All I Want Is Everything

Festive

Well it's been nice seeing you
Gotta go now
Guess I'll see you around
Don't know when tho
Never know when I'll be back in town
But remember
What I tell you
In time you're gonna pay.

The Supremes, Funny How Time Slips Away

That week, Ella was called into the offices of Flerken. They'd been batting the idea of a live album for her for a bit now, and she hoped that they had good news for her. Loki and Nick rose when she was shown into Nick's office, and they all settled into chairs.

"Flerkin is prepared to work with you on the live album, Ella," Nick said immediately, and Ella sat up straight. "What we were thinking was that you record it this fall, release this spring, tour in the summer. We tried to get you booked into Red Rocks for a few nights to get two or three concerts recorded and filmed, but that's not possible in the time that we have and the short time that the venue's open for concerts. If you agree, though, Barry Fey is willing to get you in next summer."

"Wow," she said. "That is fantastic. I would kill to play Red Rocks. But where would we do the album? Do we have any leads?"

"There's this place, also in Colorado, up around Boulder, called Chautauqua. It has a few things going for it. It's right by the Flatirons, which are these very cool foothills, angular and interesting. There are cottages for rent on the premises, which we could get for the musicians and crew, there's private baths and kitchens available as well as a dining hall. The scenery is beautiful, and there is an acoustically excellent theater there as well as open space. We could get your videos shot there too. It should be gorgeous that time of year."

"What time of year, specifically?"

"October." Ella shivered. "Pack sweaters, Ella, you'll be fine. Any ideas for your tour?"

"I'd like to do outdoor venues," she said. "I have a list." She handed copies to Nick and Loki.

"Cumberland Canyons, Tennessee. Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, New York. Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater, Lake Tahoe. Hearst Greek Theater, Berkely. Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Missouri. The Pavilion at Ravinia, Highland Park IL. Starlight Theater, Kansas City Missouri. Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Greek Theater, LA. Alpine Valley, E. Troy, Wisconsin. Crosby Theater, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hollywood Bowl. Gorge Amphitheater at George, Washington. Hollywood Beach Theater, Hollywood Florida." Nick grunted. Loki nodded.

"These are smaller venues, a lot of them," Loki noted. "Multiple dates at each one?"

"If we can," Ella said. "I'd like a minimal set, since most of these are outdoors. Pyro where possible and lighting shows, but I want most of the pow to come from the music."

Nick was nodding. "I like it," he said with satisfaction. "Let's talk details. Where's Phil?" Coulson had been hung up on a call, but joined them as they started in on cookies and coffee. They brought him up to speed, and he was enthusiastic.

"I'll call Fey right after we're done," he said. "He's the promoter in Denver, and he's easy to work with. Let's get the recording dates nailed down, figure out what crew we need, all that, get that out of the way, hand it off to the appropriate departments to work on. We don't have a lot of time, but it's doable." He scribbled in his notebook as he spoke, then got up and wandered out.

"Do you have enough music for a new album?" Nick asked Ella. "If not, get writing."

"I have enough music now, but I'm going to keep writing, you never know what I could manage between now and then," she said, and handed over tapes holding twenty songs for consideration. Nick popped one into a tape player and they settled in to listen and discuss.