Page 65 of Behind the Lights

I turn, eyeing my boys poised behind me one by one. “You guys ready to blow the roof off this mother fucker?”

My bandmates answer without words, using their God given talents on their musical instruments to answer for them.

“Well there ya go.” I turn and face the crowd again. “We…are…Social Sinners. And here is… ‘Blood Brothers’!”

We took a vow

We signed a pact

To ride it out

‘til the end

Each one of us

We chose to fight

To fight as one

To fight for what we believe in

There’s nothing like opening your first headlining tour in the place where you were born and raised. The mosh pit was jam packed with security detail surrounding the fenced in area, checking each and every wristband before letting anyone enter. I remember those days, the freeing feeling of relentlessly pounding away your aggressions – but now in a somewhat controlled environment. There were a couple of times the pits we were in when we were younger weren’t monitored and shit got out of control. But one thing we insisted on, was protecting our fans so we ensured security was tight in the pit areas at all our concerts. We even went so far as to make it a requirement in the contracts our management signed with each venue.

Halfway through our set, it was time to give Diamond and Mickey a break and I needed water in a bad way.

I addressed the crowd while Stoli grabbed his stuff. “Whew, sitting under these lights is like walking into an oven.” I gestured toward the curtain side for a drink and was tossed a bottle of water which I somehow managed to catch even though the blinding lights blocked my line of sight.

After downing half of it, I turned to Stoli who still hadn’t made eye contact with me after my dressing room mishap. He’d grabbed a stool and his acoustic and took a seat beside me at the front of the stage.

“Much better.”

My words were met with cheers as the lights turned off, replaced with a single spotlight illuminating the two of us at the front of the stage.

“Now, we’re gonna play a little something special for you. Something my friend Stoli here wrote. It’s calledTime to Move On.”

The cell phones came out, lifted above their heads in a move that used to be lit by lighters when ballads were played live as silence filled the room.

Stoli strummed the opening bars as I broke into the lyrics.

If the stars are aligned tonight

I know I’ll be alright

Even though I know

No one’s gonna be there when I get home

When I looked over at him, he was staring down at his fingers as they strummed the strings.What I wouldn’t give to see him smile again. To be the cause of that smile.

Every time I reach out to you

You turn and run

Never there when I need you

Never there when you said you’d be

The intense stare he had on his guitar was unnerving.I’ll do anything to take away his sadness, kiss away his pain. Where are these thoughts coming from?

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