Ketchum, ID

ch 3 - jo

 "But before we moved back home, we had a few wild nights out at a karaoke bar close to our college campus, and Jo and I always used to sing the same song every week. It always got the room to laugh and sing along, so hopefully it will still have the same effect all the way back here on our home turf," Alex said. Hearing this did in fact clear up my question of what we were going to sing. I knew that Man Or Muppet was our go to karaoke song in college, I just thought we had gotten past our days of singing this for large crowds of drunk people.

"Please hang in there for just a moment, as I have not sung this song, or with Alex, or on a stage in front of people for that matter, in literal years. My apologies in advance," I said. We also used to be drunk off our asses when we would get up and sing this, I thought to myself.

When the music started, I was instantly transported back to our sophomore year of college, right before I dropped out and made the decision to move home. I had just absolutely flunked all of my finals, and needed a night out to forget about school for a little bit. Of course we ended up at Kitty's, the karaoke bar right outside of our college campus. Alex and I had been coming here for well over a year at that point, and everyone there knew what we were going to sing before the music even started playing. But this time it was different.

The piano started, and I heard people cheering. Big Muppets fans here I guess.

"I reflect on my reflection, and I ask myself the question: what's the right directionnnn to go. I don't know," Alex started in their gravelly voice. "AM I A MAAAAN OR AM I A MUPPET?" Alex belted. I felt myself start to smile as I heard the crowd sing along. I, of course, sang all of their background vocals just as I knew they would do for me when it came the time. Then my verse started.

"I look into these eyes, and I don't recognize the one I see insiiiiiide," I sang, trying my hardest not to let my anxiety show through my voice. "It's time for me to decide. Am I a man, or am I a muppet?" I sang with as much confidence as I could muster. Hearing Alex sing my background vocals with their whole chest did make me feel more at home on the stage, so I continued. We finally made it to the part of the song we could sing together and we harmonized beautifully.

"I'm always running out of time. I think I've made up my mind. Now I understand who I am," we sang together.

As I listened to Alex belt their part with so much confidence and excitement, I felt my nervousness melting away.

"I'M A MUPPEEEETTTTTTTT," I sang out. Hearing the crowd cheer made us look at each other and smile so wide, my cheeks started to hurt almost as bad as my chest did from singing this song with as much force as I did for the first time in years.

"That's what I am," we finished the song together in perfect harmony, and the crowd exploded in applause and cheers.

"The lovely Jo, everyone!" they said as I dramatically bowed. "Make sure to go see her and tip her nicely or you'll have me to deal with," Alex said in a Joking way, but I knew they weren't kidding.

Right before I walked off the stage, I was finally brave enough to look over at the table where the three women were sitting and they were all smiling and cheering, but the short one was staring at me with such intensity I had to look away and run back to the bar that was sure to be swamped with people since I had been away for a few minutes now.

"Now that I've had my minute of fame, and made sure you all saw how beautiful Jo looks tonight," I heard Alex say into the mic while winking in my direction. They mouthed an "I love you," and threw up a heart with their hands as I rolled my eyes and blew them a kiss. "I think we should get back to what you all came here for tonight, shall we?" The crowd was cheering as I made my way back behind the bar, and I watched a very drunk woman stumble on the stage and start performing an exciting rendition of Edge Of Glory by Lady Gaga.

Just as I saw the 3 women stand up from their table, Alex made their way back over to the bar.

"Bro, there was a girl out in the crowd that stared at you the entire time we were up there. I hope she comes over here to talk to you because she was cute and exactly your type," Alex said. "I'm gonna run to the back and make sure all the kegs are good because I have a feeling you're about to get pretty busy, and we're open for another 3 hours. Don't miss me too much!" they shouted as they walked away and blew me a kiss.

I was in the middle of catching said kiss when a voice came through the bar.

"Hi everyone. I'm Phoebe Bridgers, and these are my best friends in the whole world, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, and together we make up our little band we've decided to call boygenius. We're gonna sing you guys an original song we've decided to call Bite The Hand, hope you like it," the blonde woman said.

"But if you don't, please don't tell us," Lucy said as the crowd laughed.

Once they were all situated, they started playing and it was absolutely amazing. I froze in place and listened from start to finish. No one at the bar seemed to mind, as they were all completely engrossed in this performance as well. I just could not take my eyes off of the woman I now knew was Julien. The way her tattoo-covered arms flexed as she played her guitar, her high notes, the way her voice was crisp but still had a nice rasp to it; I was enamored. But it wasn't just her that made the performance absolutely outstanding. The way their vocals all blended together and they were all still able to each play their own guitars and sing their own separate parts was amazing. When they finished, everyone cheered and clapped and whistled. I even found myself cheering along with them.

By the end of their set, I had plenty of customers lined up at the bar ready to get even drunker than they already were, so I started to knock out some of those orders.

"You guys absolutely smashed it!" I heard Alex's voice say at the end of the bar. When I looked up, I made eye contact with Julien yet again and suddenly found myself very nervous knowing she was sitting at my bar. "Jo! Baby! Come down here really quick! I have people I need you to meet!"

"One second, I'm making his drink-" I started before Alex cut me off.

"Nick can wait. He's here 4 nights a week, waiting a few more minutes so I can talk to my girl isn't going to hurt you, is it Nick?" they said, directing the end of their statement toward the man sitting at the bar in front of me.

"They said it, I just agreed," Nick said, throwing his hands up in the air.

I threw an apologetic look to Nick who just shrugged as if to say, "they get what they want, I don't make the rules." I wiped my hands off on my towel and set it down on the bar to give me another minute to muster up the courage to approach the three attractive women sitting at my bar. I put on my friendliest smile and walked down to the end they were sitting at.

"There she is!" Alex said with the biggest smile as I approached the 4 of them at the opposite end of the bar. "My favorite lady!" they said as they wrapped their arm around my shoulders. "Meet Phoebe, Lucy, and Julien! This is boygenius and they're the world's next hottest band. You heard it here first."