I sat at the bar alone, my heart racing as I dragged from my cigarette. The guys had gone back stage to get ready and I still hadn't seen Mick. I was so excited to see him play. The place was very crowded but everyone was pretty relaxed and no one was too out of control, which surprised me. I kicked my legs about impatiently, not being able to stand the tension.
Why was I so scared?
I don't know.
I just couldn't wait to see what they could do.
And suddenly I heard a riff on a guitar. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest as the crowd screamed. I turned to the makeshift "stage" and caught sight of him immediately.
Oh my fucking lord.
He was just standing there, holding this guitar like he was born to play it. He looked completely different to the cute guy lying on my couch this morning. He was wearing a white shirt with an upturned collar and cuffs and black jeans that clung tightly to his stick-thin legs. He'd combed back his dark hair and tied a bandana around his neck, just like I had done. He stared at the crowd with his dark eyes, his mouth slightly open as always. I couldn't help noticing he was searching for someone in the crowd. Me perhaps? I screamed as loud as I could, and as if he knew it was me, Mick's eyes darted in my direction. He caught sight of me and smirked. He looked so happy. I grinned and sat forward, glad to be at the back so I got a better view.
Topper and Joe ran on, causing another burst of noise from the crowd. Paul walked on afterwards, not seeming all too bothered at what was happening. Topper got behind the drumkit and tapped his sticks together. I pushed myself up so I was sitting on the bar and my feet were on the stool. And Mick starts playing the opening chords, fast, sharp, lively, and I know already I'm going to love this band. I love the way he plays, he looked so focused on the strings, not once looking away from what he was doing. This boy is golden. I liked the way Paul plays his bass; he obviously really knows what he's doing but looked so bored with it all. I liked that about him. Meanwhile Topper was going insane behind the drumkit, and Joe grabbed the mic aggressively and started singing, and I became mesmerised by his voice, it was so different to anyone I've heard before.
They said release 'Remote Control' but we didn't want it on the label,
They said 'fly to Amsterdam'
The people laughed but the press went mad
Mick was singing too but I couldn't hear him as clearly, but I'd decided I loved his voice anyway. Everyone else was going wild, screaming and shouting, but I was just sitting there, taking them in, unable to believe how brilliant they were. The bartender asked if I want another beer, but I just turned and gave him a look telling him to shut up. I wasn't missing a second of this shit.
Oh oh oh have we done something wrong?
Oh oh oh complete control, even over this song!
And Mick steps forward for the guitar solo and I just lose it. He was strutting about the stage as if he fucking owned it, not even needing to look down at what he's playing, he knows it so well. He was making all these cute faces, and then I knew why he was such a cocky bastard; he had every right to be; he was perfect! I cheered for him at the top of my lungs.
All over the news spread fast
They're dirty, they're filthy
They ain't gonna last!
Mick finds me again and raises his eyebrows, as if he was asking if I liked it. I raised my arms, making peace signs with my fingers, yelling "I FUCKING LOVE YOU", but I doubt he heard me. He just grinned and looked back to his guitar.
After about 4 songs they shifted around a bit, and Mick moved to where Joe had been standing. Joe moved over to a keyboard nearer the back of the stage and set up a smaller microphone stand. He played a few chords to himself to warm everyone up, and all the while he was doing this, Mick stared straight at me. He played a few opening notes and leaned towards the mic.
You say you stand by your man,
So tell me somethin, I don't understand,
You said you loved me, and that's a fact,
But then you left me: said you felt trapped.
Well some things you can't explain away,
But the heartache's in me till this day,
Did you stand by me?
No, not at all,
Did you stand by me?
No way
He had such an amazing voice, I didn't know how to describe it. I just sat there, hanging on to every word he sung. I wasn't sure what the song was about, but I was guessing he was singing it for me. I turned to a guy in a leather jacket who was sitting next to me.
"Hey, d'you know what song this is?" He turned to me.
"Aye, Train in Vain, one of my favourites. You like it?"
I thought about the name for a second. I liked the ring of it.
"Yeah. I love it," I said, finishing my third beer.
