Page 27 of Accidental Fire
We went inside for the sound check and played a few songs to work out some changes since we were switching up the set list.Things went great. We were ready for our first appearance at Beer Fest, and I was pumped.
We stood in the wings as Hielo y Fuego, an amazing Mexican band we’d met earlier in the day as we all hung out behind the stage to share dinner. They were touring all along the Baja California coast over the summer, having just released their first album earlier in the spring. After talking to them, I started feeling the familiar panic rising in my chest that we would sound like shit coming in behind them.
They finished their set with an incredible mariachi sound as their lead singer sang the lyrics to “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath in Spanish. It was cooler than I expected.
“¡Gracias Ensenada!” The crowd went wild as the band walked off the stage. They high-fived us as they went back to the dressing rooms to change.
Marsh put his heavy hand on my shoulder. “Get ’em out there, River. Show everyone what Accidental Fire can do. Don’t let me down.”
We were pumped and ready to go. I wanted to puke, but I decided to channel my nerves into making the show the best it could be. Throwing up on stage wasn’t what I wanted everyone to remember about the show.
The stage went dark, and I pushed Arlo and Goldie in front of me. We took our spots on stage, and I strummed a chord on my acoustic that lit the crowd up. The screams were deafening.
I strummed the opening chords of our first song, “Don’t You Wanna Know?”—FM7, C, FM7, C.
Goldie came in on the first verse, his voice soft as he sang the words melodically instead of the screaming lyrics the way we usually sang them.
“Don’t You Wanna Know?”
They say that love is paradise
Don’t you wanna try a slice?
We might find it very nice
Don’t you wanna know?
I realize that we just met
And you don’t really know me yet
Let’s talk things out so there’s no regret
Don’t you wanna know?
The song was everything I thought it could be when we wrote it last fall. The crowd was incredible, and when I checked the wings where Kit was standing, watching us with a smile, I couldn’t believe this was my life.
The crowd roared as we left the stage. We sang. We thrashed. We had the time of our lives, and we got the call for the encore. I looked at the guys and saw the smiles. “How do we wanna do the encore?”
“Acoustic,” they said unanimously. That’s exactly what we did, and it was amazing.
Once it was over, we walked off the stage, and I saw Kit standing in the wings. I slid my acoustic strap over my head and handed it to one of the roadies, continuing on my path toward Kit.
I stood in front of the gorgeous man, grinning. “What’d you think? Better this time, right?”
“Come here. That was great.” I stepped closer and he wrapped his arms around me, which was exactly what I needed.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
“You about ready to go back to the resort?” Kit had a big grin on his face, and he didn’t push me away, which was incredible.
We’d ripped the roof off the place, and I didn’t feel the need to stick around to hear the next band. We’d proven we were ready to show the world what we had to offer, and there was no looking back.
“I’m ready to go. This is the best night I’ve had in a long time.” It wasn’t a lie.
“Aren’t you and your bandmates going to party? It was a rousing success. I can send you the video clips I recorded. It was—what is it you kids say? Epic?”
I laughed and hugged him again. “I’m done with that life. Nothing I could drink or smoke would give me the high I’m feeling—”
