Chapter Four #4
As Austin wound down his last song, Matt whispered something in her ear about coming to the stage with him.
She nodded and followed. Walking through the crowd, she could barely move.
Claustrophobia kicked in. Guys in sleeveless T-shirts were sloshing beer and stumbling her way.
Random people tried to high-five her, and one woman reached for her All Access pass, forcing Christine to push her arm away.
Matt turned around and made eye contact before reaching for her hand.
She grabbed his and held on tight. He pulled her close as they made their way through the jungle of human limbs that were spilling drinks and fist-bumping friends.
When they made it backstage, she breathed a sigh of relief.
They released their hands simultaneously.
She had been so focused on surviving the crowd that she hadn’t taken a moment to enjoy the feel of his fingers as they laced through hers.
But her hand held his warmth, and she subconsciously raised it to her lips.
“That was scary,” Christine said, her eyes wide.
“It gets worse. Hang out in the pit when Jackson takes the stage. Those fans have been tailgating since two.”
“Maybe I’ll listen from the side of the stage.”
“Safe bet. Let’s go to the bus and hang with Austin until Jackson goes on.” Matt put his hand behind her back, so slight she could barely feel it. She leaned back into it.
“Okay,” she said, hearing the huskiness in her own voice.
They joined Austin and his band for a post-show toast, and five minutes before Jackson took the stage, they left the bus. The lights flickered, the intro music notched up a few decibels, and so did the audience’s screams. It was time. Jackson was taking the stage.
Austin took her literally on stage to watch the show.
The lights went out, the smoke poured from the stage machines, and Jackson got into a backstage elevator that allowed him to jump high onto the stage riser right as the opening notes to his first song started.
This was the moment twenty-five thousand people were waiting for—the moment their favorite singer appeared onstage, ready to rock their world for the next seventy-five minutes.
Jackson kicked it off with a rocking up-tempo song.
The pyro shot into the air and was so strong the heat felt like a bonfire.
Standing onstage gave Christine a different perspective.
The energy coming from the fans was unbelievable.
They sang loud and howled louder, reaching out to try and touch him.
She was standing to the left of the drummer, whose hands were a blur as his sticks flew across the drums. Every time he hit the kick drum, she felt it in her chest. The bass player stood back-to-back with the lead guitarist, as they leaned against each other for full effect. The band rocked the house.
“If it’s this incredible just standing here and watching it, I can’t imagine what it’s like for Jackson and his band.”
“I know. I can’t wait ’til I’m headlining,” Austin said.
“What?” Christine leaned closer so she could hear him. He put his hand on her back, yelling in her ear, repeating what he’d said.
She put her hand on his shoulder and yelled back, “I can’t, either.”
She grabbed her phone to take some pictures, forgetting she still had Austin’s social feed up. She knew better than to look, but she did anyway.
AGILY: OMG! She’s on stage with AG watching JW. WTF?
CTRYFN: Did he just nuzzle her ear?
AGILY: Oh, gross. Tell me he didn’t!
CTRYFN: I don’t get it. What does he see in her?
AGILY: Who knows? Maybe she can suck it like a Hoover. There’s got to be something we’re missing.
She wanted to look into the audience and flip them off.
But if she did, it would be the next photo posted.
Someone out there was watching her. Screw them.
They didn’t get to ruin her evening. She switched her phone to camera and chose to ignore the cyberbullying.
She plastered a big smile on her face. She was the one onstage with Austin.
She had worked hard and gotten to this moment.
She vowed to enjoy this experience no matter what anyone else thought.
Jackson sang his hits. She counted twelve, thirteen, fourteen, all the way up to twenty number one hits, and he hadn’t even played them all.
He was the reigning Artist of the Decade.
She knew it took a village to raise an act to this level.
There was a record label, manager, publicist, producer, musicians, songwriters, song pluggers, and radio.
But even with all those people, it wouldn’t work unless the artist had the “it” factor to be a star.
At any given time, there were only about eight superstars in the format.
And he was one of them. She wondered how many people had pitched him songs over the years.
She’d never met him. She usually pitched to newcomers and didn’t get to hang out with artists of his caliber. Maybe tonight she would.
The concert ended with Jackson cracking open a beer and spraying it on the people in the pit. His fans loved this personal moment with him. They were sharing his beer with him. That’s what friends do. In that moment, they became his friends.
“Let’s get out of the way,” Matt said as Jackson, his band, and crew started to leave the stage. Everyone moved fast once a show was over. They wanted to tear down the set, which would take hours.
Matt led her and Austin back to the dressing room. Austin cracked a beer and offered one to Matt. Christine smiled as he accepted it. He’d abstained the entire evening, but now his work was done.
“Want to meet Jackson and his wife, Bella?” Austin asked Christine. “They should be in the vibe room by now.”
“Duh,” she said, excited to meet two of the hottest stars in the business.
Austin took her hand and led her to where they were standing.
“Bella, this is Christine. She works for Hit Songs Publishing,” Austin said.
“Hi, Christine. Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. My friend Julianna follows you religiously on socials and mirrors your style. She loves everything from your braids to your makeup and clothes. She’s gorgeous like you. Even your name means ‘beautiful.’”
“Aw, thank you. That’s so sweet,” Bella said, giving Christine a hug.
Austin tapped Jackson’s shoulder.
“Hey, Jackson. I want you to meet Christine. She’s the plugger who found ‘Promises to Me.’” Christine was momentarily shocked at Austin’s use of her given name, twice.
“Well, damn. Maybe I should be calling you for songs next time,” Jackson said, shaking her hand.
“Hands off, man. She’s mine.”
Without acknowledging Austin’s comment, Jackson looked at Christine.
He put his hand to his ear in a “call me” sign.
Then he laughed and lightly punched Austin on the shoulder.
“Just messing with you. Great show tonight. You’re the perfect artist to get the crowd going.
You’ll be middle slot before you know it. ”
“Thanks, man. Can’t ever thank you enough for this opportunity.”
Jackson turned back to Christine, reaching out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said, acknowledging her before turning to greet others. She was impressed.
“He seems so down-to-earth. So normal for a superstar,” Christine said.
“He is.”
“The first time I heard his debut single, I was sold. Then, when he released his second single . . .” Christine continued naming Jackson’s hit songs.
“If we go through every song he’s ever released, we’re going to miss the rest of the party.” Austin gestured to the room full of people.
Christine looked around the room, recognizing Jackson’s band members.
“His whole band is in here. It’s so rare that a touring band is also the studio band, but they’re on every album. Best band in the business,” Christine said.
“That’s why they’re called The Bad Ass Band.”
A young, stunning blonde walked past, and without uttering a word, Austin turned and followed her.
“And Julianna wonders why I don’t want to go for you,” Christina said aloud.
She came off her concert high as her standard awkwardness began.
She’d never felt comfortable at parties, and this was no different.
She wandered over to the snack table. She popped a couple of peanuts in her mouth, realizing she hadn’t eaten in hours.
She looked for Matt but didn’t see him. The production crew still had to tear down the equipment and probably couldn’t join the party until later.
Austin’s band members had come in and were mingling.
She didn’t see Alicia but knew she was counting money and merchandise and then had to load everything back in the truck.
A loud laugh got Christine’s attention. She turned around.
It came from a tall, pretty woman with long black hair.
The sound was infectious. Her smile never ended, and when she talked, she used her entire upper body.
Her hands moved nonstop, back-patting the people around her and gesturing to accompany her words.
She flipped the bird twice and clapped her hands at something funny.
The people around her stared like she was the only person in the room.
Christine felt like they were at two different parties.
Just once, she wanted to be the life of the party.
She never was in high school. Even in college, she had been happier playing games in the dorms with her friends than going to frat parties.
But now, she was in an industry that thrived on events.
She could learn from this woman. She walked over to where Austin was talking to the blonde and tapped his shoulder.
“Who’s the girl over there?”
“Brandy, Jackson’s record rep. Come on—I’ll introduce you. She’s a trip.” He told the blonde to wait for him and walked Christine over to where Brandy was standing.
“Brandy, this is Chrissy. She works at my publishing company. Chrissy, this is Brandy.” They shook hands.