Strung Tight (The Road To Rocktoberfest #1) - Ann Lister Page 0,85

subdued lighting for the beginning of the song with the background behind Mike left in darkness. The choir will slowly take their places behind you, and the audience will hear them before they see them appear under the lights after they get into position. The choir and Fletcher will be put under spotlights for the end with a slow fade to darkness as your last note disappears.”

“Jesus, that sounds amazing,” Potter said excitedly.

“We’ll rehearse the lighting at the soundcheck and give the choir some time to acclimate to stepping up on the riser that’ll be behind Mike’s drum kit,” Dagger said. “I’ll make sure the risers have a little bit of track lighting on the ends for you to find in the dark,” Dagger directed at the choir members. “If you’re all set for now, let’s break for lunch before we head out on stage for your soundcheck.”

Holy shit. I was so excited I wasn’t sure I could eat. We walked to the room serving the food and made ourselves some sandwiches, then found a table and sat together while Dagger was standing by the door chatting with the choir members. A few minutes later, Dagger’s husband, Ryan, came in and the two men gave each other a quick kiss. Next thing I knew, Ryan was walking in the direction of our table.

“Hey guys,” Ryan said. “Dagger’s been keeping me updated on your rehearsals, and it sounds like the addition of the choir is going to make an incredible ending to your show tomorrow.”

“We’re going to play it during our soundcheck in a few minutes if you want to listen,” I offered.

“That’s why I’m here,” Ryan said and smiled. “I also wanted to let you know that your interview with me has had a ton of hits on our website. I suspect after this weekend, the footage views are going to skyrocket.”

“That’s really great to hear,” I said.

“Once you get back to LA the real marketing will begin,” Ryan said.

“And the recording begins too,” I added.

Dagger appeared at Ryan’s side and draped an arm around his shoulders. “Finish eating, boys,” he said to us. “It’s almost time to head out front to the stage.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

We stood as a group in the holding area at the side of the stage. Jupiter Rising was just finishing up their soundcheck, and we were going out next. My stomach was churning, and I was second-guessing the sandwich I’d partially eaten a few minutes ago. My eyes darted out into the audience. There weren’t a ton of people standing around, and most of them were workers. That should have offered me some level of comfort, but I could feel myself shaking with nerves. How would I be tomorrow when this same venue was packed with people? I had no idea how I’d manage not to panic. Mike stood behind me and used his drumsticks to tap out a simple beat on my back. The guy’s hands were always in motion, and oddly, I found that soothing right now.

“How are you doing, Fletch?” Mike asked. I nodded, but it wasn’t a good enough response for him. He spun around to face my front, then used a drumstick and lifted my chin to force eye contact. He seemed to study my expression for a moment before he spoke again, “Talk to me, bud.”

“I’m fine, but this is … a lot to take in,” I said. “Look how big that stage is.”

“I know, it’s awesome,” Mike answered with a glance over his shoulder at Jupiter Rising exiting the stage on the opposite side and our roadies bursting out from behind the back curtain with our gear to start setting up for us, then Mike’s eyes were back on me. “Listen to me. This is what we’ve been busting our asses for—the prize—after years of hard work. We can do this! Remember what I told you to do? Once you get out to your microphone, you close your eyes and wait for me to start kicking at my bass drum.”

“I remember, and I’ll do my best,” I said.

We both watched our equipment team scatter around the stage, running cables and plugging shit in. They looked like worker bees creating a new hive in just a few minutes.

“Those guys amaze me,” Mike commented.

Potter and Dixon stepped beside us, and their matching grins expressed how excited they were. Although I also saw a bit of fear in their eyes too. I was happy to see we all had varying levels of