Page 57 of Losing the Rhythm

Seth looked embarrassed as he cupped the back of his neck and looked toward the stage.

I playfully nudged his leg with my foot under the table. “That’s actually kind of cute. I wish I could have been around to hear your attempts.”

“No, it’s probably for the best.”

We teased each other about our playing skills with different instruments until someone came and took our order. It was a simple menu, choosing between three choices of chicken, fish, or vegan. I went with the chicken, and Seth went with the fish. And then we had two choices for dessert, either a fraisier cake, which meant lots of strawberries, or a crème brûlée. I never tried either so I went with the cake, and Seth went with the crème brûlée.

The rest of dinner was really nice, Seth a great friend as we talked about everything, but keeping it lighthearted. I got to hear more about his childhood, and even managed to snag some embarrassing story about everyone. Apparently, when one of them got up to no good, they all took the credit. It had to have driven their parents up a wall dealing with them.

Once dessert began to be served to everyone, the lights went lower and the show started. It ended up being a hologram concert. People of the past made flashy appearances on the stage and sang their most well-known songs, then disappeared as the next came on.

It was almost like I was at a real concert with them. Once again, they did an amazing job with high quality sound and the holograms were so well made that I actually thought they were real sometimes. I even thought they may have even used really good impersonators.

I was completely blown away, drawn into the appearances of people I only ever dreamed about seeing. The show kept me guessing who was going to be next and pleasantly surprised at the results. It made the concert a fun guessing game.

I never knew something like this was possible, and now I thought I had my answer for Seth about technology. It really was an advancement, something to welcome and utilize. And it was amazing that I was here now, able to witness such a future.

~*~

“You look a little flushed,” Seth said as we drove back home.

“I feel like I’m flying,” I said. “That was amazing.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I’ll never be able to meet those people or hear them in a real concert, but I feel like I just had front row seats to one.” I sighed and kept grinning as the music played through me again. My heart thumped to the beat, my blood pulsing along.

“They had a good selection,” Seth said. “They chose some good classics that anyone would recognize.”

“I hear some of those songs often, but even so, it felt fresh to me.”

“You sound inspired.”

I grinned. “Maybe. That there is the dream for anyone in the music industry. We want pieces we worked on to make it through the ages, to live on even after we die.”

“Timeless,” Seth murmured.

“Exactly. Timeless. No matter whether we are the singer, the writer, the bandmate, or producer. That’s everyone’s goal. We want to be remembered past our time.”

“You think that will be the direction you keep going in the music industry?”

“With college applications due, it’s been on my mind a lot,” I admitted. “I know the music industry. It’s practically a part of me. I live and breathe it so much. The idea of going in a different direction scares the shit out of me. But is that all I can do? Is this it for me?”

“Saying that at seventeen already?” Seth tried to tease.

I glared at him. “It’s a real concern. I know music. I know it inside and out. Sure, there is still so much for me to learn, but I know so much about it already too. I know the current trends. What makes pieces timeless. What grabs a person’s attention. How to utilize that into a song for a hit with the populace. I know so much, even while I keep learning. So should I keep going on this path?”

“I want to tell you to follow your heart and do what you want to do, even if it isn’t music. Or if it is.”

“But that’d be such a cheesy normal thing to say, right?”

“I guess it would be. I wonder if it’s still the wrong thing to say?”

I asked myself that too. So what if I followed my heart? What would happen if I cast aside music? Who would I be? “I don’t like it.” I crossed my arms over my chest and sunk deeper into my seat.

“Well, it’s something to think about another time. No reason to sour our date over it now.”

“Friendate. And agreed,” I said.

---