Page 30 of Anchor Grey
“Okay Master Yoda,” Glen said with a warm smile.
“Some of us never get out of this business, and others stay too long. Good for you getting out while you still like it and it hasn’t sucked the life out of you,” Rory, the bass player, said.
“We’re all ready for a change,” I said.
“So, are you going to be doing sound for us?” Liam asked.
“It’s possible. I mean I wouldn’t say no. Unless we had plans,” I said making them all chuckle.
“We’re happy for you all, and I hear you’ve got some new music. You know the fans are going to be pissed that you drop it on them and leave,” Easy said.
“Or they’ll hate it. Either way it’s our farewell to them,” I said and squeezed Johnny’s hand.
“You lads are alright,” Drake, Easy’s dad, said and patted me on the back.
In a way, everyone here was family but the connection between us wasn’t just the music or by blood, it was more than that. It was shared experiences and conversations over meals. Time spent together writing music no one would ever hear, and frustrations over having to work too much without any time off. But through it all we found something good, and that good would last longer than the strum of the last chord or the first grey hair that I was sure was coming any day now even if I was only in my twenties. It was a tough industry, but we survived it intact and with a bigger family.
“Anchor Grey, you’re on in ten,” someone from the stage crew shouted into the room before hurrying back outside.
Johnny turned to me then, his eyes so full of love it hurt to even think of looking away. “Are you ready, baby?”
“I’m ready,” I said and noticed Mateo and Jeremy wrapped up in each other having their own conversation before they both looked over at us.
“Let’s do this. Let’s make them want us so fucking bad that they’re gonna cry when we tell them this is our last show,” Mateo said.
“Alright, boys, let’s go,” Johnny said, and like he had before every show, he led us onto the stage.
Epilogue
Johnny
“Ican’t believe we’re here again,” Devon said as the guard checked our backstage passes and another person led us to where Blinding Light were holed up waiting for their turn to perform. Which wasn’t for several hours. It was hot as fuck, and I was never more thankful that we weren’t playing than I was at this very moment.
“Right this way, they’re expecting you,” the man that led us to their trailer said as he opened the door for us all.
The cool air was a relief and the four of us rushed inside and out of the heat. “Hey, you made it,” Liam said as he hurried over to hug Devon. Their friendship had grown even more since we were now in Sacramento full-time.
“I told you we would,” Devon said. “How’s it going?”
“It’s as hot as Satan’s asshole,” Easy said earning a shove from Liam.
“It’s a lot hotter than last year. Glad we played then,” I said. “But the trailer is nice.”
“Well apparently when you’re the ‘top performers’,” he said making air quotes with his fingers, “you get better treatment.”
“Shamus, you know they gave us practically the same thing last year. They just upgraded,” Liam said.
“I wanted to make sure they know we’re ‘top performers’ this year,” Easy said in a fake whisper.
“You guys are killing it. I heard your latest song on the radio yesterday,” Mateo said.
“No way!” Liam said and gave Easy a wide-eyed look. “Your parents are going to lose their shit if they hear us on the radio.”
“Gotta be the new management,” Easy said, and winked at me.
“Promotion team. Not management,” I said. Vance, Blinding Light’s manager, had reached out when he heard I was available. He wanted to take the band’s promotion in a new direction. After Rory’s boyfriend had changed their website and was keeping it updated, they had seen a big growth in their online following, and he wanted to expand some of that to the nearby area by playing their music on the local rock station. This week was the first week and it was perfect timing leading up to Rocktoberfest. Vance lifted his chin in welcome from across the room, and after excusing myself I walked over to speak to him.
“Hey, Vance, how’s it going?”
