The Teacher

The Teacher: Part I Unchained, Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

WE ALL ARRIVED FASHIONABLY LATE. Waves of wall-bending black metal from Holden's band, Unchained, were already ripping through the air outside the gym. Walking in, the blast of acoustic energy coming from a two-story bank of 24 Peavy speakers all but took my breath away. There was Holden up on stage, microphone in hand, looking like a superhero from another reality.

The assembled crowd of high school students, who would normally have been acting stupid, rowdy, and raucous, were standing as close to the stage as possible, completely mesmerized by the stunning music—the lyrics encrypted with soul-splitting eschatological implications and the compelling stage presence of the band.

Their counterculture rebellious vibe fed right into the students' view of cool, tapping into exactly how they were feeling. Like boot camp recruits about to have their heads shorn, the students knew their high school days of freedom and easy-living were about to end. They would soon be entering the massively more restrictive and unforgiving adult world where if you want to get and keep that good job you'd better play the game the establishment's way. The students did not want to go there—at least not tonight.

The band went through several costume changes. During the first set they were each wearing the black floor-length cassock, a large black-beaded rosary hanging down from a black leather belt, and white clergy collar of a Catholic priest—all representing organized religion. Each musician also took part in a play going on simultaneously with the concert.

In order to heighten the impact of their lyrics, an area of the stage had props so that the musicians could animate the lyric lines doubling as dialog for the play. For example, a line that referenced burning the Bible was acted out by actually setting a Bible on fire, then tossing some of the smoldering smoking pages into the mosh pit that had formed right in front of the stage. For another line referring to breaking free from the confinement of religion, Holden was locked in a coffin embossed with the band's logo, standing upright on stage. He seemed to use superpowers to break open the coffin as it flew apart on all four sides leaving Holden standing free, arms raised in symbolic victory over death.

The students watching the show were going crazy. Those in the manic mosh pit were sporadically baptized by spray from the security guys attempting to cool them down. Whipped into a frenzy and never a place for the timid the pit became a gladiatorial arena where brazen bodies battered each other until bruised and bloody.

Periodically someone was raised by a herd of hands and passed overhead. The security guards Holden hired had to thwart their attempts to thrust their human sacrifice onto the stage—the altar where the acoustic fiendish frenzy, contesting for the souls of the audience, was proceeding toward some kind of dark sacramental consecration.

For their last costume change, Holden came out in an expensive, black leather garment including elements of the costumes of Satan and Superman, giving the impression it would be fashionable gear to go clubbing in hell.

The last song performed was "Caged" and the band rocked the gym challenging the students with the most provocative lyrics of all their songs. The adults present, the teachers and parents, grimaced and frowned at each other, complaining openly that the band should never have gotten permission to play at the prom.

WITH DEVILISH MICHIEF STILL hanging thick like a midnight cemetery fog, the concert ended to the resounding applause of the drained students who never expected to be challenged with such soul-stretching ideas on prom night—a time to usually just let go and enjoy an amusement park of fun and frolic.

"Well, that was something but hey, let's get out of here. We checked with our parents and it's okay if our limo driver takes us to Chicago. You want to come, right?" Blaire asked me.

"That does sound like a good time, but I think I'm going to hang out backstage with the band. Take my date, though, will you. He's not too happy with me right now."

"Sure thing...we owe him at least that much," Lydia agreed.

"Are you sure, once we leave there's no coming back," Blaire reminded.

"I'm sure...you go on and have a great time."

"All right, but I want to hear all about what happens tonight with Holden first thing tomorrow," Lydia insisted.

"You will...promise."

THE GYM CLEARED QUICKLY AS I slipped backstage, not knowing if Holden would even want to see me.

The band members were back in a corner.

Holden was seated and the others were kneeling in a semicircle around him.