GraceRyan
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
This one took forever it seemed. I hope that it is not too dry. We are starting to get into the tour and the bands are getting to know one another. One band is the biggest band in the world trying to kick off the biggest tour in the world. The other is a young band shoved into the spotlight.
These characters belong to my head. Please give feedback. It will help me decide how to proceed. DO these characters need more development? Are you ready for the angst and should I just get to it?
Mild swearing.....
As I said, I wanted to post a song that comes to mind while writing. None did until the end -
Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
If I was scared, I would
And if I was pure, you know I would
And if I was yours, but I'm not
Now I'm Ready to Start
Now I'm Ready to Start
I would rather be wrong
Than live in the shadows of your song
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
Now I'm Ready to Start
My mind is open wide
Now I'm Ready to Start
Not sure you'll open the door
To step out into the dark
Now I'm ready!
“Holy shit,” Faith breathed as the car neared the stadium in Las Vegas.
They arrived that morning for rehearsals. After unloading luggage and changing, they piled into a car to meet Sheila and U2 at the stadium. The last few months had been a whirlwind. At the end of February, they released the first major record label debut to great reviews. There was much hullabaloo over the fact that they had the backing of U2 behind them - at least in the indie music world. In 1997, girl led bands were all the rage as well. Faith was afraid to disappear in the clutter. The sales of the album were slow. That was to be expected coming out of relative obscurity. Faith and Alex sat up for 36 hours trying to decide what they felt the single should be. It needed to kick ass but not alienate. “Kiss with a First” was chosen for better or worse. The video was an arty live performance that relied heavily on Faith’s ability to be a real front person. The one people wanted to feature, photograph, stalk. She felt the responsibility of the bands future on her shoulders.
Ryan’s eyes followed hers to a large yellow arch - a cross between McDonald’s golden arches and the gateway to the West in Missouri. “Is that part of the stadium or stage?”
“I think it’s the stage,” Faith said. “It’s a big fucking stage.”
The car slipped through the gates. The stage somehow got bigger. Lights randomly flicked on and off.
“What is on the side? Is that a huge disco ball?” Sam asked.
“Looks like a lemon?” Faith wondered what they signed up for.
“Anyone else getting really nervous?” Alex asked.
“I want to say no,” Faith swallowed hard.
The car stopped outside a sea of trailers. Crew men wandered back and forth. Sheila emerged to greet them.
“So that’s who replaced me?” Lucy asked icily.
“Do you think you could have handled all this?” Faith raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe not,” her eyes dropped.
“Welcome to PopMart,” Sheila smiled as the band piled out of the car.
“It’s huge,” Faith nodded. “Sheila, this is Lucy, our road manager.”
Sheila, knowing the story, took Lucy’s hand between hers. “Lucy, it’s very nice to meet you. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Um, a date with Bono?” she gushed.
Faith rolled her eyes and wandered if this was a mistake.
Sheila laughed warmly. “I no longer take care of that part of the tour. But we will make sure you are set up to be successful for these guys.”
Sheila was good, Alex thought. That’s right, remind of her why she’s here. Lucy blushed. She tugged at her tight t-shirt and wished that she had gone on a crash diet before leaving for the tour.
“C’mon. Let me show the stage you will be on,” Sheila led them to the backstage area.
Faith craned her neck to look up at the enormous screen right behind the arch. She heard a guitar and drums from the stage. They climbed the stairs to the massive stage. Paul handed them their lamented tour credentials giving them all access. It was like surreal dream. Things seemed to move in slow motion as they wound around large stacks of equipment. Faith turned pale as she peered out from the enormous stage. It was bigger than her apartment. Abruptly, Edge stopped playing as he saw them file out behind the drum kit.
“What?” Bono asked. He turned around following Edge’s eyes. “Well. Welcome kids.”
“Hey,” Faith’s voice was small. Her eyes stretched out across the large empty field in front of her.
He smiled. “It’s not as scary as it looks.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you serious? It’s scarier than I imagined.” Gingerly, she moved towards him knowing that’s where she would be standing in a few nights. “This is the biggest stage I’ve ever seen, let alone perform on.”
Ryan and Sam poked around near the amps. “Jesus,” Ryan whispered.
Larry watched Faith’s eyes wander over the empty seats and up along the arch. She looked like a little girl in a huge candy shop. There was a mixture of wonder and sheer terror flashing in her eyes. In his chest, he felt that tug. Bono also watched her with a small smile.
Alex shoved her hands in her pocket and strained to look at Edge’s foot pedals. He saw her and waved her closer. “C’mon. Do you want to see them?”
She grinned and nodded. “They are so pretty and professional. Mine are drilled onto a plywood strip.”
Edge laughed. “Mine were too at one point. The spoils of success is having them like this.”
“Dare to dream,” she muttered dreamily.
Faith pointed to the arm that stretched out into the crowd. “That’s part of the stage?”
Bono nodded. “We go out there and do a few songs for cheap seats.”
Adam threw his head back in laughter. “There aren’t really any cheap seats.”
Bono shrugged. “Well, cheaper seats.”
“What’s with the lemon?” she asked.
“You mean our space ship?” Bono asked. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he pointed the large mirrored structure. “That takes us into the future.”
“No really. What does it do?” she blinked.
“We come out of it,” Larry said. “I have no idea why.”
“It’s Pop. It’s whimsical. It’s a statement,” Bono protested. No matter how many times he tried explaining it to Larry, he never quite got the concept.
Larry rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We come out it. That’s what it does.”
“It spins and looks cool too,” Bono added.
Faith was unconvinced. “Okay.” She moved away from Bono and looked over the edge of the stage. “Whoa, that’s really high.”
“Try coming out of that lemon. Talk about vertigo,” Adam took off his bass.
“You know, that’s how all the bands come out on stage, the lemon,” Bono said seriously.
“Cool!” Ryan exclaimed.
“You are kidding,” Alex looked up from Edge’s gear.
“He is. No one touches his lemon,” Edge joked.
Bono grinned at Faith. “Well, you can.”
Faith smiled and rolled her eyes. Ah, he picked up right where he left off. “What is the arch about?”
“We want to be seen from space,” Edge removed his guitar.
“We wanted to do something that had never been done before,” Bono said plainly. He pointed to seats opposite of the stage. “You ever seen a show from there?”
“Sure have,” she nodded.
“We are trying to bring this show to that person so they feel like they are at the same show. We won’t just be little ants in a different time zone to them,” he explained.
“That’s pretty cool,” she admitted.
“And expensive,” Larry chimed in from drums.
Bono removed his sunglasses. With an impish grin, “Would you like a tour?”
Faith flashed her trademark grin right back at him. “Maybe another time.”
Disarmed, he nodded. He saw Lucy’s brown eyes staring at him with utter devotion. His lips twisted into a half grin. “What about you, love? Would you care for a tour?”
Lucy turned eggplant. “Absolutely.” She grabbed his outstretched hand.
“We’ll be back,” Bono said over his shoulder.
“He’s not going to.....” Alex’s voice trailed off.
“No,” Edge shook his head. He leaned closer. “He’s just massaging his ego after your singer shot him down. Doesn’t happen often.”
The hair on Alex’s arm stood on end as his breath tickled her ear.
“Great. She’ll be totally useless now,” Faith threw up her arms exasperated.
Paul walked on to the stage. “Lunch is served. We’ll break until it gets darker so we can work on the visuals.”
“How long have you been rehearsing?” Sam asked.
“Forever, it seems,” Larry mumbled.
After lunch, Faith wandered back onto the stage. How did she get here? The last few months had moved so quickly. Most bands take years to build to this. She felt as if they had cheated the process. Larry watched her slowly walk across the stage, taking in the height and the size of structures overhead. She stood in front of Bono’s microphone. The stage itself didn’t have a lot of depth, but it was long. She caught Larry watching.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, I’m sorry for staring. It’s interesting to watch someone see this monster for the first time,” he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
She laughed softly. “It’s freaking huge. I don’t know what to do up here. I’m used to tripping over Sam and Alex because there’s not enough room. How can I own this? I mean, someone like Bono can, but me?”
“I have no doubt you’ll make it yours,” Larry stood beside her. “I guess after Joshua Tree, I’m used to huge stages. Plus, we took forever to get here. It wasn’t overnight.”
“Nowadays, new bands fall into 2 categories. Those who play clubs forever and never get above that level. For whatever reason. And those who are plucked from utter obscurity, given a huge spotlight for awhile. Then fall back to clubs remembering the glory days,” she said.
“We’ll do what we can so that you break the mold,” Larry nudged her.
She placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you so much. If you hadn’t come to see us, we’d never have this great opportunity.”
Her fingers were warm on his arm. The hair on the back of his neck bristled. The sun had kissed her cheeks. “I didn’t do anything. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“I’m very glad you were,” she smiled. He was incredibly good looking. Silver eyes peered out from under the blonde hair that flopped over his forehead.
Yeah, me too, he thought. He dropped his eyes before he blushed too hard. She wandered over to stage left to look at the large inflated lemon with an olive impaling it.
“What is it with you and lemons?” she teased.
“Not me. See those drums over there? That is me. Most of this is Bono,” he explained.
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Bono strutted back on stage. Lucy was close on his heels.
“Depends on the day,” Larry smirked.
“Or the bill,” Adam added.
“When do we get to soundcheck?” Alex asked.
“Probably tomorrow,” Paul said. “I think Rage is on their way over to check out the site.”
“We should probably think about putting a set list together,” Faith nodded to Alex.
“We actually have an interview tomorrow with CMJ,” Sheila said. “We should probably go over that.”
Faith took one last look at the stage. Bono stood beside her feeling her anxiety. He knew that the weight of their debut fell on her shoulders. He understood what it was like to the focal point on a stage.
“You’ll be fine,” he winked hoping to set her mind at ease.
“From your mouth to Gods ears,” she said before descending the stairs.
Rehearsals were long and laborious. If the timing of ZOOTV was tough, this seemed impossible.
“I feel stupid,” Larry muttered every time he climbed into the large lemon.
“The lemon will play,” Bono assured him.
Wardrobe fussed over costumes and hair. Bono fretted over every footfall on stage since there had to be meaning behind every move. The watched video of their rehearsals, tore it to bits and put it back together. In the wings, Alex and Faith took notes. This was professionalism in rare form. Faith never thought much about how she moved around a stage. Watching Bono meticulously give each motion thought, she had to rethink her own stage presence.
Strict Machine was able to rehearse the following day under a scorching Nevada sun. Faith kept her back to the field. She sang to the back of the stage. Bono watched from the side. Shaking his head, he had a sound tech give him a microphone. He walked down the field.
“Faith!” he called.
She jumped and whirled around to see him standing a few feet from the front barricade.
“The audience will be out here,” he said.
The music ground to a halt.
“I know that,” she said.
“Then why are you singing to Ryan?” he asked. “Face this way.”
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.
“Your mike is still on,” Bono grinned.
Faith shook her head. He was infuriating. Deep down, she knew he was trying to help her nerves. He was just being annoying in the process. She faced him and looked out into the vast emptiness. She knew they would not be playing to a full house. Luckily, the field was general admission so there would be some people to play for. Even still, that would be more people than she was used to. Add to that the fact, they weren’t Strict Machine fans - they were hungry U2 fans.
The remaining days were fine tuning some of the technological glitches with a show so massive. Unfortunately, U2 were still getting familiar with playing the new album live. Add all the lights and visuals, tensions were high. This tour had to be successful. Too much depended on it.
The backstage area became a music camp between the three bands. On stage, Tom Merolla from Rage, Edge and Alex talked shop. They discussed samples and foot pedals. Alex wanted to pinch herself. She wondered if she deserved to be in the presence of these rock legends. Yet, they made her feel welcomed to the club. Edge watched her fascination with a smile. It was like watching a kid on Christmas morning. At the lunch table, Zack and Bono discussed politics of South America and Africa - each having interest in the respective continents. Rage planned to donate any monies made from their stint with PopMart to charities. Something Bono admired. It was the other reason that he suggested Rage to Larry and the rest of the band. Ryan was more than happy to sit beside the handsome Larry while he explained the marriage of technique and passion. Faith sat with Paul and Sheila. She worked on interview schedules and what was the next step. “Kiss With a Fist” was getting played on the ultra-hip Alternative Nation on MTV and respectable airplay on the college/alternative radio stations. It was different than the ‘modern’ music out at the time. Grunge had died. Lillith Fair was making it’s debut in the ashes of Lollapalooza. Girl power was all the rage. Faith didn’t want to be lumped in with that scene. She knew the staying power of some of those bands would expire. It would take this tour to stake their claim in music history and future.
Bono watched her impressed with her drive. She took this all very serious, but with a huge grin on her face. She wrote notes and offered ideas. Bono had no doubt that with her in drive’s seat, Strict Machine was poised to take the top spot in music. Even if they had not broken through to mainstream radio just yet. He knew that gnawed at Faith. But he assured her, they had not even started the tour yet.
Faith rubbed her hands together as she paced the dressing room. In10 minutes time, Alex would be strapping on her guitar for the opening chords of “Kiss With a Fist”.
“Do you think the setlist is okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ryan said. “We have 2 months to tweak it if we need to.”
“I just don’t want us to be booed,” she said. She looked at herself in the mirror. With Sheila and Fintan, U2’s wardrobe manager, they dressed her. Short black skirt, tight white blouse, and vest. A clean look that showed off the curves, but allowed her to move freely about the stage. Alex was dressed in a skirt and t-shirt, her hair a new bob with hot pink streaks.
“They are here to see another band. They just have to sit through us to get to U2,” Alex observed.
Faith stopped. “Thanks, that makes me feel better.”
“Permission to come aboard,” Bono peered in the door dressed in his pre-show sweats. Larry and Edge filed in behind him. “How do you feel?”
“Little sick,” Faith nodded. “How many are out there?”
“Don’t think about that,” Edge said.
Faith rocked on her heels. “It’s hard not to.”
“You’re going to be great, I have no doubt,” Bono said. “Your last soundcheck was great.”
“Are you guys nervous?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, before every show. From the first on the tour to the last,” Bono nodded.
“Five minutes,” Dennis poked his head in.
The bottom dropped out in Faith’s stomach. The color drained from her face. Larry held out his arm to steady her.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
She could only nod. Bono shoved a beer in front of her. “Take a huge sip of this.”
She did as she was told. Tipping her head back, she drank as much of the beer as her stomach would allow. She handed back to Bono and took one last look in the mirror. ‘You are bigger than this moment’ she said to herself.
“It’s time,” Dennis said.
“C’mon, group hug,” Ryan said.
They huddled close together. Faith felt someone behind her - hugging her. It was Bono. Then Edge joined in.
“Let’s rock,” Faith said, voice steady.
They filed out and walked down the hall. Faith breathed deeply to not vomit on the way. She heard the crowd and her heart pumped harder. Alex managed to be more zen about it. She meditated for a few moments before everyone invaded the dressing room. The crew gave high fives and thumbs up as they made their way up the stairs to the stage. Dennis stood in the wing.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As am I’m going to be,” Faith said.
It was still light out. That was kind of strange. And they were outside instead of a smoky, smelly club. The air was arid and stifling. The dust lifted from the field as the crowd walked across to get the best spot in front of the stage.
Ryan walked out first to take his seat behind the drumkit set up in front of Larry’s. Alex looked at the floor as she walked out with her guitar. Faith stood behind a speaker and waited for the other three to be set. Ryan gave her a nod. Showtime.
“you hit me once
I hit you back
you gave a kick
I gave a slap
you smashed a plate
over my head
then I set fire to our bed”
Faith sang. Ryan nodded and hit the drums. Alex kicked in with her guitar. Faith strode out on to the stage.
“you hit me once
I hit you back
you gave a kick
I gave a slap
you smashed a plate
over my head
then I set fire to our bed”
She saw some bodies bobbing in the front. That was all she needed.
“Blood sticks and
sweat drips
break the lock if it don't fit
a kick in the teeth is good for some”
She stepped the edge of the stage and stared down at the crowd, daring them to like her.
“A kiss with a fist is better than none
a-woah a kiss with a fist is better than none”
Bono looked at Edge as they watched behind a stack of speakers hidden from the crowd. He smiled and nodded. Edge agreed. For the first song, they were killing it.
It wasn’t all smooth. Faith did get lost in one of the songs and forget some of the lyrics. She was sure no one noticed as no one knew their songs. She wasn’t certain of the set list and flow of the songs. Sometimes, the crowd looked bored. They did manage to regain their interest with their song “Rock N Roll Star”. They did plan a song with her just on piano, but scrapped it last minute. The crowd would be lost if they attempted that.
The set went by in a blur. The adrenalin coursed through the band especially Faith. She considered venturing out to the second stage, but she was too afraid. Was she allowed? She wasn’t ready to get that cocky. While she knew it wasn’t their best performance, she felt that they did very well for being scared shitless.
“Thank you so much,” Faith said at the end of the last song. The crowd cheered and if there were jeers, she didn’t hear them. “Rage Against the Machine will be on soon. Thank you for tolerating us!”
The first thing Alex saw as she exited the stage was Edge’s huge smile. He wanted to hug her, but knew that would be very strange. Sam beat him to it and gathered her in his arms. Ryan and Faith wrapped their arms around one another as they walked into the wings. She was touched to see the members of U2 applauding with smiles.
“You were amazing,” Bono beamed.
“I totally fucked up some of the lyrics. My mind went blank. It was like I got lost in my own head,” she said.
“You did great. Welcome to the big time,” Bono said.
“What a rush!” Ryan sighed. “That was nothing like playing in a club.”
“It was strange because it was daylight,” Faith said as they walked back to the dressing room.
“That’s the problem with touring in summer. And in Europe, like Ireland and northern Europe, it takes forever to get dark,” Larry said.
In the dressing room, they all toasted with champagne. With the focus on Strict Machine’s stadium debut, the members of U2 were able to relax their opening night jitters. But as soon as Strict Machine’s set was over, the tension returned to Larry’s shoulders. U2 retreated to their dressing room to get ready.
It was a tough opening night. It was clear that they weren’t comfortable with the new material. It was most evident during a moment on the second stage when the band lost the timing in “Staring at the Sun” and had to start it again. Bono struggled with the inner ear monitors for most of the show. His costumes changes were awkward. The presence of television crew felt intrusive. The first show was something to survive.
“What the hell was that?” Larry roared in the dressing room after the show. “You totally spaced out during ‘Staring at the Sun’.”
Bono whirled around. “We all fell apart.”
“I knew we should have never booked this tour before the bleeding album was done. We looked like fooking amateurs out there,” he tore around the room.
“We can’t change that now,” Edge said. “We just have to work out the kinks.”
The mood was glum at the after-party. While the crew drank and let off first show jitters steam, U2 sat off to the side watching a video of the performance to be aired on Network television the following night. Bono sat with a towel over his head, eyes stinging from the night. He interjected over an angle or shot he didn’t like. Larry closed his eyes. He longed for his soft hotel bed. Tomorrow was another day and another show.
Faith and Alex sat nearby transfixed by the process. They didn’t join in the party. They had just walked off the stage after giving sweat and blood for over 2 hours to sit in front of a television for another few hours until the TV special was to their liking.
“This is why they are successful,” Faith mused. “They don’t take it for granted. They don’t assume because they are U2 that the fans will follow blindly and not expect the best show in the world.”
Alex had always liked U2. Sure, when she heard the title of the new album, she wrote them off. But seeing their dedication made her respect and like them more than she ever did. And like her own band, Bono and Edge were the most engaged in the process. Her eyes scanned the party for her other band mates. Ryan was doing shots with some lighting techs while Sam shoved chips in his face.
Around three in the morning, Faith peeled herself off of her chair to go to bed. The endorphins had worn off leaving her exhausted. The one time Bono tore his eyes from the video was to watch her leave the hotel suite where the party still raged.
Around 4:30 am, Larry and Adam stretched and called uncle. Whatever Edge and Bono decided was fine with them. They walked out with Ryan.
Sometime after 5 in the morning as the sky pinked outside, Bono rubbed his burning eyes. Rubbing his head, he yawned and stumbled wearily to his suite. Everything ached. He didn’t bother to turn down his sheets. Kicking off his boots, he flopped down fully dressed. He could still hear the music in his head. Slowly the rush was crashing. The reaching arms. The eager hands extending towards him. Right now, he needed that love.
Kiss With a Fist - Florence + the Machine
Amazon.com: Kiss With A Fist: Florence + The Machine: MP3 Downloads
These characters belong to my head. Please give feedback. It will help me decide how to proceed. DO these characters need more development? Are you ready for the angst and should I just get to it?
Mild swearing.....
As I said, I wanted to post a song that comes to mind while writing. None did until the end -
Arcade Fire - Ready to Start
If I was scared, I would
And if I was pure, you know I would
And if I was yours, but I'm not
Now I'm Ready to Start
Now I'm Ready to Start
I would rather be wrong
Than live in the shadows of your song
My mind is open wide
And now I'm ready to start
Now I'm Ready to Start
My mind is open wide
Now I'm Ready to Start
Not sure you'll open the door
To step out into the dark
Now I'm ready!
“Holy shit,” Faith breathed as the car neared the stadium in Las Vegas.
They arrived that morning for rehearsals. After unloading luggage and changing, they piled into a car to meet Sheila and U2 at the stadium. The last few months had been a whirlwind. At the end of February, they released the first major record label debut to great reviews. There was much hullabaloo over the fact that they had the backing of U2 behind them - at least in the indie music world. In 1997, girl led bands were all the rage as well. Faith was afraid to disappear in the clutter. The sales of the album were slow. That was to be expected coming out of relative obscurity. Faith and Alex sat up for 36 hours trying to decide what they felt the single should be. It needed to kick ass but not alienate. “Kiss with a First” was chosen for better or worse. The video was an arty live performance that relied heavily on Faith’s ability to be a real front person. The one people wanted to feature, photograph, stalk. She felt the responsibility of the bands future on her shoulders.
Ryan’s eyes followed hers to a large yellow arch - a cross between McDonald’s golden arches and the gateway to the West in Missouri. “Is that part of the stadium or stage?”
“I think it’s the stage,” Faith said. “It’s a big fucking stage.”
The car slipped through the gates. The stage somehow got bigger. Lights randomly flicked on and off.
“What is on the side? Is that a huge disco ball?” Sam asked.
“Looks like a lemon?” Faith wondered what they signed up for.
“Anyone else getting really nervous?” Alex asked.
“I want to say no,” Faith swallowed hard.
The car stopped outside a sea of trailers. Crew men wandered back and forth. Sheila emerged to greet them.
“So that’s who replaced me?” Lucy asked icily.
“Do you think you could have handled all this?” Faith raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe not,” her eyes dropped.
“Welcome to PopMart,” Sheila smiled as the band piled out of the car.
“It’s huge,” Faith nodded. “Sheila, this is Lucy, our road manager.”
Sheila, knowing the story, took Lucy’s hand between hers. “Lucy, it’s very nice to meet you. Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Um, a date with Bono?” she gushed.
Faith rolled her eyes and wandered if this was a mistake.
Sheila laughed warmly. “I no longer take care of that part of the tour. But we will make sure you are set up to be successful for these guys.”
Sheila was good, Alex thought. That’s right, remind of her why she’s here. Lucy blushed. She tugged at her tight t-shirt and wished that she had gone on a crash diet before leaving for the tour.
“C’mon. Let me show the stage you will be on,” Sheila led them to the backstage area.
Faith craned her neck to look up at the enormous screen right behind the arch. She heard a guitar and drums from the stage. They climbed the stairs to the massive stage. Paul handed them their lamented tour credentials giving them all access. It was like surreal dream. Things seemed to move in slow motion as they wound around large stacks of equipment. Faith turned pale as she peered out from the enormous stage. It was bigger than her apartment. Abruptly, Edge stopped playing as he saw them file out behind the drum kit.
“What?” Bono asked. He turned around following Edge’s eyes. “Well. Welcome kids.”
“Hey,” Faith’s voice was small. Her eyes stretched out across the large empty field in front of her.
He smiled. “It’s not as scary as it looks.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Are you serious? It’s scarier than I imagined.” Gingerly, she moved towards him knowing that’s where she would be standing in a few nights. “This is the biggest stage I’ve ever seen, let alone perform on.”
Ryan and Sam poked around near the amps. “Jesus,” Ryan whispered.
Larry watched Faith’s eyes wander over the empty seats and up along the arch. She looked like a little girl in a huge candy shop. There was a mixture of wonder and sheer terror flashing in her eyes. In his chest, he felt that tug. Bono also watched her with a small smile.
Alex shoved her hands in her pocket and strained to look at Edge’s foot pedals. He saw her and waved her closer. “C’mon. Do you want to see them?”
She grinned and nodded. “They are so pretty and professional. Mine are drilled onto a plywood strip.”
Edge laughed. “Mine were too at one point. The spoils of success is having them like this.”
“Dare to dream,” she muttered dreamily.
Faith pointed to the arm that stretched out into the crowd. “That’s part of the stage?”
Bono nodded. “We go out there and do a few songs for cheap seats.”
Adam threw his head back in laughter. “There aren’t really any cheap seats.”
Bono shrugged. “Well, cheaper seats.”
“What’s with the lemon?” she asked.
“You mean our space ship?” Bono asked. Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he pointed the large mirrored structure. “That takes us into the future.”
“No really. What does it do?” she blinked.
“We come out of it,” Larry said. “I have no idea why.”
“It’s Pop. It’s whimsical. It’s a statement,” Bono protested. No matter how many times he tried explaining it to Larry, he never quite got the concept.
Larry rolled his eyes. “Whatever. We come out it. That’s what it does.”
“It spins and looks cool too,” Bono added.
Faith was unconvinced. “Okay.” She moved away from Bono and looked over the edge of the stage. “Whoa, that’s really high.”
“Try coming out of that lemon. Talk about vertigo,” Adam took off his bass.
“You know, that’s how all the bands come out on stage, the lemon,” Bono said seriously.
“Cool!” Ryan exclaimed.
“You are kidding,” Alex looked up from Edge’s gear.
“He is. No one touches his lemon,” Edge joked.
Bono grinned at Faith. “Well, you can.”
Faith smiled and rolled her eyes. Ah, he picked up right where he left off. “What is the arch about?”
“We want to be seen from space,” Edge removed his guitar.
“We wanted to do something that had never been done before,” Bono said plainly. He pointed to seats opposite of the stage. “You ever seen a show from there?”
“Sure have,” she nodded.
“We are trying to bring this show to that person so they feel like they are at the same show. We won’t just be little ants in a different time zone to them,” he explained.
“That’s pretty cool,” she admitted.
“And expensive,” Larry chimed in from drums.
Bono removed his sunglasses. With an impish grin, “Would you like a tour?”
Faith flashed her trademark grin right back at him. “Maybe another time.”
Disarmed, he nodded. He saw Lucy’s brown eyes staring at him with utter devotion. His lips twisted into a half grin. “What about you, love? Would you care for a tour?”
Lucy turned eggplant. “Absolutely.” She grabbed his outstretched hand.
“We’ll be back,” Bono said over his shoulder.
“He’s not going to.....” Alex’s voice trailed off.
“No,” Edge shook his head. He leaned closer. “He’s just massaging his ego after your singer shot him down. Doesn’t happen often.”
The hair on Alex’s arm stood on end as his breath tickled her ear.
“Great. She’ll be totally useless now,” Faith threw up her arms exasperated.
Paul walked on to the stage. “Lunch is served. We’ll break until it gets darker so we can work on the visuals.”
“How long have you been rehearsing?” Sam asked.
“Forever, it seems,” Larry mumbled.
After lunch, Faith wandered back onto the stage. How did she get here? The last few months had moved so quickly. Most bands take years to build to this. She felt as if they had cheated the process. Larry watched her slowly walk across the stage, taking in the height and the size of structures overhead. She stood in front of Bono’s microphone. The stage itself didn’t have a lot of depth, but it was long. She caught Larry watching.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“No, I’m sorry for staring. It’s interesting to watch someone see this monster for the first time,” he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
She laughed softly. “It’s freaking huge. I don’t know what to do up here. I’m used to tripping over Sam and Alex because there’s not enough room. How can I own this? I mean, someone like Bono can, but me?”
“I have no doubt you’ll make it yours,” Larry stood beside her. “I guess after Joshua Tree, I’m used to huge stages. Plus, we took forever to get here. It wasn’t overnight.”
“Nowadays, new bands fall into 2 categories. Those who play clubs forever and never get above that level. For whatever reason. And those who are plucked from utter obscurity, given a huge spotlight for awhile. Then fall back to clubs remembering the glory days,” she said.
“We’ll do what we can so that you break the mold,” Larry nudged her.
She placed her hand on his arm. “Thank you so much. If you hadn’t come to see us, we’d never have this great opportunity.”
Her fingers were warm on his arm. The hair on the back of his neck bristled. The sun had kissed her cheeks. “I didn’t do anything. I was just in the right place at the right time.”
“I’m very glad you were,” she smiled. He was incredibly good looking. Silver eyes peered out from under the blonde hair that flopped over his forehead.
Yeah, me too, he thought. He dropped his eyes before he blushed too hard. She wandered over to stage left to look at the large inflated lemon with an olive impaling it.
“What is it with you and lemons?” she teased.
“Not me. See those drums over there? That is me. Most of this is Bono,” he explained.
“You make it sound like a bad thing,” Bono strutted back on stage. Lucy was close on his heels.
“Depends on the day,” Larry smirked.
“Or the bill,” Adam added.
“When do we get to soundcheck?” Alex asked.
“Probably tomorrow,” Paul said. “I think Rage is on their way over to check out the site.”
“We should probably think about putting a set list together,” Faith nodded to Alex.
“We actually have an interview tomorrow with CMJ,” Sheila said. “We should probably go over that.”
Faith took one last look at the stage. Bono stood beside her feeling her anxiety. He knew that the weight of their debut fell on her shoulders. He understood what it was like to the focal point on a stage.
“You’ll be fine,” he winked hoping to set her mind at ease.
“From your mouth to Gods ears,” she said before descending the stairs.
Rehearsals were long and laborious. If the timing of ZOOTV was tough, this seemed impossible.
“I feel stupid,” Larry muttered every time he climbed into the large lemon.
“The lemon will play,” Bono assured him.
Wardrobe fussed over costumes and hair. Bono fretted over every footfall on stage since there had to be meaning behind every move. The watched video of their rehearsals, tore it to bits and put it back together. In the wings, Alex and Faith took notes. This was professionalism in rare form. Faith never thought much about how she moved around a stage. Watching Bono meticulously give each motion thought, she had to rethink her own stage presence.
Strict Machine was able to rehearse the following day under a scorching Nevada sun. Faith kept her back to the field. She sang to the back of the stage. Bono watched from the side. Shaking his head, he had a sound tech give him a microphone. He walked down the field.
“Faith!” he called.
She jumped and whirled around to see him standing a few feet from the front barricade.
“The audience will be out here,” he said.
The music ground to a halt.
“I know that,” she said.
“Then why are you singing to Ryan?” he asked. “Face this way.”
She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath.
“Your mike is still on,” Bono grinned.
Faith shook her head. He was infuriating. Deep down, she knew he was trying to help her nerves. He was just being annoying in the process. She faced him and looked out into the vast emptiness. She knew they would not be playing to a full house. Luckily, the field was general admission so there would be some people to play for. Even still, that would be more people than she was used to. Add to that the fact, they weren’t Strict Machine fans - they were hungry U2 fans.
The remaining days were fine tuning some of the technological glitches with a show so massive. Unfortunately, U2 were still getting familiar with playing the new album live. Add all the lights and visuals, tensions were high. This tour had to be successful. Too much depended on it.
The backstage area became a music camp between the three bands. On stage, Tom Merolla from Rage, Edge and Alex talked shop. They discussed samples and foot pedals. Alex wanted to pinch herself. She wondered if she deserved to be in the presence of these rock legends. Yet, they made her feel welcomed to the club. Edge watched her fascination with a smile. It was like watching a kid on Christmas morning. At the lunch table, Zack and Bono discussed politics of South America and Africa - each having interest in the respective continents. Rage planned to donate any monies made from their stint with PopMart to charities. Something Bono admired. It was the other reason that he suggested Rage to Larry and the rest of the band. Ryan was more than happy to sit beside the handsome Larry while he explained the marriage of technique and passion. Faith sat with Paul and Sheila. She worked on interview schedules and what was the next step. “Kiss With a Fist” was getting played on the ultra-hip Alternative Nation on MTV and respectable airplay on the college/alternative radio stations. It was different than the ‘modern’ music out at the time. Grunge had died. Lillith Fair was making it’s debut in the ashes of Lollapalooza. Girl power was all the rage. Faith didn’t want to be lumped in with that scene. She knew the staying power of some of those bands would expire. It would take this tour to stake their claim in music history and future.
Bono watched her impressed with her drive. She took this all very serious, but with a huge grin on her face. She wrote notes and offered ideas. Bono had no doubt that with her in drive’s seat, Strict Machine was poised to take the top spot in music. Even if they had not broken through to mainstream radio just yet. He knew that gnawed at Faith. But he assured her, they had not even started the tour yet.
Faith rubbed her hands together as she paced the dressing room. In10 minutes time, Alex would be strapping on her guitar for the opening chords of “Kiss With a Fist”.
“Do you think the setlist is okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” Ryan said. “We have 2 months to tweak it if we need to.”
“I just don’t want us to be booed,” she said. She looked at herself in the mirror. With Sheila and Fintan, U2’s wardrobe manager, they dressed her. Short black skirt, tight white blouse, and vest. A clean look that showed off the curves, but allowed her to move freely about the stage. Alex was dressed in a skirt and t-shirt, her hair a new bob with hot pink streaks.
“They are here to see another band. They just have to sit through us to get to U2,” Alex observed.
Faith stopped. “Thanks, that makes me feel better.”
“Permission to come aboard,” Bono peered in the door dressed in his pre-show sweats. Larry and Edge filed in behind him. “How do you feel?”
“Little sick,” Faith nodded. “How many are out there?”
“Don’t think about that,” Edge said.
Faith rocked on her heels. “It’s hard not to.”
“You’re going to be great, I have no doubt,” Bono said. “Your last soundcheck was great.”
“Are you guys nervous?” she asked.
“Oh yeah, before every show. From the first on the tour to the last,” Bono nodded.
“Five minutes,” Dennis poked his head in.
The bottom dropped out in Faith’s stomach. The color drained from her face. Larry held out his arm to steady her.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
She could only nod. Bono shoved a beer in front of her. “Take a huge sip of this.”
She did as she was told. Tipping her head back, she drank as much of the beer as her stomach would allow. She handed back to Bono and took one last look in the mirror. ‘You are bigger than this moment’ she said to herself.
“It’s time,” Dennis said.
“C’mon, group hug,” Ryan said.
They huddled close together. Faith felt someone behind her - hugging her. It was Bono. Then Edge joined in.
“Let’s rock,” Faith said, voice steady.
They filed out and walked down the hall. Faith breathed deeply to not vomit on the way. She heard the crowd and her heart pumped harder. Alex managed to be more zen about it. She meditated for a few moments before everyone invaded the dressing room. The crew gave high fives and thumbs up as they made their way up the stairs to the stage. Dennis stood in the wing.
“Ready?” he asked.
“As am I’m going to be,” Faith said.
It was still light out. That was kind of strange. And they were outside instead of a smoky, smelly club. The air was arid and stifling. The dust lifted from the field as the crowd walked across to get the best spot in front of the stage.
Ryan walked out first to take his seat behind the drumkit set up in front of Larry’s. Alex looked at the floor as she walked out with her guitar. Faith stood behind a speaker and waited for the other three to be set. Ryan gave her a nod. Showtime.
“you hit me once
I hit you back
you gave a kick
I gave a slap
you smashed a plate
over my head
then I set fire to our bed”
Faith sang. Ryan nodded and hit the drums. Alex kicked in with her guitar. Faith strode out on to the stage.
“you hit me once
I hit you back
you gave a kick
I gave a slap
you smashed a plate
over my head
then I set fire to our bed”
She saw some bodies bobbing in the front. That was all she needed.
“Blood sticks and
sweat drips
break the lock if it don't fit
a kick in the teeth is good for some”
She stepped the edge of the stage and stared down at the crowd, daring them to like her.
“A kiss with a fist is better than none
a-woah a kiss with a fist is better than none”
Bono looked at Edge as they watched behind a stack of speakers hidden from the crowd. He smiled and nodded. Edge agreed. For the first song, they were killing it.
It wasn’t all smooth. Faith did get lost in one of the songs and forget some of the lyrics. She was sure no one noticed as no one knew their songs. She wasn’t certain of the set list and flow of the songs. Sometimes, the crowd looked bored. They did manage to regain their interest with their song “Rock N Roll Star”. They did plan a song with her just on piano, but scrapped it last minute. The crowd would be lost if they attempted that.
The set went by in a blur. The adrenalin coursed through the band especially Faith. She considered venturing out to the second stage, but she was too afraid. Was she allowed? She wasn’t ready to get that cocky. While she knew it wasn’t their best performance, she felt that they did very well for being scared shitless.
“Thank you so much,” Faith said at the end of the last song. The crowd cheered and if there were jeers, she didn’t hear them. “Rage Against the Machine will be on soon. Thank you for tolerating us!”
The first thing Alex saw as she exited the stage was Edge’s huge smile. He wanted to hug her, but knew that would be very strange. Sam beat him to it and gathered her in his arms. Ryan and Faith wrapped their arms around one another as they walked into the wings. She was touched to see the members of U2 applauding with smiles.
“You were amazing,” Bono beamed.
“I totally fucked up some of the lyrics. My mind went blank. It was like I got lost in my own head,” she said.
“You did great. Welcome to the big time,” Bono said.
“What a rush!” Ryan sighed. “That was nothing like playing in a club.”
“It was strange because it was daylight,” Faith said as they walked back to the dressing room.
“That’s the problem with touring in summer. And in Europe, like Ireland and northern Europe, it takes forever to get dark,” Larry said.
In the dressing room, they all toasted with champagne. With the focus on Strict Machine’s stadium debut, the members of U2 were able to relax their opening night jitters. But as soon as Strict Machine’s set was over, the tension returned to Larry’s shoulders. U2 retreated to their dressing room to get ready.
It was a tough opening night. It was clear that they weren’t comfortable with the new material. It was most evident during a moment on the second stage when the band lost the timing in “Staring at the Sun” and had to start it again. Bono struggled with the inner ear monitors for most of the show. His costumes changes were awkward. The presence of television crew felt intrusive. The first show was something to survive.
“What the hell was that?” Larry roared in the dressing room after the show. “You totally spaced out during ‘Staring at the Sun’.”
Bono whirled around. “We all fell apart.”
“I knew we should have never booked this tour before the bleeding album was done. We looked like fooking amateurs out there,” he tore around the room.
“We can’t change that now,” Edge said. “We just have to work out the kinks.”
The mood was glum at the after-party. While the crew drank and let off first show jitters steam, U2 sat off to the side watching a video of the performance to be aired on Network television the following night. Bono sat with a towel over his head, eyes stinging from the night. He interjected over an angle or shot he didn’t like. Larry closed his eyes. He longed for his soft hotel bed. Tomorrow was another day and another show.
Faith and Alex sat nearby transfixed by the process. They didn’t join in the party. They had just walked off the stage after giving sweat and blood for over 2 hours to sit in front of a television for another few hours until the TV special was to their liking.
“This is why they are successful,” Faith mused. “They don’t take it for granted. They don’t assume because they are U2 that the fans will follow blindly and not expect the best show in the world.”
Alex had always liked U2. Sure, when she heard the title of the new album, she wrote them off. But seeing their dedication made her respect and like them more than she ever did. And like her own band, Bono and Edge were the most engaged in the process. Her eyes scanned the party for her other band mates. Ryan was doing shots with some lighting techs while Sam shoved chips in his face.
Around three in the morning, Faith peeled herself off of her chair to go to bed. The endorphins had worn off leaving her exhausted. The one time Bono tore his eyes from the video was to watch her leave the hotel suite where the party still raged.
Around 4:30 am, Larry and Adam stretched and called uncle. Whatever Edge and Bono decided was fine with them. They walked out with Ryan.
Sometime after 5 in the morning as the sky pinked outside, Bono rubbed his burning eyes. Rubbing his head, he yawned and stumbled wearily to his suite. Everything ached. He didn’t bother to turn down his sheets. Kicking off his boots, he flopped down fully dressed. He could still hear the music in his head. Slowly the rush was crashing. The reaching arms. The eager hands extending towards him. Right now, he needed that love.
Kiss With a Fist - Florence + the Machine
Amazon.com: Kiss With A Fist: Florence + The Machine: MP3 Downloads
I think he may be my favorite in this chapter...then again, I'm biased 
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