charisma

the concert ii

When we got inside the arena and found our seats, we marveled at the stage. The tickets were in the front row, and Liddy and I were trying so hard not to fangirl. "Okay," I said. "Okay," she replied.

"Okay." 

"Okay."

"HOLY FUCKING FUCK!!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING"

"Okay, we can't scream when they come out."

"No, of course not. We aren't groupies."

"I just needed to remind myself not to fangirl... FUCK THAT, HOOOOLY SHIT LID, THIS IS UNREAL."

"Yeah, I'm gonna need to hold your hand so I don't faint, okay?"

"As long as you do the same for me!"

"Of course, (_____)."

"Okay."

"Okaaay!"

We squealed and hugged each other. All our common sense had gone out the window. We were acting like such idiots, but I didn't care. This was incredible. Incredible that we were here—that I was here again— and that we'd been personally invited by the band. I squeezed Liddy's hand, then the curtain fell and with a burst of flames, the band appeared. Paul was as radiant as ever, his voice resounding powerfully and proudly throughout the stadium. Peter looked right at home on the drums, all smiles and charm. Ace was somehow confident and calm as he played riffs that would have cut me if I'd touched them. And Gene's overwhelming stage presence consumed all of my thoughts. 

They opened with "Detroit Rock City," from Destroyer, one of my favorite albums. Liddy and I turned to smile at each other before snapping our heads back to the stage, captivated by the band. I saw Gene scanning the crowd. Before long, I felt his eyes on me and saw him moving over to the edge of the stage. He looked a hell of a lot different with his makeup, but I could still see traces of the man that had been in the diner this morning. Even under all that heavy armor and greasepaint. I smiled at him, daring to stick out my tongue, and he raised his eyebrow in amusement. I leaned on the gate separating the crowd from the stage, visibly glad to see him. He grinned and came closer to the edge of the stage.

The songs after that were a blur- "Deuce," I thought, was one, then maybe "She?" I was really only watching Gene. He returned every one of my stares with a satisfied smirk. During "Calling Dr. Love," the beat dropped so he could talk to the fans. He came right up to the edge of the stage. He knelt down in front of me, holding the microphone. "You know why that's what they call me?" he asked. He yelled it to the crowd, but kept his eyes mischievously, fixed on me. He leaned over and held the mic out. I felt Liddy shake my shoulders as I took a step forward. "No," I said softly, shaking my head and trying to contain my giddy smile. "Little louder, baby," Gene smirked. "No, I don't know why," I said, sassily raising my voice." I leaned forward into the gate, our faces were inches apart. He put a finger under my chin, sending my thoughts into hysterics. "Why don't I show you why— THEY CALL ME..." he growled, flicking his tongue at me before springing back up, turning on his heel, and strutting away to sing the chorus. 

I felt damn near like fainting. I managed not to scream as I turned to clasp Liddy's hands. She raised one arm, motioning for me to spin around. I gleefully complied, doing the same for her. We danced for the rest of the song. I made her jump around with me for "C'mon And Love Me," one of my favorites. "Christine Sixteen," came after that. "Jealous, much?" Liddy poked my arm. "Oh yeah. I'm gonna have to talk to Gene about her," I said, sarcastically as he sang something about being young and clean. "You'd better watch out," Liddy laughed. "Christine's gonna steal your man!"

After that was "Shout it Out Loud, and after "Shout It Out Loud" came "Shock Me." Liddy swooned. Like Gene, Ace came right to the edge of the stage, never taking his eyes off my lovely friend. Liddy looked happier than I'd ever seen her. Which was saying a lot, because she was always smiling and peppy. They seemed to be the only ones in the world, lost in each other's eyes. When the song ended, I saw him blow a kiss at Liddy. She squealed and grabbed my arm. I rested my head against hers and smiled, contentedly as Peter sang "Beth" and "Black Diamond."

I was lost in the music. Again. But more so than last night. I really, truly, felt the sound of electric guitar surround me, of bass consume me, of drums enthrall me. The concert must have been at least an hour, but it felt like seconds to me. The next thing I knew, the guys were finishing up their show with "Rock N Roll All Nite." As the final chords boomed and the curtain fell over the band, people began to trickle out of the stadium. Our night is far from over, I thought to myself. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!!" Liddy giggled.

She dragged me away from the seats and over to a tired looking security guard. Liddy was practically shaking, she was so excited, so I  showed the guard our passes. I managed a "Thank you," before Liddy grasped my hand and pulled me down a long, dark hallway with electrical cords lining the floor. We slowed down, trying not to trip over any of the cords or props lying around, but my mind was still racing a mile a minute. The concert had left me exhilarated, of course, but the anticipation of seeing Gene again was overpowering. I wondered, guiltily, if I'd still have this many butterflies if he weren't—oh, you know—a fucking rockstar. But I reminded myself that I'd gotten worked up over men before. Now that I thought about it, the other guys hadn't been half as charming, so I told myself I was definitely allowed to get excited. 

Then, the lights suddenly went out.