Page 95 of Rock Out Together
“It’s about fuckin’ time,” Sid practically spat at Lizzy as she walked past him, but she ignored him and took her spot on stage.
She looked into the crowd, all on their feet with their fists in the air and their mouths open with shouts of excitement. Along the front railing, behind the line of tight security, Lizzy spotted a banner that spanned almost the full length of the stage. She approached the apron and called to security to move out of the way so she could read the sign. It read, “GOODBYE BLIND FURY. WE’LL NEVER FORGET YOU!” and had their names written in the four corners. Shemoved to the center of the stage to view it more clearly. Whoever was responsible for the banner, whether it be one person or a group, clearly put a great deal of effort into making the sign. The letters were painted meticulously, as if an artist’s hand had drawn them.
She made an exaggerated movement with her head and re-read the sign, smiling, to make sure the fans knew she was acknowledging the banner, and gave a pair of finger horns to the crowd. “That’s awesome!” she shouted, and a loud roar came from the front row.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Sid barked at her, but without the mic so no one else heard him. “Get back in your spot.”
Sid thought he owned the center of the stage. If anyone ever stepped up to the apron next to him, he blew a gasket. But she didn’t care anymore. This was the last show, and it was a night that was going to go down as one of the best shows in history. She was going to make the most of it. Fuck Sid. She smiled sarcastically at him, blew him a kiss, and then smacked her ass before returning to her side of the stage.
Dillon clacked his sticks together and the stadium erupted with an explosion of heavy metal music. Blind Fury launched into their biggest hit, “Hard Body.” Sid belted out the hardcore lyrics to a crowd of 65,000 screaming fans. Lizzy had to give him credit. He may be an asshole off stage, but he was a hell of a frontman. The fans loved him, and the girls swooned over him. Too bad it all went to his head and ruined everything.
She put Sid and his self-destructive attitude out of hermind and concentrated on the low, seductive notes of her bass. Barely acknowledging anything else around her, she let the music feed her soul with fuel and energy until cymbals crashed and snapped her out of her revelry.
Dillon’s shirt was off, and a sheen of perspiration covered his mighty chest. His biceps flexed with each strike to the drums, and his hair flew in all directions as a cone of white light engulfed him.
They were already on their third song, each one bringing them closer to the end of an era. Lizzy peered into the audience and wondered how many people here tonight had taken this journey with her. Crowd surfers were carried to the front by the hands of their peers and deposited into the waiting arms of security. In the center, a mosh pit purposely shoved each other in a circle.
A drumstick flew past her, and she immediately turned toward Dillon. He threw the stick to get her attention while Sid engaged the audience and introduced the next song. She jumped on the drum riser and pulled out her earpiece. “What’s up?”
“This is it. Our last hurrah. Soak it up. We’re never going to see another Blind Fury audience again.”
It was a sad reality that struck her hard. It didn’t matter that she’d never see Sid and Zach again, but she realized she would miss Dillon. She thought she was leaving this band with no regrets. She wasn’t expecting feelings to surface. She didn’t need this kind of turmoil and returned to her spot at the right of the stage and concentrated on the music.
Sid was screaming the lyrics at the crowd, and they screamed back at him with a frenzied roar.
Zach stepped forward for his guitar solo and started wailing notes that bounced off the walls. The sound of his electric guitar filled the stadium with a piercing cry while his fingers ran over the neck of the guitar with the speed of light. His phrasing was fast and intense, and you could feel the emotion when he hung on a note.
Sid brought the mic to his lips and picked up with the lyrics, cutting off Zach’s solo. The crowd didn’t notice but everyone on stage did. Zach missed a series of notes in order to catch up, and glared daggers in Sid’s direction. But he handled it and continued with the song.
The ninety-minute sets always flew by, but tonight’s went unbelievably fast, and Lizzy couldn’t believe they were on the last song already. Her gaze went to Dillon first, then to Zach. They didn’t make eye contact, clearly getting ready to say whatever they had planned for their final goodbye, Lizzy included. She didn’t bother to look in Sid’s direction.
Dillon kept a steady beat on his toms while Sid ambled to the front of the stage to introduce the band. Normally, he started the introductions with Zach, but tonight he surprised Lizzy by introducing her first.
“Give it up for Lizzy Stone!” Sid shouted into the mic, extending his arm in her direction. “This chick’s got a huge set of lady balls! She never took an ounce of shit from anyone! Including me!”
Stunned, she paused for a moment. It was the nicest thing he ever said about her. She nodded at him to show herappreciation, and he nodded back. That tiny bit of acknowledgment meant the world to Lizzy. Not because she needed Sid’s approval, because she gave zero fucks about his opinion, but because it was the first time he showed her an ounce of respect.
Filled with validation, she leaned back and plucked her bass like a madwoman. The deep notes boomed through the air and rumbled into the audience. When she was done, she stepped up to the microphone and pointed toward the audience. “This has been an amazing journey, all because of each and every one of you! Words can’t express how much I love you!” Overcome with emotion, she felt water sting her eyes and a lump in her throat. “Thank you for all your support through the years!” Her voice cracked on the last few words, and she couldn’t continue with the rest of what she planned on saying. It didn’t matter, because the crowd was going crazy, screaming louder than ever, whistling and shouting her name. Humbled, she fanned her eyes, blew them kisses, and gave them a cursory bow.
Sid introduced Dillon next. “And you all know the master of percussion, Dillon Rivers, on the drums! The man whose beats shake the stage!”
Lizzy looked over her shoulder just in time to catch Dillon’s eyes, and he gave her a small, warm smile before he banged the hell out of his drums. Overcome, she almost let out a small sob but caught herself. She never expected her heart to be so heavy or filled with woe. She thought her feelings toward Blind Fury were ice cold and she wanted to move on. In a way she did, but she mourned for what theycould have been. Professionally, they soared, but personally, they could have been a family. There were so many things she wished were different, but it was a hell of a ride, and it changed her life.
Dillon pounded out a short solo that literally knocked the gloomy expression right off her face. Her body vibrated with the sound pulsing through her chest, and it lit up her senses with electricity. A half dozen crashes of the cymbals shattered sound through the stadium and then Dillon silenced them. A stagehand brought a mic to him, and he addressed the crowd. “It’s been a fucking blast! Thank you for always being there! I don’t know what the future will bring, but whatever it is, I hope you guys will be there on the next ride of my life!”
Fans screamed, and a woman shrieked a devastated cry.
Dillon stood up, kissed his sticks, then threw them into the crowd. Fans jumped in the air and rallied to catch them. Lizzy struggled to see who the lucky recipient was, but they were lost in a forest of hands and arms.
There was a moment of silence on stage while everyone waited for Sid to acknowledge Zach. Zach picked at his E-string and dead-stared Sid while he waited for his introduction. Sid’s narrowed eyes challenged him, and for a moment Lizzy thought Sid was going to gloss over Zach without any recognition—which was fucking bullshit. After an awkward pause, Sid pointed toward Zach and announced, “Zach Raines” without any fanfare or mention of his contribution to the band. It was rude and uncalled for. Zach was the best in his field. The rivalry betweenthem was escalating out of control, but Zach handled the insult with dignity and restraint. He didn’t need anything to incite the crowd into an inferno of cheers. The mere mention of his name and a quick riff was all it took for them to shout so loud Lizzy’s ears vibrated. She turned to Zach and bowed with respect, which he acknowledged with the nod of his head. As Lizzy turned back to face the audience, she noticed that Dillon was clacking his sticks together in Zach’s direction.
Sid had to wait for the crowd to quiet before he introduced himself, and there was no missing the smirk of annoyance on his face—the self-centered ass.
“You all know who I am!” Sid shouted into his mic, stretching his arms wide. He waited while the fans erupted into a crazy chant of, “Sid! Sid! Sid!” No matter what the rest of them thought, the fans loved him. “I’ve been giving you my all for the last 12 and a half years! I’ve been in your face, under your skin, and running through your veins! What are you going to do without me?” He smiled and winked at the audience. “The truth is, I don’t know what I’m going to do without you either! But you haven’t seen the last of Sid Steele! Until next time, my loves!” He threw a series of kisses into the audience while they went ballistic.
With the introductions out of the way, they picked up with the rest of the song. When it ended, they waved, and ran off stage. The fans erupted into a chant of, “ONE MORE!” and shouted song titles. They knew Blind Fury wasn’t leaving the stadium without a sendoff befitting their illustrious career. There was an elaborate 40-minute encoreplanned, as well as a pyrotechnic show with fire throwers, theatrical dancers, confetti, and a balloon drop.
They regrouped in a small area backstage that was set up with refreshments. Lizzy grabbed a bottle of water, but before she had a chance to bring it to her lips, Dillon was at her side. She waited, but he didn’t say anything, so she took a big gulp of water. When he still didn’t say anything, she turned to look at him, but he remained quiet and unsure. He’d been forthright and forward all day, so she didn’t understand his hesitancy.
