Screw

7. Showtime

Estrella and the other girls waited backstage for their cue from the lead singer.
The anticipation was killing her; her heart beating fast, butterflies tickling her belly and making her feel a bit sick. Peeking out through the curtains on the side of the stage, the dancers all stared out at the crowd; thousands of human shapes made unclear by the hot, over bright stage lights. On the stage, the drummer was sat waiting behind the drums, Slash stood at the closest side of the stage to the dancers, the black haired shy guy held another guitar at the opposite side of the stage and Duff held his bass at the ready nearby the singer, who stood front and center on the stage. He was talking into the microphone, red hair spilling down over his shoulders. He was wearing a pair of shiny black leather pants and a white t-shirt with 'Marlboro' printed across it. As the three watched, the singer turned his head towards where they were standing,
"Could we get those dancers out here please?" He requested, then turned back towards the crowd. The other two girls looked at her, then at each other, and Estrella stared back. Without the singer talking over the top, the crowd's chattering became much more prominent. She was too afraid to step out. She felt like she was gonna pee herself, and like she wasn't pretty enough and like the butterflies in her belly were gonna push through her stomach lining, they were so big. She danced from one foot to the other, clenching her teeth and her fists simultaneously. Suddenly, she felt a shove in the small of her back from behind, and she stumbled forth into the stage lights. They were hotter then she had anticipated, and dazzled her as she tried to be calm and look confident whilst walking toward the front of the stage. She was visibly shaking. As she reached the singer, he turned to look at her, and the there was a great stirring in the crowd. The singer grinned and said into the microphone,
"The first of our dancers, everyone." He introduced. Estrella waved, grinning, and the audience got a bit louder for a moment before quietening to the noise level they were at previously. The redhead gestured towards the podiums set up behind the band, long dancer poles stretching from these to a solid metal frame in the ceiling.
Estrella looked at the poles and then glanced over her shoulder, watching as Rosamund sidled out next. She looked as nervous as Estrella felt.
Estrella turned and walked across the stage, climbed up on the leftmost podium and stood beside the silver pole. Rosamund followed suit, going to the farthest right pole. Next came Celine, and the redhead smirked and slapped her butt as she turned and walked towards the middle pole.
"You know where you are?!" The guy shouted into the microphone. The crowd screamed, bouncing around even more. "You're in the jungle baby!" He yelled, and Slash began to play a wild, intricate riff that made Estrella feel like she could fly. "You're gonna dieeee!" The redhead screeched the last word, and the other instruments dropped in, joining Slash. The song began to build in intensity.
The concert goers were met with a wall of sound more intricate and tight knit then a spiders web, and they loved it.
Estrella head banged as she wound herself quickly around and around the pole. She smiled widely, beginning to have alot of fun.
"Welcome to the jungle," the singer began,
"We've got fun and games,
We got everything you want,
Honey we know the names,
We are the people that can find,
What ever you may need,
If you've got no money, honey,
We've got your disease." The singer was moving across the stage, demanding the audience's attention. He had amazing moves. Great stage presence. Estrella had never seen a performer so energetic about his music before. Slash moved about, headbanging at the more intense moments, and Duff strolled back and forth along the stage, stopping here and there. The song was a fast paced, intricately woven thing with edgy sounding guitar and well performed drums. The drummer managed not to miss one beat, and yet he was bouncing crazily on his stool, light blonde hair bouncing with him. He put Estrella in mind of popcorn popping- he even made the 'pop' noises with his drumset! This made her laugh a little as she continued dancing along. The song was getting along by then, and the band flourished into a crazy, high pitched guitar solo. A roadie jogged out to slip a metal slider over Slash's finger, and the noise that came next sent pleasant shivers down her spine. The last few choruses were sung, and then the song ended on a big chord. The crowd roared in approval.
"Now this next song is a little something we like to call 'Mr. Brownstone." The redhead announced. The riff played next was weird and rough, yet somehow alive in an odd sense of the word.
Guns N' Roses' music was great, and from what she'd seen so were the people behind it. The concert went on in much the same fashion as that, with the band playing amazingly and performing just as amazingly. The dancers showed off, climbing the poles and headbanging their hearts out. Estrella had a feeling they were going to have alot of fun on tour with such wild musicians.