Chapter 99: Ladies & Gentlemen

Tyler, much like the previous artists whom had performed lingered backstage, all of them seated on a couple chairs as they watched Niall and Midnight Avenue take the stage.

Considering their performances had been the last thing on their schedules for the day, they simply opted to enjoy the rest of the festival, same as every festivalgoer.

Then there was the fact that they wanted to make tangible connections with their fellow artists, as this might be the very last time they might ever get to see one another.

Niall Parker, especially, given the sort of career he was leading, was a prime target for them... a stark contrast to Tyler whom they were less inclined to get to know for very obvious reasons.

Even now, as he returned backstage, they simply gave him his space as they honestly wanted little to do with his frankly rabid fanbase and the unsavory rumors always swirling around him.

Tyler however, could care less. His attention was solely on the artists on stage, his previous confidence shifting into a confused skepticism as he noticed that the backline crew wasn’t rushing about to make any major sound checks like they’d did for him, or any of the other artists thus far.

He also wasn’t the only one wondering why this was so, as his fellow artists were similarly looking to one another in a mix of mild concern and curiosity.

On stage though, Niall had already moved to the mic, a good chunk of the audience seemingly waiting in anticipation for their performance to begin.

Then there was the fact that they, much like Tyler had been earlier in the day, were curious to know if Niall’s raw vocals sounded as good in person, or if they were straight ass and was just propped up by the studio version.

Still, just as thousands were waiting in anticipation, Tyler’s fans seemed to have far less enthusiasm.

In their minds, nothing could top the show their favorite artist had put on... not even Hollywood’s latest obsession, and most certainly, not his former bandmates.

But that was when Niall’s voice cascaded through the venue;

"My parents once gifted me a Polaroid on my twelfth birthday,"

To say the audience--before them and backstage--were completely caught off-guard to hear that, instead of Niall actually singing, was an understatement. Yet he simply continued;

"It also happened to be the very first day I took, perhaps the best picture I’d ever taken in my entire life,"

"I often look back on that picture, you know..." Niall smiled with genuine warmth, Sam, Archie and Lucas equally sharing it as he kept speaking;

"...on my innocence as a kid who was just a kid, on that fuzzy, timeless warmth I can never replicate, and most of all, on my parents’ beautiful faces and their blitheful smiles frozen in time."

"That feeling... that moment in time... that was what I wanted to preserve forever when I made [Polaroid]." he concluded.

As both sides of the audience were still basking in the tenderness of his voice, Niall strummed the tune for his very first song, its soft, fragile yet distinctly comforting tune rippling through the tent.

Then, after a few seconds, he sang;

Loving’s a gift,

Loving’s a gift, you know,

Wrapped up in layers of treasured memories,

No sooner had the audience heard his raw vocals without any backing track, eyes visibly widened across the venue in astonished disbelief.

To say Niall’s vocals were beautiful... would be doing it a serious disservice. Rather, if one said it was divine, they would be much closer to an actual description for it.

Even then, it was almost as if one was compromising and just opting to settle on it for the fear of using a far worse word when they were actually trying to find a better word.

That was the only thing that could explain to so many of them how one’s vocals could be practically no different from its studio version.

So they simply watched on--as did Tyler whose gaze had long morphed much the same--stunned beyond measure as Midnight Avenue’s vocals joined the song at its pre-chorus;

That’s why we caught it all in a Polaroid,

To make these mementos for ourselves,

Where our eyes are ever smiling,

And the colors chose to stay,

In a moment that’s all our own...

By now, the crowd was already swaying side to side, some of them already singing along to the song as the chorus came.

And with that, a ripple of mild cheers and whistles rippled through the venue as several of Niall’s fans began clapping softly in rhythm to the song.

Then, when the next chorus came along, literally all of them sang along;

So we can keep us,

Inside the corners of a worn-out frame,

Faded edges but it feels the same,

Bathed in that blissful warmth...

And if time leaves,

If it steals all the days we’ve ever known,

We’ll still keep living in that afterglow,

Like it’s at the break of dawn,

So hold on to it close.

As Carmen watched it all unfold, she felt her chest constrict, especially when there was a family of five right next to her singing along with such warmth.

That was Maya, Troy and their parents, their father raising Lisa up on his shoulders as they all swayed gently to the song.

Yet again, they’d planned another outing for the weekend. This time, it had ended up being Coachella as the kids were on their summer break.

Unaware of that information though, Carmen simply wiped the tears on her eyelids and simply proceeded to clap along as she didn’t even know the lyrics to the song.

Just like that, Niall and Midnight Avenue had begun with a tearjerker of a song, several other individuals in the venue reacting much the same as Carmen had.

At the same time, the song had slowed down the tempo for everyone, allowing them to transition from Tyler’s high-energy performance to something more calming yet equally refreshing.

Safe to say, some oxytocin had been released into their system and they were soon to be primed for another energetic performance in a couple minutes time...

...something Niall and the trio had been well-aware off when they’d seen Tyler’s rehearsals earlier in the day.

If they’d decided to just dump another high-octane song like [Tightrope] into their system, all in an effort to make a big splash, there was a very high chance that it wouldn’t have had as much of an impact as Tyler’s performance.

Afterall, what was the point in stimulating and already overstimulated crowd. It was also why Niall had opted to share that tidbit about how [Polaroid] was made.

One to lower their racing hearts, and two because he’d felt it would be a good way to keep the audience engaged in a more organic yet didactic way that wasn’t all dopamine hit after dopamine hit.

Which was why, upon rounding up [Polaroid], a wave of moderate cheers and applauds sweeping through the venue, Niall spoke into the mic once again after it had settled;

"You know, I once saw a tweet last year about what had inspired me to write [Hello, Goodbye],"

This time, the crowd was listening attentively, a sense of invested curiosity plastered across so many faces. Even Tyler’s fans were much the same, their lack of enthusiasm coming back in spades.

"The handle ’BluntBellina’, was right on the money when she said I might’ve run away from home to pursue my dreams of being an artist in Hollywood,"

"THAT WAS ME!!!" a voice suddenly screamed from amongst the crowd in the tent.

Pinpointing her with an uncanny accuracy, courtesy of his Gift of Vitality, Niall repeated, genuinely surprised;

"That was you?!"

"YES!" Bella screamed back in clear excitement, her clique of friends whom she’d successfully converted into fans of Niall, alongside most people in the tent chuckled audibly.

"Well, then Miss, congratulations. You won the lottery for some more context." Niall playfully said to which Bella shouted in response;

"I LOVE CONTEXT!!"

This time, a wave of genuine laughter rippled through the tent as heads turned to look in the lady’s direction, most failing to spot her amidst the cramped space.

Carmen did manage to see just the slightest glimpse of her though, her expression amused as she turned her attention back to Niall and Midnight Avenue whom were chuckling much the same.

Then Niall expatiated;

"For the most part, it wasn’t a messy affair like you might’ve assumed. I love my parents after all and in their defense, they did try to get me to come back home several times."

"But I’m a stubborn goat you see, and in hindsight, it was a pretty risky thing to have done at eighteen... but I guess I’m one of the lucky few it turned out fine for." Niall chuckled a bit to which he then warned, his tone assuming a genuine concern;

"So please, for the love of all things good, don’t be like me... not without a concrete plan at least."

Again, the crowd found themselves chuckling in amusement as Niall and Midnight Avenue instantly picked up the beat of Niall’s very first song to have hit half a billion streams.

Almost instantaneously, Niall’s perfect vocals took on a gentle but reflective feel as he sang;

Just one more glance behind, one teardrop from my eye,

I’d better save it for...

Another midnight ride, and rushing car headlights,

Enter Riverside...

’Do you recall those times...?’

In sync, the audience began swaying to the dreamy, melancholic tune. It also helped that the evening sun was already climbing high, further adding that much more ambience to the song.

Then, when the chorus came, literally everyone who knew the song sang along, hands swaying gently in the air;

And when I’m back in Tennessee, I feel it,

Another version of me, he would be proud,

I pay my respects to where it all began...

At this point, Tyler knew the audience had long pushed his previous performance to the back of their minds... almost like it was just a footnote to the current performance.

That sentiment was reinforced further when the powerful bridge came along, one that everyone seemed to echo in shared conviction;

You make a man out of his struggles, but the struggle makes the man,

You make a man out of his struggles, but the struggle makes the man,

You make a man out of his struggles, but the struggle makes the man,

You make a man out of his--!

Even Carmen knew that part of the song well, hence why she’d joined in with everyone else to deliver the song’s best payoff.

Multiple ’woos’ followed after that part as the familiar tune thrummed underneath for a while... only for Niall and the trio to pick it up again alongside the audience till they rounded up the song together.

And when I’m back in Tennessee, I feel it...

Another version of me, he would be proud...

Oh... I pay my respects to where it all began...

Hello...

Goodbye...!

Yet again, swells of applause rippled through the venue, everyone’s dopamine levels having reached an almost unified baseline.

It was also why, Niall and Midnight Avenue felt it was a perfect moment to kick things up a notch;

"Ladies and gentlemen," Niall spoke into his mouthpiece, glancing over to Archie, Lucas and then Sam whom were nodding in proud acknowledgement.

"You’re about to witness your very first live performance of [Silver Comets]." he casually declared.

Advance Chapters are available on Patreon!

/Caer07