’ thing, again.
“Fuck off, Ryder.” I flip him off in the mirror while I debate wearing a shirt or not. Screw it, leave it on and rip it off later once I’m sweaty. That’s a move that the crowd always loves. Of course, then I have to throw my shirt to the crowd, and I kind of like this one. It’s an old Soundgarden shirt I stole from my first girlfriend about 20 years ago, so I don’t really want to get rid of it. Maybe I can get away with throwing it at one of my sisters, just to gross them out. Ha! That would be hilarious.
I stop messing around in the mirror and pull my phone out to text my mom. I haven’t heard from them yet today, but I know they went shopping for clothes. My credit card had a pretty big charge on it from the store I sent them to, so I’m sure they got quite a lot out of me.
Me- You guys make it to the arena yet?
I put my phone back in my pocket, not expecting an immediate answer. They’re probably still getting ready. I doubt they plan on being here for the opening act, anyway. Lives that Cared has some really great music but none of it is really mom’s or the girls’ type of sound. Mom likes older stuff and the girls are all about pop music, and whatever they play at clubs right now. ‘Something dance-y’ they call it. Something shitty, more likely. I chuckle out loud, causing Ryder to give me a strange look.
“You feeling alright, Bro? Talking to yourself over there?” He raises an eyebrow at me, the left one with three piercings in it. I hate when he does that. So of course he does it all the time. Dick. Plus, who even has eyebrow piercings anymore?
“Yeah, I’m good. Just laughing at my sisters’ musical tastes in my head. They’re all about pop and dance music. Makes me wonder where I went wrong.” You’d think having a brother who’s a rock star in a pretty famous band would give you better taste in music, but apparently it doesn’t make a difference at all.
“Not everyone can be cool like us, man.” He says with a smirk. I’ve known Ryder since I was 18, and neither of us were very cool for most of that time. It’s only since the band took off that women actually wanted to sleep with us. And they never really want us exactly, they want to sleep with a rock star; who it is doesn’t really matter.
I’ve had exactly one proper girlfriend in my life and I’m pretty sure it’s going to stay that way, at least until I retire. There are too many gold diggers and sluts who just want money out there vying for my attention. I won’t even consider being serious about someone like that. I have a little more self respect now.
The first few years after we made it big are a blur of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll, as usually happens with young guys who have too much fame and too much money far too quickly. But after a while I tired of casual sex with nameless strangers and decided that it was time to keep my dick in my pants and focus on the music. I was just using all of that stuff to drown out the memories of my first love, anyway. I can admit that now.
It’s been almost 20 years, and no one has come even close to meaning to me what Alex meant. It was her belief in me that convinced me to pursue music. She’s even the one who first got me singing. I remember playing my guitar for her for hours, the melodies and lyrics saying things I could never say to her with just words. I don’t think she ever knew that most of those songs I sang to her were ones I’d written for her specifically. She was my muse.
Hell, that girl inspired so much of my music that we really should pay her royalties from our first album. It was full of love songs and even heartbreak songs that I wrote about her. The way she loved to crank up angry music to calm herself down inspired even the angry music. For Alex, the more screaming there was in a song, the more it soothed her like a lullaby.
“Hello? Connor? You there? Did you hear what I said?” Denise is suddenly in front of me, waving her hands in front of my face. “We have special meet and greets set up after the show tonight. Contest winners from a local radio station, a couple of kids from the children’s’ hospital, and a few people who purchased special VIP packages. The radio station is sending a photographer to shoot the meet and greets, and she has permission to shoot the show and backstage areas too. So you need to stick around after the show and be as charming as possible. Good press as you head into the studio will be important for future album sales.”
“Of course, I will be nice to everyone. Just make sure you tell Ryder to avoid the groupies. No need to scar anyone with sight of his tiny penis tonight, right?” I joke, but it falls flat because Ryder isn’t paying attention. “Plus my family is coming, so making the process quick and painless is in everyone’s best interest.”
Denise looks over at Ryder, a scowl on her face. “I’ve already spoken to Ryder. He says he will behave tonight.” She mutters something under her breath as she turns and walks out of the room.
I see Aiden and Travis sitting on a couple of overstuffed leather armchairs in the corner of the room and walk over to join them.
“Hey guys, Denise tell you about the meet and greets?”
Travis speaks up first. “Yeah, she said something about that. Are we really letting a photographer back here to shoot whatever she wants? Seems kind of risky.”
“I think that’s why Denise is saying that we need to be on our best behaviour. Something about good press improving future album sales.” I tell them both. “We just need to make sure Ryder keeps his dick in his pants and that we’re nice to the fans. The photographer can’t shoot any crazy shit if there is no crazy shit, right?”
“That’s true,” Aiden bangs out a beat on his shoes while he talks. “I think the only crazy shit these last few years has come from Ryder, anyway. I don’t know what his problem is. Denise is constantly having to clean up his messes, it’s like he does stuff to piss her off.”
I look over at Ryder, who seems to be busy doing something on his phone. Swiping through pictures from the look of it. “I think as long as we can keep him contained tonight, we will be fine. He can continue fucking up after the meet and greets are over, and the photographer is gone.”
Denise pokes her head back in the door. “‘Lives’ is going on in 15 minutes, guys. You’ve got probably a little over an hour before you hit the stage. Get your last-minute prep done.”
