by N. Kognytao
The number of concert-goers caught them by surprise.
“I believe that you can do it, but realize just how much is at stake. If you do not impress the audience, those are sales you will not likely make.”
“They can do it,” Alex assured.
“I’m sure they can.” The CEO took a deep breath, glancing out the window at the stage being constructed. “Please take the next two days to rest and prepare for rehearsals. There is a lot to coordinate across the company when it comes to rehearsals, so I want you well-rested and ready.”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused.
“Excellent. Then I will see you all on Monday.”
They stood, shaking hands with Tim once more as they filed out of his office and made their way to the elevator, practically shaking with excitement. Since they had not heard otherwise, they were certain that they had secured their spot in the Outdoor Show, but to hear Mr. Gracie say it out loud made the reality more profound and it did not really hit them until they left his office.
“This is unreal!” Carson gasped. “And I am sudden really nervous.”
“Me, too…” Yasmine murmured. “I didn’t realize there were that many people at the Outdoor Show.”
“I’m not nervous,” Leah said brightly as she pressed the call button for the elevator.
“You’re not?” they all echoed in disbelief.
Leah’s body slumped. “I’m petrified,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize there were fifty-thousand people, either…”
The doors to the elevator opened and they were surprised to see Hayden Carpenter and his manager, Thomas White.
The air in the hall immediately became thicker.
“Oh, what are you doing here?” Hayden asked, looking among the musicians as he stepped out, pushing through them easily as they glared at him indignantly.
“Well, Alex?” Thomas asked. “Did your group secure their spot?”
“They did,” Alex said coldly. “Thank you for your interest.”
“It will be a hell of a show,” the manager for Glaring Nights agreed. “We’ll see you at rehearsals, then.”
The two managers nodded to each other as Alex half-pushed Leah into the elevator with the others of the group.
“What is his problem?” Carson groaned, once the elevators had closed.
“Don’t focus on him, or Glaring Nights,” Alex advised. “Focus on your performance and your music, nothing else.”
Outside Tim Gracie’s office, Thomas knocked lightly, glancing at Hayden’s confident expression out of the corner of his eye.
“Come in.”
The two entered the office, no longer overwhelmed by the décor, though they were still hesitant to waltz in easily—Tim Gracie was the CEO after all.
Mr. Gracie was standing by the windows, watching the construction of the outdoor stage from afar. When the door closed, he turned and nodded to the two men in his office. “Mr. Carpenter, Mr. White,” he greeted, moving back to his desk.
“Mr. Gracie,” Hayden started, taking a few steps closer, “there is something I wish to ask you.” The CEO waited patiently as Hayden tried to summon the words he had been trying to prepare for days. “It has to do with Leah and her group.”
“What of them?”
“Isn’t it a bit early for them to be sharing the stage of the Outdoor Show with seasoned professionals?”
Mr. Gracie leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in front of him.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that they’ve only started working and producing music in the last month or two. The others who will be performing have been around for years.”
“Sometimes it takes people longer to earn a spot on that stage,” Mr. Gracie said simply. “I do not think it is too early for Ms. Dillon. She shows great talent and charisma on the stage.”
“Yes, of course, but…she’s really only performed in clubs.”
“And as the opening act for your send-off concert,” Mr. Gracie pointed out sharply. “Her very first performance on a concert stage was very impressive.”
Hayden struggled to think of something to say in response.
“I just worry about the image of the company, shoving an untested new artists in front of the biggest audience RM Entertainment gets in a year.”
“Well, I appreciate your concern for the image of the company, but I can assure you, I have that handled,” Mr. Gracie said. The tone in his voice was turning colder, warning Hayden that he was entering dangerous waters.
“I believe what Hayden means to say is that if Leah does not perform as we all hope she will, it could ruin the entire concert. She’s the new talent you’re pushing. She’s become the center of attention.”
“I do not know where you get the impression that Ms. Dillon is the center of attention or the center of the Outdoor Show but that is not the case. The show is put on every year to showcase our strength as a cohesive label and for charity reasons. No one’s stage is bigger than the other’s.”
“That is never the case, Mr. Gracie,” Hayden challenged. “We all know that no one can match 4U and we know that he is the center of the Outdoor Show every year, but he will not be here this year. And having this new girl come out and try to take his place might make it seem like you’re desperate.”
Mr. Gracie’s head turned to the side. Both the manager and singer knew that they had just stepped on a nerve.
“Care to elaborate on that point, Mr. Carpenter?”
“As you’ve said, we put on the Outdoor Show to show that we are a cohesive label, and that should showcase our strengths, rather than show that we’re hoping one new girl who has gained some attention will be able to match up to those who have had a lot more practice.”
“Ah,” Mr. Gracie said, a dark smile taking over his face, “then you’re saying this out of concern for her well-being as the new artist. You’re worried she’ll feel overshadowed.”
“Yes, of course,” Hayden agreed quickly, smiling.
“My advice to you, Mr. Carpenter, is to stop projecting your own insecurities on Ms. Dillon,” Mr. Gracie said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his desk, his eyes sharp on Hayden. “The image and welfare of the company is not your concern, and it may surprise you to know that I am capable of running this company quite well, and I can take care of my artists as necessary.”
“I did not mean to imply—”
“He never said that you were incapable—”
Mr. Gracie held up a hand to stop them both.
“Now, I know that you’re nervous that this new talent will get more attention than Glaring Nights, but you are still the largest group in the company. As always, you have the support of RM, and you will continue to receive the best tour dates, television appearances, and endorsements until you give me reasons not to push for your success. So I would strongly suggest that you not do anything to jeopardize your favorable position.”
“I am not…” Hayden was struggling to regain ground. “You know better than anyone what this industry is like. I just feel—”
“What I know, Mr. Carpenter, is that I have no tolerance for petty vendettas and unfounded jealousy within this company,” Mr. Gracie interrupted, standing. “Listen to me very carefully,” he started, leaning forward. “I will not stand for any underhanded techniques, or attempts to undermine Ms. Dillon’s growth into the label. Therefore, if you continue to allow yourself to be ruled by your own feelings of inadequacy, and you start to falter in your work because of that, I will cut you from the label without hesitation. I have no room for drama or dead weight.”
He held Hayden’s gaze for three long seconds before he resumed his seat and nodded once.
“Good day, Mr. Carpenter. Mr. White.”
Chapter Fifteen
Leah had spent the entire weekend with Braydon in an attempt to get her mind off the impending rehearsals for the Outdoor Show. However, with his silence as he wrote whatever book he was working on, she was left with her t
houghts for extended periods of time. When she was no longer able to distract herself by napping next to him as he worked, she would shove her headphones in her ears and mouth the lyrics of his songs, trying to sear the words so deep in her memory there was no chance of her forgetting them during the stress of the Outdoor Show.
She was reluctant to talk to Braydon about her worries, even when he asked her constantly if she was alright, noticing her silence and distance from him. Leah laughed it off and said that there were more rehearsals starting Monday and she was just focusing on making sure she knew all the lyrics. She knew he could see through her lie and could tell she was anxious, but he did not push her to talk about it.
When Monday came around, things were in organized chaos throughout RM Entertainment.
Almost everyone was outside setting up the stage, the controls for the lights and video feeds, as well as the cameras, all in different tent-covered areas to keep the equipment out of any unexpected weather. Technicians, producers, backup dancers, musicians, and managers were running around the enormous space, gathering all information needed about the rehearsal times and set lists.
Leah found herself sticking close to Alex, not sure where else to be. Even the more experienced RM studio musicians with her seemed overwhelmed by the hustle of preparations for the Outdoor Show.
However, the first day was relatively quiet for the new group. They sat and watched some of the other groups and singers practice, getting their stage directions down with their choreographers and programming their light changes, as well as fine-tuning their microphones and in-ear pieces. Leah and the others contented themselves with watching the experienced performers work on their individual stages, each of them taking note of what the others looked for when practicing so they could improve their own performance.
At the end of the day, they were allowed to get on the stage and get a feel for the size and layout, deciding where they would like to set up. Leah wandered the stage with a few of the stage hands, talking with the others of her group about how they wanted to perform. Alex helped them with some of the more technical aspects of what they could do with their stage time, but otherwise, he stood back and watched the musicians work.
Since initial rehearsals had to be conducted around the schedules of the different performing artists, Leah and the others had to utilize whatever stage time they had between the other musicians. That meant they were hanging around the older artists, watching them carefully, trying to make their own performance match the professional level of everyone else in the show.
However, that also meant they were around when Glaring Nights had their own rehearsals. The band, being the top-earning group in the company, would have two performance times, one in the first half and the second in the second half, near the end of the show. They spent a very long time on stage, discussing their costume changes, songs, and the lights they wanted as well as the videos that would play on the screens behind them.
Leah could not focus on the notes of their performance because she was too busy dodging the glares from the leader of Glaring Nights. Alex was sure to steer his group away from Hayden and their manager but it still made the air tense whenever they were too close to one another.
“I don’t know what I did to piss him off so much…” Leah whined.
“You didn’t do anything,” Alex assured, shaking his head.
“He’s nervous that all his years of practice can’t make up for his lack of talent,” Yasmine said bluntly.
“Yasmine!” Aaron gasped, surprised.
“What? It’s true! Practice all you want, if you don’t have the raw talent, it’s just mimicking everyone else.”
“Wow…that’s a bit harsh,” Leah laughed nervously.
“…not completely untrue, though,” Keith murmured.
“We still shouldn’t say things like that,” Leah said. “He’s a big star, still, and he’s worked really hard to get where he is. That should say a lot about his devotion.”
The others decided not to push the subject further, though everyone who knew Hayden from training days knew he was more invested in his fame than the music he performed.
Four days into rehearsal and Leah was getting more and more nervous about her own performance. As the show began to come together, she noticed just how enormous the scale was for the Outdoor Show. The stage and the amount of cameras and lights did not really hit her until she saw them all working at once. On day four, they did a preliminary rehearsal with everyone in the show. They received the order they would appear on stage, and one at a time went through their performances, making notes and stopping when they needed to, making it a grueling process for everyone as they worked through the entire hot day.
Leah and her group would be performing right near the middle of the concert.
“That’s not fair,” Yasmine groaned. “We’re gonna get sandwiched between Glaring Nights.”
“Just remember we opened for them and the audience loved us,” Aaron reminded with a wink.
“Actually, the middle of the concert is one of the most important parts,” Alex explained. “You have to keep the energy as high as you can. It’s right around the middle when the audience can get tired, and if there is a break in the intensity of the energy, then it makes for a bad concert. You can’t let the audience lose that high.”
Leah was sure she would choke under the increasing pressure. As she stared out at the sheer expanse of space in front of her that would hold the concert-goers, all holding up signs for their favorite RM artist, or holding the red and gold glow sticks that were always present at the Outdoor Show, she felt stage fright overtake her.
Half-way through her turn rehearsing, Aaron came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
“Breathe. It’s okay. You’re doing great.”
Leah only managed to pull herself together after she heard the snickering from Glaring Nights, who were watching from the sides of the stage, smug.
She called Braydon that night. While they spoke on the phone quite often, it generally ended with them silent on both ends of the phone, being with one another without being in the same physical space. When she called him that night, he could hear the tension in her voice.
“What’s going on with you?” he asked. “You’re not your usual chipper self.”
“Chipper?”
“I’m trying to find the right word to describe you, but that’s the only one that comes to mind right now.”
She laughed lightly, rolling over on her bed and staring at the ceiling, her phone resting near her ear, loose in her hand.
“I don’t know…I’m just getting nervous. This is the Outdoor Show. This is a really big deal.”
“Only if you make it a really big deal.”
“It’s fifty-thousand people!” Leah gasped. “It’s a very big deal! Everyone I’m performing with has been on stages way bigger than clubs. This is huge.”
“Then your job as a performer is to make everyone feel as though you have performed in front of even bigger audiences,” he said. “They don’t need to know you’re nervous or that you’ve never done anything of this magnitude. You need to make the stage your second home. Make yourself so comfortable with it, you feel as though you could move around his blindfolded.”
“That sounds dangerous,” she teased.
“Well, don’t actually do it,” he groaned, though she could tell he was smiling. “You’ll fall of the stage and break something and be unable to perform.”
“…sounds a little appealing, honestly,” she said, half-serious.
“No, that’s just the nerves talking. You’ll do fine. When’s the first full rehearsal?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you come over tomorrow and I’ll make you dinner. You can get out of the hustle for a night and reorient.”
“Really?”
“Sure. I’m almost done with this chapter. I would like a break myself.”
Knowing that she would have dinner with Braydon that n
ight lifted Leah’s spirit for the rehearsal. Even though she still felt the crushing weight of the magnitude of the concert on her shoulders, she was eager to see him and wanted to go through rehearsal flawlessly to wrap up as early as possible to spend more time with him.
While the sun beat down over the asphalt, Tim Gracie and several other executives of RM Entertainment sat in some covered seats and prepared to watch the rehearsal.
At the end of each performer’s time, Mr. Gracie would lift his own microphone to his mouth and comment on things he wanted changed, or where there were weak points in the performance. Leah was sure to listen to everyone’s critiques so that she could try and fix her own performance based on the feedback.
The rehearsal took four hours and when it was done, Mr. Gracie looked at the others around him, searching their faces. Some of those in suits were scribbling notes on their tablets, others were looking at one another with silent comments about the performances. The CEO stared at them for a very long time, studying them, even though no one said anything directly.
He lifted the microphone to his mouth.
“Could everyone please come to the stage? Just sit for a moment and relax. We’re going to go over a few things.”
He lowered the microphone, seeing the musicians come onto the stage out of his peripheral.
“Sir?” one woman asked, expectant.
“Go ahead and publish it,” he answered, knowing precisely what she was talking about.
As the others stayed in their covered chairs, Mr. Gracie walked to the stage, ascending the stairs and standing in front of the artists, using his microphone so everyone could hear him.
“I’m very excited about this year’s concert,” he started. “This year, we’re donating proceeds to Phillips & Yates Research for Childhood Cancer and so far we have surpassed what we had hoped to be able to donate. We’ve already sold far more tickets than we originally hoped for.” He began pacing the front of the stage. “For that reason, I must say, I’m lacking confidence in our ability to put on a show that is worth that money.”
