Page 1 of Behind the Lights

June 9, 2018

The lights dim, and the crowd goes wild. Their screams are like deafening music to my ears, so loud, I can barely hear myself think. Yet at the same time, I can’t wipe the smile it gives me from my face. To think it’s all for us is beyond fucking awesome.

Taking a deep breath, I try and center myself as the announcer takes the stage:

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen!

(He pauses waiting for the screams die down.)

You’ve been waiting a long fucking time for this night, waiting for them to headline their own tour and to kick it off on home turf. So, without further ado, let’s give it up for our local boys – Joey, Stoli, Mickey and Diamond, Social Sinners!”

Stoli strikes the first note, launching into the opening riffs for our Platinum-certified and award winning song,Blood Brothers. Diamond follows suit, tapping the pedal in tune on his bass drum. Lastly, Mickey kicks in, plucking the cords on his bass. Gripping my bullet shaped mic stand, my eyes open as the curtain in front of me disappears and I stare out into the faces of our fans packing the Tacoma Dome for the first sold out show of our eighteen-month tour.

Stale cigarette smoke and the musty odor of an old building full of history hit my senses first but are quickly replaced by the wafting smell of skunk.Ah, home again where partaking is legal. I breathe deeply, inhaling the familiar aroma, letting it fill my lungs before addressing our hometown crowd. The nostalgia isn’t lost on me; looking down I realize I’m wearing the shirt I got from the first concert I ever went to on opening night for my own band’s first headlining tour.

“How’s everybody doing tonight?” I ask the nameless faces staring back at me as they go ape-shit. The band is still playing the song in the background, while I continue teasing the crowd.

“You’re a bunch of crazy fuckers waiting outside in the pouring rain to hear us play.”

Their screams break the decibel levels.

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

We’ll rise and fall, but we’re standing tall

We take no shit, won’t ever quit

We’ll take our last breath

Fighting

Fighting

Fighting

For what’s…right

Chorus:

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