Rockstar Serenade: The Chorus

Ch 16: The Irony Of Flames Tour

KAILEY~

Words can't describe how much I am willing to jump in front of the waiting crowd and give them a show they'll never forget.

I'm trying so hard to be patient but I can't keep it in. It's as if my heart just won't stop pumping frantically, trying jump off my chest as the countdown nears zero. My grip on my microphone further tightens as the people keep on cheering. We have two more minutes grace time before I get to show up and sing. We asked the event managers for a red curtain to cover the stage before we start, so here we are. Little do the crowd know that Oliver, Terence, August and Keana are already onstage setting up their gears behind this curtain while I stay hidden backstage.

As the last minute countdown commences, Oliver starts playing one of our famous riffs for a test and Keana does a drum solo. The anticipating audience gets even wilder when Terence joins the merriment, playing the harmonic minor scale at lightning speed. I remain hidden so that when the curtains get pulled up, the people won't get to see me yet. It's a Flame Alyconia thing -- I don't usually show up at our first song's intro. I'd let my bandmates get all the attention first.

10...9...8...7...

I've been doing this for years but I'll never get tired of it.  In my head, I count along with the crowd while prepping myself up. I look at the other side of the backstage, the one opposite me, and I see Irony Affairs watching my bandmates intently. All of them have their eyebrows furrowed. Good, I say to myself. We'll show 'em how post hardcore is done.

6...5...4...3...

I could feel the walls of the dome literally shake from the energetic cheering of the crowd. Who would've known that sound waves could actually make me fear that the structure we are in might collapse any minute. Shaking my legs to prevent numbing, I give Oliver a thumbs up the moment he looks my way.

 2...1...0...

And so it begins.

The curtain lifts, exposing the ones responsible for the cacophony of electric sounds. They start playing the intro of one of our successful releases, A Million Breakdowns, even before the curtain has has made it halfway up. For about fifteen seconds I am in incognito mode, waiting for the cue to enter and greet the anticipating crowd.

"Mumbaaaai!" I breath through the mic in after finding the perfect moment to do so. The crowd of fans will always love it when you call them using a specific place, their hometown perhaps. The uproar was louder than I could've ever imagined. Their cheering with excitement made me grin as they chant my name, waiting for my appearance. Hinting your presence and yet not giving a clue to where you are sure makes the fans go crazy. As if the anticipation could make you pee.

Keana starts to slow her tempo down, which I take as my cue. I run from behind the amplifiers and straight to one of our guitarists. Terence is facing his back towards me, still caught up in the cheers as his fangirls call out to him, so I give him a signal.

"T'rence!" I say quickly through the mic, loud enough so he could hear me and low enough so the crowd doesn't hear.

After a quick glance my way, Terence immediately stoops down with his guitar hanging from his shoulder. I pray to the gods to grant me success in what I'm about to do. Memories of our recent practices in the hotel flash right before me. I gained a bruise on my thigh as a reward for my clumsiness and Terence nearly bumped his head on the edge of a table.

I pick up speed so that I could jump higher than before. There's no excuse for me not to fail this since the stage is wider compared to the hallways of the hotel. Plus, I can't embarrass myself and Terence in front of these people.