AUGUST 6 - 15, 2004
Six weeks and one day later, life goes on in Las Vegas.
Usually on their little breaks, they get home late at night. They'll have a show in Vegas that requires them to stay out late and Brandon has been notoriously weird about going home the last couple of months. Ronnie doubts that it's because he doesn't want to be there-Brandon's explanation that he doesn't want to go and get comfortable just to leave again was understandable. This tour has been wearing on all of them more than Ronnie had expected. It's fun and exhilarating but it might just be the hardest thing he's done in his life.
Brandon was excited this time around, though. Probably because they had nine whole days before they had to head back to London again for a couple of TV performances, a signing, and a photo shoot with Mick Rock-something they were all very excited about. Well, New York, then Belgium, then London. For now, though, the most exciting thing was being home.
This time around they got back to Vegas around noon. A six-hour nonstop flight from Orlando, though, was trying to trick them into thinking it was far later than it actually was. Their management called for cars for them-three to be exact due to the nature of Ronnie's living situation-to take them to their respective homes. Seeing the apartment complex for the first time in months was strange. It sat just as Ronnie remembered, but it looked smaller. Maybe that was just the perspective of hotels and landmarks messing with him.
He glances at Brandon, who sits opposite to him on the bench. He looks just as tired as Ronnie feels with his head propped up by a fist, gazing out the window. He thinks that Brandon might have had a drink or two at the airport before they left due to how quickly he fell asleep on the plane. He expects Brandon to perk up when their building comes into view, but he slumps slightly instead. Relief, Ronnie figures.
The whole flying situation has been heavy on his mind lately. Ever since the incident that took place the day they left for Glastonbury-Brandon's birthday-the band's management and handlers have been watching him more closely. They're not obvious about it, probably hoping that Brandon is broadly incognizant enough to not notice. Ronnie knows that he has, though, because he knows that Brandon has always been very aware of when he's being scrutinized. Media coverage of the band has been ramping up over the last few months, sometimes unkind, but something about seeing their managers underestimate Brandon that same way feels gross to him. The band has never mentioned it, but they're all aware.
Ronnie wonders what it's like to read about yourself like that all the time.
Back to the plane issue, their management broke the news to them that they want Brandon to see a doctor about his fear while they're home. It was in a meeting they had just before they left for the airport and was only discussed briefly, but Brandon said nothing of the subject at the time. He's so good at hiding how he feels in these situations that Ronnie truly can't tell if he just didn't care or if he was masking his reaction. Ronnie figures that Brandon's supposed vacancy can come in handy at times.
It's been an issue since that first bad flight many months back. Everyone else had gotten over it, but not Brandon, and it's only been getting worse. So, yeah, it wasn't only the Glastonbury incident that everyone has been worried about.
He can't tell if he even agrees with the situation. Sure, Brandon probably does need to see a professional about his phobia, but what right does their team have to straight up tell him he needs to be medicated like that? Ronnie obviously knows but he doesn't want to admit that he can see both sides of the argument. If Brandon were to have another episode like he did before, it could put the entire tour in jeopardy. If not for sedating him this past June, they would have missed Glastonbury. The Killers, as a business with employees such as the management team and crew, would have lost money and possibly even some reputation. Asking your frontman, arguably the most crucial piece of the puzzle image-wise, to see a doctor for his anxiety is a small price to pay.
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Hopeless Haze - Volume I: Hot Fuss (Remastered)
Romance"If Brandon cared, he would wonder if Ronnie was also deep in thought about something and has only just absentmindedly found something for his hands to play with. But as Ronnie runs his fingers through his hair, Brandon finds that he does not care a...
