Grey

Four

[RORY]

"Whoa... that is a lot of ladies."

Bryce wasn't wrong. We neared the front entrance of the Greek Theatre, a nice summer breeze filtering its way through the massive crowd of people. I looked around, taking it all in. While there were a lot of teenage girls, the average age was higher than I expected and there were a decent amount of dudes. I glanced above the security line, skimming the massive sign.

WHITE NOISE / ONE NIGHT ONLY IN LOS ANGELES

I was in a good mood, all things considered. There was just something magical about live music under the stars - no matter who was playing. My spontaneous review of their album was a shot in the dark, but one that reached Marisol. She saw an opportunity to garner attention and took it.

The piece was controversial and not my best, but it had gained enough traction to get people talking and somehow reached the band. When they'd offered up tickets to show us up, I happily obliged - I wasn't about to turn down a box suite at my favorite venue.

"Do we get to go backstage?" Em asked, the thought alone causing her to grin hugely. "Oh my god, we're so cool."

I laughed under my breath, guiding them towards the VIP entrance. "No."

"Why not?"

"They gave SoundSystem free tickets in defense, Em. I don't think they want us backstage."

"Speak for yourself! Bryce and I didn't write it, we should be backstage."

I rolled my eyes as we checked ourselves in and were let past the main gates. We took our time making our way to our seats, grabbing beers and food. By the time the opener was on, we were just sitting down. I couldn't believe how great the seats were, the sun just beginning to set behind the mountain. I felt content - listening to Em and Bryce argue about who deserved the last fry, people all around us buzzing with pent-up excitement. The opener was a band I'd heard of once before, and they were decent.

I finished my Stella, setting the empty can under my seat when the lights went black and the crowd broke out in hysteria. Suddenly, bands of white light shone down on the stage, a steady thumping of bass heard through the speakers. The crowd began to clap in tandem with the sounds, my hands instinctively joining in. I looked over at Em and Bryce, laughing to myself as they beamed at the stage, drunk on the energy around us. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was impossible not to feel the contact high from the excited attendees surrounding us.

The slow build hit a crescendo as the lights went out - two simple words in massive white letters appearing on the screens with a crackling static backdrop. The crowd went wild seeing the band's name up in lights, knowing they were coming on. I crossed my arms, focusing my full attention on the stage as the screens went black and the lights suddenly transformed with a deep purple hue.

Three silhouettes took the stage in unison as the crowd erupted, cheering as they each took their respective positions - guitarist on the left, drummer in the back, bassist on the right. While the sounds never died down, the excitement very clearly reached its crescendo as the fourth and final member appeared. The lights began to flash aggressively as the other three began playing a high-tempo track, Finn's dark silhouette bent over to grab his guitar. He slung it over his shoulder, taking his time as he walked center stage. He adjusted his strap, hovering at the mic briefly and causing the girls next to us to screech violently.

I chuckled to myself, looking back towards the stage as he slung his hand over the base of the mic casually. The music slowed. While we weren't far from the front, I looked up at the screens just in time for them to populate with an up-close camera angle of Finn, lights going all the way up.