The Highfiveulation Tour

Ian gave a final wave to the crowd as we parted from the stage with smiles on our faces and sweat on our bodies. That’s one nice image, isn’t it? Tonight’s show had been phenomenal, my fingers and wrists ached from the speed and adrenaline which I had put into my playing. My throat was sore from shouting and my eye stung from the strobe lights which seemed to have been even brighter today, god, I feel old sometimes.

We had all been at our best, playing in our home town just made it better, I loved it more than playing anywhere else, and I had a feeling the others did too. Its just amazing to look into the crowd and see old faces of people you knew, some that had come to gigs, even some that you know had traveled from far off places to come see you.

“Oi! Twat face!” Someone called from behind me at I retreated backstage. I turned quickly, remembering that name and voice, to see one of my old best friends; Nathan.

“Skid mark!” I grinned. I don’t know why we had these nicknames but we were dicks when we were 14…who aren’t though? I went over and clapped my old buddy on the back as I gave him a tight hug.

“Great show, tonight. And to think you used to get D’s in music,” Nathan grinned as we walked towards the changing area.

“Only cos I copied off you,” I reminded him, throwing the hat I’d worn onstage across the room to land on the floor by my stuff.

“And I didn’t do anything. So, you seeing anyone?” This sudden question threw me off guard, I chuckled and winked.

“Sorry, Nat, I don’t swing that way,” I joked, picking up my hat and dropping it ontop of a duffel bag I’d brought with me.

“Fuck you,” he punched me on the shoulder as I wiped my forehead of sweat, it was fucking boiling in here. I saw Lee drag Ian into the bathroom from the corner of my eye; I think I was the only one that saw it.

“Nah, my girlfriend broke up with me, she said I was spending too much time in the studio on the last album,” I admitted bitterly. This was short lived as we both started to laugh, watching Ilan cheekily towel-whip Mike who yelped and hit him with his t-shirt.

“She probably wasn’t worth it,” Nathan comforted me when he saw how much it had actually got to me.

“You sure you don’t swing that way?” I joked, elbowing him before I stripped myself of my t-shirt and pulled on a fresh one.

“Actually, I’m married and got a kid on the way.”

“You’re kidding!” I exclaimed, emerging from the mess of t-shirt around my head. “Congratulations, dude. Girl or boy?”

“No idea, Hayley doesn’t want to know,” he grinned, scratching the back of his head, “Where did Mike go?”

“Over there,” I pointed to the swimming pool like changing area, with little pegs and skanky floor to complete the style.

He turned away with a smile and head in the direction I pointed, when he found Mike around the corner I heard a chorus of ‘hey!’ and ‘where you been you old bastard’…I don’t know if it was because we were welsh but we all had foul language. To confirm my thought, I heard some loud cussing from the bathroom.

“Oh fuck! Fuck! Lee, you cunt. Stop teasing me!” Ian groaned loudly.

The backstage area went silent and there were some stifled gasps and laughs from inside before we all giggled and wolf whistled. Stu came around the corner, his shirt off and hair ruffled, he put his shirt on a hanger and set it on the rail behind us. I quickly stole a spray of his deodorant and put it back on the bench, flashing him a cheeky smile as he raised his eyebrow.

The door opened and Ian slipped out, his face a little red, hair everywhere and his tie was shoved in his pocket, the buttons of his shirt open and it looked like a few had been ripped off. Stu grabbed his own crotch and pulled me by the arm so I was closer to him.

“Oh, fuck me, Lee!” He mimicked Ian.

“You’re such a dirty whore, Ian,” I said in a pretty good impression of Lee as I ran a finger down Stu’s face. “I don’t fuck whores.”

“Please, I beg you, I’m naked and horny!” Ian’s face was mingled with amusement and anger. “I’ll…I’ll do whatever you want all mighty Master Lee.”

Lee giggled as he watched, I never saw him come out of the bathroom, he looked strangely suave as he observed and wrapped his arm around Ian’s shoulder.

“Fuckers,” Ian muttered, he pulled away from Lee and gave Stu a punch in the chest before laughing and starting to change.

Lee grinned and as he changed into a clean shirt. “You could learn a thing from him, Ian,” he told him. Stu and I burst into peels of laugher.
Ilan came around the corner, fresh clothes on, a bright red mark on his arm from where Mike had gotten his revenge.

“I’m gonna go wait in the van,” he told us before leaving the room.

Lee looked confused; he stared from one of us to the other. “What did he say? He’s a trannie? He’s banned?”

I grinned, Lee had never been able to understand Ilan’s accent, actually I don’t think it had anything to do with the fact he was American, Lee understood Gerard and every other American he knew…maybe it was just Ilan. I suppose, this was Lee though, a weird lad to say the best.

I was pretty much done, I only had to wait for some runners to bring my keyboard out and I’d take it out to the van, unlike Ilan, I carried my weight. Or got Stu to do it for me. My eyes glanced over him as he decided to change his jeans as well, I don’t know if it was because he knew I was watching or because he genuinely wanted to, but I like to think it was the first.
It was hardly a rare occasion, living with guys constantly usually means that you see a few bums, cocks and underpants, but I wasn’t exactly complaining.