Page 28 of Love on Tour
“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 literallyonstage 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.Shewas 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 ashow 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.
