Status: Updating while working on rewriting the earlier chapters (and deleting some stuff).
Infinite
One
It’s almost midnight when we finally get on stage, but it feels like the crowd is here just because of us. We are second to last of tonight’s four bands, and the two bands that played before us were not enough to make the crowd ecstatic.
But we are.
I can feel it even before we start playing, the energy pulsating through my body, and I want to jump and dance and sing and have it go on forever. And as our lead guitarist Karl plunges into the first intro, I know that this will be the best gig we’ve ever had. It doesn’t matter that I know at least half of the people in the crowd, or that they are here because Red practically forced them. Karl and Red and Noel and I are one tonight, we’re Infinity, and for the first time in ages I get giddy at the thought “I’m in a band.” Two years ago this was only a dream, and an idea formed in Red’s basement.
Not that we’re famous or anything, I mean, we’re all still in high school except for Karl who graduated last year. And sometimes at band practice I have my doubts about us – we’re just another New Jersey band after all.
But tonight we’re on top of the world.
We begin with our own song Sometimes It Feels Like Morning, and then Teen Anxiety Never Felt So Real – and I don’t forget lyrics and Karl’s solos are just amazing and even if I forget one or two chords it doesn’t really matter, the crowd is ecstatic and I’m pretty sure no one notices. Our last song is a cover that caused the guys to make vomit noises when I suggested it a few weeks ago, but tonight My Chemical Romance’s Teenagers makes the crowd cheer and sing along. I look back at Noel during “they say that teenagers scare the living shit outta me” and smile at his bemused expression. So what if I’m “such a teen” and that the guys are so much cooler than I’ll ever be – this time I was right, and the crowd is almost reluctant to let us go, as they chant for more as we get off stage.
“Sorry guys, our time is up. But our demo is available for purchase, just come talk to us!” I say in the microphone before handing it over to the sound guy.
And there are at least a dozen people who wants our demo, even though Karl warns them and says that the sound is really bad and that we do our thing best live before Red tells him to shut up.
“This is fucking amazing, everyone should buy it!” he tells the next person in line.
After we’ve sold our cd's and all our equipment has been loaded into Karl’s van, we hit the road. We have a half-hour drive in front of us to get back home.
But we are.
I can feel it even before we start playing, the energy pulsating through my body, and I want to jump and dance and sing and have it go on forever. And as our lead guitarist Karl plunges into the first intro, I know that this will be the best gig we’ve ever had. It doesn’t matter that I know at least half of the people in the crowd, or that they are here because Red practically forced them. Karl and Red and Noel and I are one tonight, we’re Infinity, and for the first time in ages I get giddy at the thought “I’m in a band.” Two years ago this was only a dream, and an idea formed in Red’s basement.
Not that we’re famous or anything, I mean, we’re all still in high school except for Karl who graduated last year. And sometimes at band practice I have my doubts about us – we’re just another New Jersey band after all.
But tonight we’re on top of the world.
We begin with our own song Sometimes It Feels Like Morning, and then Teen Anxiety Never Felt So Real – and I don’t forget lyrics and Karl’s solos are just amazing and even if I forget one or two chords it doesn’t really matter, the crowd is ecstatic and I’m pretty sure no one notices. Our last song is a cover that caused the guys to make vomit noises when I suggested it a few weeks ago, but tonight My Chemical Romance’s Teenagers makes the crowd cheer and sing along. I look back at Noel during “they say that teenagers scare the living shit outta me” and smile at his bemused expression. So what if I’m “such a teen” and that the guys are so much cooler than I’ll ever be – this time I was right, and the crowd is almost reluctant to let us go, as they chant for more as we get off stage.
“Sorry guys, our time is up. But our demo is available for purchase, just come talk to us!” I say in the microphone before handing it over to the sound guy.
And there are at least a dozen people who wants our demo, even though Karl warns them and says that the sound is really bad and that we do our thing best live before Red tells him to shut up.
“This is fucking amazing, everyone should buy it!” he tells the next person in line.
After we’ve sold our cd's and all our equipment has been loaded into Karl’s van, we hit the road. We have a half-hour drive in front of us to get back home.