it distract me. This was my last performance for the
foreseeable future—not that the crowd knew that—and I wanted it to be the best of the entire tour.
It helped that the crowd was amazing, singing along, clapping, cheering me on, and lifting my spirits. Plus,
Austin was in the wings. If my family didn’t come, Austin would be there to hold me.
My concerts weren’t exact copies of each other. Yes, the set list was the same, but I did my best to keep each
one fresh by saying different things between songs and even mixing up the lyrics of songs a little. I changed
which parts I asked the audience to sing and altered what I did onstage, much to the annoyance of the lighting
directors at each venue. Basically, I did whatever felt right in the moment.
There was one thing very different about this concert, though. My electronic keyboard was on the stage. When it
got to the point where I brought someone with a birthday up onto the stage, I went to sit at the keyboard and
gestured for the birthday boy—a wide-eyed omega—to sit on the stool close by.
“Austin Steele’s been teaching me how to play the piano,” I told the omega and the rest of the crowd.
Everyone applauded, and there were lots of whoops and cheers.
“This is the first time I’ve played in front of an audience.” I looked the omega directly in the eyes. “And this song’s
just for you.”
His face went bright red. I started to play “Happy Birthday”, singing along. The backing band had been instructed
not to play like they usually did. The crowd sang with me, filling the auditorium with joyous sound. Instead of
finishing, when I got to the end of the short song, I transitioned into the opening of “Talk of Love”, Austin’s first
single. My playing was not the best, and I hit several wrong notes, but I could tell what song I was playing. What
was even more amazing was that the audience did too, and a large number of them sang along with me, word
perfect. Who said no one remembered who Austin Steele was? At the very least, his songs had endured and
found their way into the hearts of a new generation.
When I finished, the crowd went wild. There was a huge chorus of “we love you, Charlie!” as I grasped the omega’
s hand, and we took a bow together. I gave him his T-shirt, backstage pass, and a hug before he was escorted off
the stage.
After that, the crowd was even more supportive, not to mention louder. When the encore came around, I sang the
three songs I normally did, but instead of jogging off the stage, I stood in the centre, waiting for the crowd to
catch on to the fact that I wasn’t finished. By this point in the tour, my set list was common knowledge, so the
vast majority of my fans would have known that was supposed to be the end of the concert. They stared up at
me, whispering among themselves.
“How would you feel about one more song?” I asked.
They went crazy, and it took several minutes for them to quieten down enough for me to speak again.
“With a special guest?”
I was answered with screams.
Once they were quiet, I took a couple of steps back until I could see Austin. I gestured to him. “Come on out
here.”
I knew I was putting him on the spot, but I hoped he’d forgive me. He didn’t move at first. Had I made a mistake?
My heart beat wildly. I smiled at him and then turned back to the crowd.
“He needs a little encouragement. Show some love for Austin Steele.”
If I’d thought the crowd had been loud during the rest of the concert, I’d been wrong. I literally had to cover my
ears, they screamed so loudly and passionately. Then they began to chant Austin’s name. I gestured to him
again, and, eventually, he came out onstage.
I turned to my backing band. I hadn’t briefed them either. “Do you know ‘He Thinks He Needs You’?”
They nodded and readied their instruments. I took Austin’s hand and held the microphone between us.
“Ready?”
“No,” he whispered.
“Do you need more encouragement?”
Even though I wasn’t explicitly asking the audience, they cheered anyway.
“You could have warned me,” Austin said.
I shrugged. “What would have been the fun in that? I’ve got to keep you on your toes.” I winked at him and then
gestured to the band to play.
We
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