Aubrey (Revolving With Axis)

151: Rafe

151: Rafe

I waited in the wings eyeing the audience, another sold out show. They'd built a ramp in the shape of an arrow, that covered a good portion of the festival seating area on the floor of the stadium. It was made out of something metallic. And it had runners of white flashing lights all around it. Our light show was warming up already. Conger had just come off stage, having not used the runway. Mutt and Levi were on separate risers behind the band and Jeff was already on stage as it darkened and flashed blue lights around, stirring up the mood.

I saw the new security or the stadium security troop in like a cadet review and line up along the entire edge of the arrow stage, facing out at intervals. I wasn't worried about anything.

The audience was powerful tonight, there would be little or no softening or quiet break. I doubted even toning it down with a ballad would make a dent in their energy. It was smoking hot out there. I was wearing my leather jacket and I almost took it off. I ran my hand through my gelled hair, checked my ear buds hanging around my neck and glanced at my watch.

We had no set list. Levi had been working on one and we had tentatively voiced a line up completely different than last night. Grateful Dead never played a set list.

I jumped up and down on my toes, stretched my neck, and worked my fingers back and forth.

Ben had a thing about what order he, Jeff, Jeremy and I ran on stage. It was like his no nerves ritual, and with Jeff already out there, he was superstitious enough to say he wasn't sure it was going to happen perfect. That made me anticipate problems.

The time came, and we were about to run, when out of the blue, a female voice behind me called my name. I whirled around, expecting Aubrey and found America in my arms. Her kiss was anything but platonic, and my initial reaction was stunned and shocked and damn if I didn't respond to her without even thinking about it. She grinned, pushed up against me, mentioned having a great time later, grabbed me someplace she really shouldn't have and shoved me on stage.

I think that about covers it.

I stepped on Jeremy's shoelace.

He had to stop and tie it before it tripped him up.

I reached my microphone stand--- touched it and it literally fell over--- broken in half. I had two sound techs, Dave Lee ran on stage, didn't see Jeremy in the flashing blue dark and fell over him. I went to help him up, thinking this was about as Three Stooges as it could get, and Ben started the song.

Excuse me?

Since when does Ben start the song?

And it wasn't even the song Levi and I had discussed. It had a similar drum beat, that was all.

Which wasn't insurmountable, but it was without Jeremy and my microphone stand. Didn't Ben see us?

The lighting tech responded to Ben's cue's. Excuse me? I could see Shalya, the tech, from my position helping Dave up, as Chris brought a new stand, and Dave checked the microphone--- why would she start the show this way?

What do I pay these people for? I grabbed the stand, ran out on stage and clapped my hands over my head for the audience to start--- since I had missed my cue for this song--- not even a song we had ever opened with, by the way. Ben was in some kind of dream state. I ran to him, and he grinned at me, as if this was an everyday occurrence. I missed the cue again, realizing that nobody else was on board with it, even Levi, who was offbeat now.

I started laughing.

Really? The Three Stooges. I'd be Moe.

I grabbed my own guitar, having never opened with a guitar solo, and started playing a riff I'd been working on recently. The audience--- in their favor--- went wild. The lights went wild too--- not a good kind of wild, mind you.