Page 48 of Wish We Were There

Parker

Three Months Later

Get Well Soon to Play Final Farewell Show at New San Diego Venue, Proceeds Going to Charity

Punk News Net, March 9

by Parker Flores

Over six months since the unexpected death of lead singer Zach Ross, Get Well Soon is playing their final show in their hometown of San Diego, CA.

The show marks the grand opening of the new venue, The Caesura Room, owned and operated by the band’s keyboardist Taylor Lewis-Ross.

The Caesura Room aims to become the premier location for indie musicians in southern California, with a special focus on LGBTQ+ performers. At the time of Ross’ death, he and Lewis-Ross had been married for six years, making them among the first gay couples to achieve their significant success in the world of rock music.

“In musical notation, a caesura is a type of rest, a break between stanzas or between sections of a piece,” Lewis-Ross said about the new venue. “That’s what my goal is in opening this new venue. That it can be a place where LGBTQ+ musicians of all genres can come get a break from the rest of the world, from other venues that might not be so understanding of their identities. Cultivating a fanbase that was safe and inclusive was one of the most important things to Zach. Get Well Soon might be disbanding, but this is my way of carrying on that mission.”

The proceeds of this charity show will be evenly split between charities selected by the band, including the local LGBTQ+ Resource Center and Chords for Kids, a nonprofit which supports music programs in schools.

Tickets to the venue are sold out, but digital tickets to view the show via livestream are available on the band’s website.

After all of Parker’s hard work putting the finishing touches on the venue—just as he’d promised Taylor he would—the day of the show had finally arrived. It was a bittersweet feeling, though Parker was sure his feelings about it were not nearly as conflicted as Taylor’s, who had been quieter than usual all day leading up to the show. Parker had arrived at the Caesura Room during sound check and had watched Taylor and the others play their warm-up song on stage; since then, he’d been wound up as tight as a guitar string. It was understandable, of course, and it meant that he was mostly glued to Parker’s hip, so he couldn’t complain.

The venue was packed, spectators squeezed all the way up to the barricade. The opening act was downstairs, getting ready to get on stage in just a few minutes—Parker, Taylor, and the rest of the band were upstairs in the green room, looking down on the stage from the little window. There were snacks and drinks on the table, but Taylor hadn’t touched them; he’d been sitting pressed right up next to Parker since they’d sat down, one knee bouncing nervously.

Parker squeezed his hand for what must have been the hundredth time, smiling encouragingly at him. “Everything’s going to be great.”

Taylor grimaced, pressing his free hand down on his thigh, as if to hold his bouncy leg in place. “I know, you’re right. I’m just nervous.”

Parker pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, and Taylor leaned into the contact. The one benefit of Taylor being nervous was how cuddly he became. Parker didn’t think he would ever get tired of holding the other man in his arms, so this just gave him more of an excuse to hold his hand or wrap an arm around his waist.

“Thank you again for doing all this,” Taylor said softly, his voice partly muffled by how he’d rested his head against Parker’s shoulder. “I know I’ve said it already, but... I don’t know how I could have done this without you.”

Parker beamed, hugging Taylor a little tighter. “I loved doing it. Honestly, the hardest part was figuring out all the livestreaming stuff for the show tonight. Thank God Jasper knows about this kind of thing. I’m way too old to make sense of it.”

Taylor chuckled. He’d been the one who had suggested the livestream, knowing the Caesura Room was small, and only so many people could physically be there. But Parker’s expertise only extended as far as operating his website and posting his podcast online. They were lucky their new sound tech, Jasper, knew how to set it all up. Thanks to the livestream option, they’d sold nearly ten times as many digital tickets as they did in-person tickets—a figure which still baffled Parker, but barely seemed to phase Taylor. It was no stadium tour, but was still pretty significant as far as Parker was concerned.

“Thanks for working with all my unrealistic demands,” Taylor teased, leaning closer to him. Parker laughed, warmth bubbling up in his chest at the contact.

“It’s not all altruistic,” Parker replied. “I had to impress you so I can keep working out of the venue for as long as you’ll let me. Lots of shows to write about and all that.”

He felt Taylor smile. “Hopefully you’ll be around forever,” he replied softly.

Parker’s heart skipped a beat, but before he could formulate a reply, a cheer rose up from the crowd, the lights dimming. The opening act was about to start, which meant Get Well Soon would be going on in less than an hour. Taylor leaned closer to the window—the other side was covered with privacy film, so they could see clearly through it, but the audience outside couldn’t see them—to watch as the group took the stage.

“I just had the thought that I probably won’t be watching many more shows from up here,” Taylor said softly, just loud enough for Parker to hear over the growly guitar chords that had started up. “All the other bands will be in the green room... I’ll probably watch from the bar, or backstage, or just listen from the box office.”

“I guess that’s true,” Parker replied. “Better enjoy it while it lasts then, huh?”

“So sorry to interrupt,” Kylie’s voice came from behind them. “But Moss just sent up some of the signature cocktails for us to have before the show. Let’s have a toast!”

She grinned widely as they turned to face her; even though it had been almost three months, she still got the same self-satisfied expression seeing them together, as if it were an accomplishment that she was solely responsible for.

“Have you tried it yet?” Taylor asked, extricating himself from Parker’s arms. “Moss and I spent a while working on it. I had to re-learn how different liquors tasted.”

“Ooh, I haven’t tried it! I didn’t realize you worked on it. I figured it was all Moss’ creation,” Kylie chirped, turning her attention back to the tray of drinks on the table where she and the rest of the band had been sitting.

She and Taylor talked about the drink to each other for a long moment; Parker hung back a few steps and watched, unsure if he should join for what seemed to be the band’s last hurrah. Taylor and Kylie had their backs to him now; from the opposite side of the table, Angie caught his eye and smiled brightly at him. He smiled back, even when Dean glanced up at him, then looked back down at the tray of drinks with barely an acknowledgment. They had said polite hellos earlier, but that was all. He was still standoffish with Parker; but Taylor had assured him that things were fine between them now, so he didn’t really care.

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