Page 40 of Giving Up My Chance at Forever

I laugh with a shake of my head. “I’ll write it down, and we can try it out tonight.”

We make a list of songs to try out. After the list is made, we play each song and decide whether or not we want to add it to the set list. Then we put them in order depending on what we can bridge over and how they sound next to each other.

We’re finally done around one in the morning, and we call it a night. We have one more day before the show on Saturday, so we all agree to meet up tomorrow night to play the set list we put together to make sure we’re all feeling it.

* * *

Saturday nightquickly approaches and with it comes the show. Alissa doesn’t have to waitress tonight, but she’s coming to watch the band and help out if needed. Dad has all hands on deck with Busted Lip coming in.

We head into the grill early and get everything set up. We still have a couple hours to burn before the show, so the band and Alissa hang out at the picnic table behind the building. Mark, Zach, and Alissa are excited about the show. I’m sitting next to them, but I don’t hear a word they say. I’m in the zone, ready to play. My nerves are high from thinking about what could come out of tonight. If my dad is right, Busted Lip will draw in their own crowd and hopefully a few record labels.

I’ve become so used to telling myself this could never happen, that my music wouldn’t get me anything more than the thrill of playing and a good time. But now, it could actually pay off. We could be discovered. We could be signed. We could end up on tour looking back on this exact moment years from now.

Zach pulls out a joint and lights it. He brings it to his lips for a hit, then passes it around. I take a quick puff, trying to ease my nerves, but I’m not trying to get stoned before the show. I need to be sharp.

When the sun goes down, we head inside. The place is already filling with people. I grab us a couple bottles of water and take a seat. Dad goes up on stage, and the place gets quiet.

“We have a good show put together for you guys tonight.” Everyone claps and cheers. “We have your favorite band that’s here every weekend, Empire of None!” The place cheers even louder and I can’t help but smile. “And, we have a great band that’s currently on tour, Busted Lip!” People pound on the tables, scream, and clap. My jealously goes up just a bit because the crowd got louder for them, but I quickly push it down, remembering my jealously won’t get me anything. This could be a big step for the band.

“Are you guys ready to hear some music and have a good time?” Dad asks through the microphone, causing the cheers to grow louder than before.

“Alight, let’s hear a round of applause for Empire of None!”

As everyone cheers us on, we stand and make our way toward the stage. We take our places, and I step up to the microphone. “How is everyone tonight?” I ask.

Everyone screams again, and I take a minute to check out the crowd. My eyes scan over them, looking for anyone that could be important, anyone that could work for a record label. I see many new faces, but none of them look like business men. Pushing those thoughts away, I decide to just give the show my all. If something comes from it, great. If not, oh-well. Nothing will be any different than it was two days ago.

“We have a good show planned for you guys tonight. We’re going to play a few songs we haven’t played for you yet. And we have a few originals we want you to hear.”

As they clap and cheer, Mark counts us down.

I lead in with guitar and start up the lyrics to “I Love Roll and Roll”. We put a new spin on an old classic, making it sound more metal, and with the twist, it sounds great.

When the song’s over, we lead into “Crazy Train”by Ozzy Osbourne. The crowd’s cheering, and they’re up dancing in front of the stage. Sweat drips off my body as I deliver the performance of my life, giving it everything I have.

“You guys lovin’ the music?” I ask while grinning and flashing the ladies a smile that makes them scream. “Alright, this one is an original called “Lost Without You”.

Mark bangs his sticks, then Zach leads in with bass. My fingers strum, picking up the melody. After a few bars, the lyrics start to spill out.

The song is slow and heartfelt. I close my eyes and belt out the lyrics, feeling every word of the song. When I open my eyes, the dance floor is covered in couples swaying slowly to the music. They’re holding one another tightly and look like they’re completely lost in one another.

When the song wraps up, they all turn to the stage and clap and cheer. My heart picks up with excitement because they loved the song we wrote. I smile to myself and look at the table Alissa is sitting at. The smile falls from my face when I see Sean sitting next to her. They’re both smiling and clapping for the band. He leans in and whispers something to her, making my anger spike.

I want to hop off the stage and kick his ass out, but I know I can’t do that. Instead of making an ass out of myself and my band, opt to keep my temper in check. With all my might, I push those feelings down and start playing the next song.

“Cherry Pie”by Warrant makes all the women in the bar rush the stage. They dance and sway back and forth in front of me. I grin and wink at them, feeding off their energy while singing the song. As I’m looking around the bar, I notice the other band walk in. They look around and nod to me on stage. They settle at the bar and order a round of beers, then turn on their barstools to watch us.

With the band there, I know record label reps will be coming in any minute, so I do my best to make the music sound that much better. All the while I work the stage when I’m not singing to involve the crowd and get them riled up.

We sing one last song before taking a fifteen-minute break. The guys in the band take off to the table their women are sitting at, but I head to the bar to grab a bottle of water. I’m taking a long drink when someone bumps into me.

I turn around to see Busted Lip, the whole band, standing behind me.

“Hey, what do ya think of the show?”

“Not too bad. I’m Link the guitarist for Busted Lip. This is Tanner the lead singer. Travis, the bass guitarist, but we call him Spike because of his hair. And that over there,” he says pointing to a guy a foot away talking to some girl with a killer boob job, “that’s Dillion, the drummer.”

I nod. “I’m Dane, and I don’t know where the rest of my band is, probably off trying to get laid,” I joke.

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