Page 97 of Rock Out Together
Lizzy didn’t hesitate. She opened her mouth, and the lyrics flew out.
Unprepared for the trajectory and power behind her voice, the crew in the backstage area jumped and turned in her direction.
Walter put his hand up to stop her. “Save it for the stage. That was golden.”
It was the break she was waiting for. It was the opportunity of a lifetime; one she’d been waiting for since she joined Blind Fury. She wished someone would have punched Sid in the face years ago.
Walter’s enthusiasm quickly vanished, and he threw his hands up. “We still got a problem. You don’t have a guitar player.”
Lizzy’s big break was disappearing just as fast as it presented itself, and her spirits and her shoulders dropped.
Dillon furrowed his brow, just as disappointed as Lizzy. Then his eyes brightened with an idea. “Wait here.” Then he took off down the corridor.
Lizzy wondered if they could pull off the elaborate encore. If they couldn’t get a replacement on the guitar, she would be more upset about letting the fans down than missing the chance to sing for them.
Dillon came running back with a young guy Lizzy recognized as someone she’d often seen setting up Dillon’s drum kit.
Walter huffed and shook his head. “This is your solution? Who is this kid?”
“Eric’s one of the roadies,” Dillon explained. “He’s a drummer. I can play the guitar well enough to carry us, and he can play the drums. I let him play my kit all the time. He knows all our songs, and he’s good.”
Walter sighed, pressed his lips together, and assessed Ericwith one sweeping glance from head to toe. “Are you sure you know the songs, kid?”
“I’ve been playing the drums since I was ten years old, and I’m a big fan. I was in a Blind Fury cover band before the tour.” Eric leaned closer to Walter for emphasis. “I can do this.”
Eric had a fresh and eager spark in his eyes, something Lizzy hadn’t seen from any of her bandmates in a long, long time. It was refreshing to see and gave her hope that they might just salvage the encore and go out in style.
Walter scrutinized Eric, still contemplating the offer. He glanced at Lizzy and Dillon, then back to Eric. “You’re all we got, kid. Don’t fuck it up.”
“I won’t. Thank you. You won’t regret this.” Eric bubbled over with enthusiasm and excitement and looked as if he were about to jump through the roof.
Dillon wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulder. “Let’s rock this shit.”
Lizzy went on stage first, still reeling with the knowledge that she was finally going to sing, and Dillon followed. The lengthy span of time backstage doubled the crowd’s anticipation, and they erupted with a thunderous cheer that made Lizzy’s ears ring and the floor vibrate under her boots. The energy that filled the stadium was pure adrenaline, and her blood rushed through her chest as she prepared to fulfill her lifelong dream as lead singer.
Dillon took the mic and approached the crowd to explain the changes in the lineup, but the fans’ screams and chants were so loud that he needed to wait for them to quiet downso they could hear him. He turned to Lizzy, and they shared a look of disbelief at the loudest reception they received in their career.
“You didn’t think we were gonna leave with that shitty goodbye, did you?” Dillon yelled into the mic.
The audience screamed a collective, “FUCK, NO!”
“We got a little problem.” The caution was clear in Dillon’s voice, and the audience quieted.
Nerves fluttered in Lizzy’s gut, worried the fans were going to revolt once they heard Sid and Zach weren’t going to be part of the end of the show.
“There was a little accident backstage,” Dillon explained. “Sid and Zach needed to go to Urgent Care. They’re fine, but they won’t be able to join us for the encore.”
A loud murmur of concern and disappointment spread across the stadium and rose like a tidal wave. Shouts of, “What happened?” and “No!” were clearly audible.
Dillon held his hand up to quiet the crowd. “Don’t worry. Me and Lizzy are going to rock the FUCK outta this stage for the next 40 minutes. Wait until you hear what she can do on this microphone. And I’m gonna do my best on Zach’s guitar. I promise, you won’t believe what you’re about to hear.”
The fans were still murmuring with doubt and uncertainty and shouting questions about Sid and Zach, but Dillon continued. “Since I’m gonna fill in for Zach on the guitar, we have a surprise guest drummer.” He extended his arm toward the curtain, and Eric rambled out, full of confidence and attitude.
“Allow me to introduce my personal protégé, Eric Wade!”
The fans gave him a lackluster greeting until Eric pulled off his shirt and threw it to a bunch of girls in the front row. He had a ripped upper body covered in tattoos and nipple piercings, and the female fans shouted their appreciation. Even Lizzy raised a brow.
Eric jumped behind Dillon’s DW kit and waited for his cue to count off the first song.
