Capricorn Season - Jimmy Page

Chapter 28

As the lights dimmed Gwen found herself standing at the base of the stage, her neck craned to catch a glimpse of Ozzy. Smoke filled the sides of the stage, creeping onto the tile of the club. The lights came on in a flash, bathing the stage in a purple glow. 

They began with the usual set: Paranoid, which turned into Black Sabbath, then went into Iron Man. These were among her most liked songs by them. N.I.B was heavy and guitar-driven, so naturally, it was her all-time favorite. War Pigs was a close second.The main set came to a close with Wicked World. 

The band took a small break after this, which consisted of Ozzy guzzling water and the rest of the band having a smoke. She trekked backstage to join them. They were delighted to see her-- smiles and greetings abound whenever she entered.

"Good set so far, guys!" She was full of vitality as she spoke to them. 

They were more than happy to hear her praise. Any publications that spoke about the band were lambasting them for their dark lyrics and "satanic" imgagry. This particularly irked Tommi, who was the main songwriter. He wanted to give all those journalists a good beat down. 

"Thanks, we're really givin' it our all tonight!" Geezer shouted as he patted his face dry. 

"Leavin' it all on the stage!" Bill said with a laugh. 

He was perhaps the sweatiest. He looked like someone drenched him in water. His shirt was soaked with large stains under the arms. She could smell him from across the room but tried to ignore it. It was a familiar scent; the guys wore the same perfume every night. It wasn't a pleasant smell but did signal a victory. It was an unsavory testament to their passion, a tactile reminder of how hard they worked each night.

"Hey, Gwen, did you like what I did out there?" Ozzy asked, out of breath and full of glee. He sounded like a child, asking for the adoration of their mother. She laughed and nodded, telling him how cool he looked.

"I loved when you pulled that move and it flipped your hair everywhere. You looked awesome!" She said.

He shouted excitedly, shaking his head. Sweat from his hair shot out in all directions, making contact with her skin.

"Here." Tommi offered her a small towel. She grimaced and wiped her arms clean. 

The group was dizzy with all of the energy from stage. Ozzy was spun from headbanging. She filled a few more frames with them sitting around. It was a perfect shot. They were all pushed together, sitting impossibly close. She wondered how they could do that with all of the sweat and heat that radiated off of them.

It wasn't long until the manager came by and knocked on the green room door. He told the group they had five minutes left of their break. He was a large Jewish man with white hair a U-shaped hairline, much like an old man. He wasn't as tall or rotund as Peter and not nearly as intimidating. Gwen thought he seemed like a good guy, one who was good with business.

She followed the group into the hall, where Ozzy grabbed her arm before they went out to the stage. 

"Right, so when Electric Funeral begins I am planning on doing something pretty cool. Can you be sure that you're ready?"

"Yeah, I can do that," she began to stifle her laughter, "can I see your move first?"

He nodded and moved back, his spine almost hitting the wall. He jumped up, spinning with his leg in the air. The fringe of his jacket spun with him and his cross necklace slapped against the cement wall. 

"Ah, fuck, that wasn't it. Let me try again." He groaned.

He attempted the move once again, moving more gracefully this time -- until it was time to land. His booted foot hit the wall with a thud. That was the sound of the heel on cement. "Fuck!" He shouted, crumbling to a pile.