You Give Love a Bad Name
Green Day
The music from the opening band was blaring as we practically pushed our way through the crowd that was pulsing with life and energy in the cramped space of Mark's.
"You and Logan go get us something to drink, while Melanie and I will look for Frank and Gerard," Mikey yelled at me over the music, bumping into a couple of people in the process.
"Okay," I yelled back, grabbing Logan's hand and turning to go to the opposite direction where a small bar-like structure was built.
"Hey, Joe," I greeted the bartender once Logan and I were away from the crowd and I was leaning against the bar. "Busy night?"
Joe, a big, burly guy in his late twenties, leaned in towards me, a big smile plastering itself on his face as soon as he saw who I was. "Hey, kiddo! Haven't seen you in a while. Here to see Green Day?"
I smiled back, sitting down and gesturing for Logan to do the same. "You betcha. I still can't believe they're playing here tonight. If Logan here," I nodded at the gray-eyed boy next to me, "didn't tell me about it, I doubt I would have even known."
Joe scratched his shiny, bold head and extended his muscular, tattooed arm towards Logan. "I'm Joe. I've never seen you before around here. First time here at Mark's?"
"Actually, I'm new to the state," Logan replied, looking somewhat nervous as he shook Joe's hand. "I moved to Jersey about a month ago from Rhode Island."
"Ah, good state that one, good state," Joe looked like he was remembering something pleasant. "I had a friend from Rhode Island, and did he know how to party, man! Always had the best booze in town."
Logan blinked. "Oh."
"Anyway," Joe turned back to me, "I saw your brother earlier on with Frank. They should have told me you came along. It's always a pleasure to see you, kiddo."
Obviously he meant Gerard and Frank, since Mikey was with me just a couple of minutes ago. "They were here?"
"Oh yeah. Came to get a couple of shots and book a show for the end of the month. Frank looked a bit down, though. Know what's up with him?"
I shrugged. "He broke up with his girlfriend this week, maybe that's what it is. Say, when did you see them?"
"About ten minutes ago. They went in that," Joe pointed towards the left side of the stage, in the other end of the room, "direction."
"Thanks, dude." I turned to look at Logan. "Want something to drink?"
Logan looked uncertain. "I don't know."
"I'll get you something so you'll have something to drink incase you get thirsty," I reasoned, and turned back to Joe, handing him a crumpled twenty. "Four beers, please."
"Your money is no good here," Joe replied with a smile, putting four bottles on the counter. "The Ways are like family around here. Have fun at the show, kiddo."
I grinned and took two bottles, Logan taking the rest. "Bye, Joe. I'll see you again after the show."
He waved and turned to help another customer.
"I can't believe he sold this to you," Logan said as soon as we were out from Joe's earshot. "He can get in trouble for this shit."
"Well, he didn't exactly sell it to me," I mused, opening one and taking a swig. "Besides, you heard him. We're family."
"When are they coming out, already?" Melanie groaned, craning her neck to try and see over the couple of people that were in front of us.
Good thing we were close to the stage, or I would have not able to see anything, seeing as I stood five foot three of the ground.
"Soon," Mikey assured her.
Just as he finished saying that, the lights dimmed and Billie Joe Armstrong ran out on the stage, followed by Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.
"Ohmygod!" Melanie gasped next to me. "God is standing just a couple of feet away from us!"
I laughed, my stomach tightening in excitement and anticipation as I surveyed my favorite band.
"How the hell are ya today?" Billie Joe yelled in the microphone, followed by the earsplitting roar from the audience. "I thought so. Want to hear a little song I wrote?" Another roar. "Is that a yes?" Now this place was so loud that I wondered how the hell the ceiling was holding up. "I guess me and the boys have to play it now, yeah?"
"Who the hell are you to tell me what I am
And what's my master plan"
As soon as I recognized the song, I started to sing along.
"What makes you think that it includes you?
Self-righteous wealth
Stop flattering yourself"
People all around us were moshing now, and I had to move closer to the stage in order to keep from being squished like a bug.
"So when the smoke clears here I am
Your reject all-American"
Twenty minutes later, the boys of Green Day were still as energetic as they were when they played their first song of the day, Reject, and Billie Joe was jumping around the stage in a frenzy, his red tie loosened, and devil's horns perched on his head.
"Now," he addressed the audience, his voice breathless and excited. "Who wants to come up and play with us?"
Everybody started screaming and jumping around, creating waves in the sea of people.
"A lot of people, then? Sorry, guys, there's only room for three," he grinned, looking around with a pout. "Which one of you is a kick ass drummer?"
He ended up picking a girl with a neon-green mohawk ["Whatcha name, honey?" "Syd." "Go to Papa Tre then, Syd."], who had more jewelry in her ears than my whole school put together. She ran up to Tre and gave him a hug before slipping behind the drum kit, pure happiness shining on her face.
"Now," Billie Joe turned to the rest of us, as Tre showed Syd what rhythm to play behind him. "Any bassist here?"
I turned towards my brother. "Mikey, raise your hand!"
He looked panicked. "What? No! I'm not good enough!"
I groaned and raised up his hand myself, jumping around to get us noticed.
To my absolute and utter glee, Billie Joe's eyes stopped on us as he skimmed the crowd. He pointed at Mikey and then at the stage.
"Mikey! It's you!" Melanie squeaked besides me, pushing him foreword. "Go!"
With the help of the crowd, Mikey was up on the stage, trembling visibly.
"What's your name?" Billie Joe asked Mikey, as Mike Dirnt came up to them with his bass.
"M-Mikey," my brother stuttered, looking around like a deer caught in headlights.
Billie Joe slapped him on the shoulder and let Mike Dirnt lead Mikey away to the right, so he could show him what to play.
"Guitarists?" Billie Joe's eyes were skimming the crowd once more, but now mostly on the other side. "Who can play guitar?"
At this point I couldn't see anything, seeing as pretty much everyone were jumping up and down, their hands raised and their faces hopeful.
"You!" Billie Joe pointed to the far left. "Come up here."
I watched as the shape practically crowd-surfed up on the stage, the hair in my eyes making my vision blurred.
"What's your name?" I heard Billie Joe's voice ask once more.
"Frank."
I pushed the hair out of my eyes, and my jaw almost dropped to the floor when I saw my best friend standing on the stage and grinning at Billie Joe Armstrong and the shocked Mikey to the right of him.
"You and Logan go get us something to drink, while Melanie and I will look for Frank and Gerard," Mikey yelled at me over the music, bumping into a couple of people in the process.
"Okay," I yelled back, grabbing Logan's hand and turning to go to the opposite direction where a small bar-like structure was built.
"Hey, Joe," I greeted the bartender once Logan and I were away from the crowd and I was leaning against the bar. "Busy night?"
Joe, a big, burly guy in his late twenties, leaned in towards me, a big smile plastering itself on his face as soon as he saw who I was. "Hey, kiddo! Haven't seen you in a while. Here to see Green Day?"
I smiled back, sitting down and gesturing for Logan to do the same. "You betcha. I still can't believe they're playing here tonight. If Logan here," I nodded at the gray-eyed boy next to me, "didn't tell me about it, I doubt I would have even known."
Joe scratched his shiny, bold head and extended his muscular, tattooed arm towards Logan. "I'm Joe. I've never seen you before around here. First time here at Mark's?"
"Actually, I'm new to the state," Logan replied, looking somewhat nervous as he shook Joe's hand. "I moved to Jersey about a month ago from Rhode Island."
"Ah, good state that one, good state," Joe looked like he was remembering something pleasant. "I had a friend from Rhode Island, and did he know how to party, man! Always had the best booze in town."
Logan blinked. "Oh."
"Anyway," Joe turned back to me, "I saw your brother earlier on with Frank. They should have told me you came along. It's always a pleasure to see you, kiddo."
Obviously he meant Gerard and Frank, since Mikey was with me just a couple of minutes ago. "They were here?"
"Oh yeah. Came to get a couple of shots and book a show for the end of the month. Frank looked a bit down, though. Know what's up with him?"
I shrugged. "He broke up with his girlfriend this week, maybe that's what it is. Say, when did you see them?"
"About ten minutes ago. They went in that," Joe pointed towards the left side of the stage, in the other end of the room, "direction."
"Thanks, dude." I turned to look at Logan. "Want something to drink?"
Logan looked uncertain. "I don't know."
"I'll get you something so you'll have something to drink incase you get thirsty," I reasoned, and turned back to Joe, handing him a crumpled twenty. "Four beers, please."
"Your money is no good here," Joe replied with a smile, putting four bottles on the counter. "The Ways are like family around here. Have fun at the show, kiddo."
I grinned and took two bottles, Logan taking the rest. "Bye, Joe. I'll see you again after the show."
He waved and turned to help another customer.
"I can't believe he sold this to you," Logan said as soon as we were out from Joe's earshot. "He can get in trouble for this shit."
"Well, he didn't exactly sell it to me," I mused, opening one and taking a swig. "Besides, you heard him. We're family."
"When are they coming out, already?" Melanie groaned, craning her neck to try and see over the couple of people that were in front of us.
Good thing we were close to the stage, or I would have not able to see anything, seeing as I stood five foot three of the ground.
"Soon," Mikey assured her.
Just as he finished saying that, the lights dimmed and Billie Joe Armstrong ran out on the stage, followed by Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.
"Ohmygod!" Melanie gasped next to me. "God is standing just a couple of feet away from us!"
I laughed, my stomach tightening in excitement and anticipation as I surveyed my favorite band.
"How the hell are ya today?" Billie Joe yelled in the microphone, followed by the earsplitting roar from the audience. "I thought so. Want to hear a little song I wrote?" Another roar. "Is that a yes?" Now this place was so loud that I wondered how the hell the ceiling was holding up. "I guess me and the boys have to play it now, yeah?"
"Who the hell are you to tell me what I am
And what's my master plan"
As soon as I recognized the song, I started to sing along.
"What makes you think that it includes you?
Self-righteous wealth
Stop flattering yourself"
People all around us were moshing now, and I had to move closer to the stage in order to keep from being squished like a bug.
"So when the smoke clears here I am
Your reject all-American"
Twenty minutes later, the boys of Green Day were still as energetic as they were when they played their first song of the day, Reject, and Billie Joe was jumping around the stage in a frenzy, his red tie loosened, and devil's horns perched on his head.
"Now," he addressed the audience, his voice breathless and excited. "Who wants to come up and play with us?"
Everybody started screaming and jumping around, creating waves in the sea of people.
"A lot of people, then? Sorry, guys, there's only room for three," he grinned, looking around with a pout. "Which one of you is a kick ass drummer?"
He ended up picking a girl with a neon-green mohawk ["Whatcha name, honey?" "Syd." "Go to Papa Tre then, Syd."], who had more jewelry in her ears than my whole school put together. She ran up to Tre and gave him a hug before slipping behind the drum kit, pure happiness shining on her face.
"Now," Billie Joe turned to the rest of us, as Tre showed Syd what rhythm to play behind him. "Any bassist here?"
I turned towards my brother. "Mikey, raise your hand!"
He looked panicked. "What? No! I'm not good enough!"
I groaned and raised up his hand myself, jumping around to get us noticed.
To my absolute and utter glee, Billie Joe's eyes stopped on us as he skimmed the crowd. He pointed at Mikey and then at the stage.
"Mikey! It's you!" Melanie squeaked besides me, pushing him foreword. "Go!"
With the help of the crowd, Mikey was up on the stage, trembling visibly.
"What's your name?" Billie Joe asked Mikey, as Mike Dirnt came up to them with his bass.
"M-Mikey," my brother stuttered, looking around like a deer caught in headlights.
Billie Joe slapped him on the shoulder and let Mike Dirnt lead Mikey away to the right, so he could show him what to play.
"Guitarists?" Billie Joe's eyes were skimming the crowd once more, but now mostly on the other side. "Who can play guitar?"
At this point I couldn't see anything, seeing as pretty much everyone were jumping up and down, their hands raised and their faces hopeful.
"You!" Billie Joe pointed to the far left. "Come up here."
I watched as the shape practically crowd-surfed up on the stage, the hair in my eyes making my vision blurred.
"What's your name?" I heard Billie Joe's voice ask once more.
"Frank."
I pushed the hair out of my eyes, and my jaw almost dropped to the floor when I saw my best friend standing on the stage and grinning at Billie Joe Armstrong and the shocked Mikey to the right of him.