With much of the afternoon and evening free, everyone took advantage of the time to tour around Portland and go out to dinner. Daniel’s group included Diana, his father, Gary, Jason, and Edith Hunter. They decided to walk around the downtown area where their hotel was located, view some parks and famous squares, and do a little shopping. They decided to eat dinner at a restaurant located near a movie Cineplex. After they ate, they took in a movie before returning to the hotel.
For Daniel and Jason, it really felt good to move around and get some exercise, even if it was only walking. Jason kept looking around in the parks to see if there were any basketball courts. He was hoping that he could talk Daniel and maybe a couple other band members into a quick game tomorrow after their sound check if he could find a place to play.
When they arrived at the hotel, everyone returned to their rooms. Jason then went off to play video games with Nick and Eric, while Diana went to have some time alone with Daniel. Diana was barely inside the door before they were in each other’s arms, hugging and kissing each other passionately. They spent a half hour loving each other before taking a break. Daniel and Diana then talked about the tour and how things were going.
“It was one of the biggest thrills for me to hear you sing ‘Diana’ last night,” Diana said. “You guys sounded very polished in your performance, and I know that couldn’t have been easy with all the pressure you were under.”
“Playing in an arena like that was unlike anything I could have imagined experiencing,” Daniel said. “It was frightening on the one hand, but thrilling and fulfilling on the other. Ultimately it is a musical high unlike any other!”
“The only thing I didn’t like was watching all those screaming girls who wanted a part of you. I want you all for myself, Daniel Holmes!”
“You are going to have to get used to it, Diana. Lead guitar players and vocalists in a band are a babe magnet. On stage we have to give them the illusion that we are performing just for them.”
“As long as I can have you off stage, I don’t mind,” Diana replied.
“You know that’s what I want,” Daniel told her after giving her a little kiss. “Remember what your song says, Diana!”
“I feel bad for Jason that Laura couldn’t be with him on this tour,” Diana said changing the subject. “For a couple going steady, this isn’t what going steady means to me!”
“Have you talked to Laura at all about this? I know Jason feels very frustrated about their situation.”
“I think that Laura is really torn up inside about what happened. Deep down I am pretty sure that she loves Jason with all her heart. But now she has experienced the reality of what his detective work could involve and that scares her. Her mom and dad are being super-protective of her and keeping them apart. To me that is unfair to Jason, especially since he risked his life to save hers.”
“How do you think about it personally? After all, I have been his partner on many of these adventures. Although I am not as daring as Jason, I too have experienced the dark side of crime.”
“Yeah, and I guess I was the one who accidentally set that up when I told you Ethan Savage’s route home. I know you have taken risks, but nothing like the ones Jason has taken. You have always been there for Jason when he has asked for your help, but now your focus needs to be on your music and doing well on this tour!”
Daniel shook his head in agreement. “I understand that and so does Jason. We did talk about this in the hospital right after his rescue.”
“Solving this is something that Jason will have to work out on his own,” Diana concluded. “Only he knows what his true feelings are for Laura and whether her needs merit a change in his life style. That is what seems to be the central issue right now in their relationship.”
“Well he has plenty of time to think about it with Laura gone to Europe for two months,” Daniel answered. “For a lot of guys, all this separation would cause a breakup. Certainly they wouldn’t say that they were going steady anymore.” Daniel looked into Diana’s eyes. “All this talk about breaking up makes me nervous,” he said with a grin. “You aren’t planning anything like that, are you?”
Diana pulled Daniel close to her again and put her arms around him. “Not a chance, Daniel! Now show me why!”
* * * * *
The Portland performance was pretty much a repeat of the Seattle, except that the bands didn’t feel nearly the same pressure on them as there was on their opening night in Seattle. Everyone had a successful performance under their belt now, and the concert routine went like clockwork. The tour management was very pleased that so far there were no incidents or deviation from the routine that they expected. Plus everyone seemed to be getting along so far. Dealing with conflicting personalities or star demands was never pleasant when it occurred.
That afternoon Jason went with the band for their set up and sound check to observe what happened and to take photos of it. He had found a basketball court in a nearby park, and when he and the band returned to the hotel, he got most of them to go with him for an hour of play. This turned out to be a very good diversion for the band, and they felt energized after some real exercise.
A third of the tour was now over, and the next morning they were headed back to the Bay Area, their home, and hopefully even more favorable crowds. The trip home was a long one, so everyone agreed to leave early the next morning. Everyone was up at six, and the bus left just before 7:00 AM.
Chapter 34
The Bay Area
(Monday Through Thursday)
Eleven hours later, the bus arrived at the Oakland hotel where the band would be staying for the next two nights. Even though they were now close to their homes, there was still a curfew requirement that they had to be in the hotel by ten o’clock on a non-performance evening. This was the place where the parent chaperones could make a change, however. Bill Hunter drove up and met Jason and Edith for dinner. Bill would stay with Jason for the rest of the tour. Other switches included Melinda Holmes for Gary, Jorge Ferreira for Marilyn, and Caterina Poulos (Nick’s mom) for Jeff Wilkinson. Later, Jonathan’s mom would replace her for the southern California portion of the tour. In general, everyone was tired from the long bus trip, and elected to stay in the hotel for dinner. Eric and Daniel took advantage of the pool and workout room. Most of the others relaxed in their rooms, watching television or videos.
Set up for the concert on Tuesday went smoothly and took less time for the sound and lighting checks. Even though they had only performed two of these concerts, Daniel and the band acted like they had done this all their lives, often anticipating what the sound engineer or lighting director would want to hear or see.
The touring promoters wanted to give the Second Chance All Stars a bigger splash for these two concerts, since they were a local band. Daniel already knew that a lot of people would come up to the Oakland concert from the Silicon Valley. The San Jose concert had been sold out for over a week now, and just a few seats were left for the Oakland concert. The promoters saw this as a good opportunity to sell off the 500 CDs that they had purchased for the tour. They arranged for Daniel to do an autograph session after both events.
The Oakland performance went very well. It was clear that there was more audience enthusiasm for Daniel and his band. They were quickly into the music and cheered for a long time after the band’s last number. Over a hundred CDs were sold and there was a line of over sixty people after the concert waiting for Daniel’s autograph. Colin and Tammy, who were at the signing session to make sure everything went smoothly, were pleased with the reception that the Second Chance All Stars were receiving.
Daniel didn’t arrive back at the hotel until after eleven. He was tired but exhilarated at the positive vibes from signing all those autographs. Many of those in the line knew Daniel or one of the band members either directly or indirectly from school. Daniel was most pleased about the new fans, who told him they really liked his music.
Wednesday was a true homecoming day. The tri
p from Oakland only took an hour, and they would have time off for the rest of the day before they had to check into the hotel for their curfew. This meant that they could go home, relax there, catch up on things in their regular lives, and connect with friends.
Thursday morning before their bus ride to the arena for their sound and lighting checks, Daniel decided to have a meeting with just the band members. He wanted to discuss how the concerts had been going so far, maybe make a couple of tweaks in the performance, and talk about tonight’s concert which would be their biggest one of the tour, right in their hometown area. There was some good feedback about how the tour was going so far. Everyone seemed pleased that their music was being received in a positive manner, and that they didn’t have to lower their musical standards to appeal to the tween crowd. They decided to change one number for tonight’s show, because they knew that the audience would respond favorably to more sophisticated material.
Promptly at seven that evening, Daniel and the Second Chance All Stars were told to take their places on stage for the start of the concert. Everything was set to go in ten minutes. Unknown to them, nothing would go as originally planned.
Outside the stadium, a limousine pulled up to the stage door. The driver opened the door, and out came Ethan Savage, with a guitar case. Robert Case, the security guard at the door was quite surprised. “Mr. Savage!” he exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight. Your name isn’t on our list.”
Ethan, who had a phenomenal memory for names, replied, “I know, Robert. This is a special surprise for Daniel Holmes and his band. Can I come in now?”
“Of course, Mr. Savage. It is an honor to see you again and with your guitar! Are you going to perform?”
“Most likely,” Ethan answered. “Who are the stagehands tonight?”
“Jeff and Willis are working this side. I will page them for you.”
Within a few minutes Jeff and Willis were conferring with Ethan. “Just get me hooked up to an amplifier somehow,” Ethan told them. “Can you move fast? I want to get on stage before their set is over.”
“Oh yes, sir! We are on it. I will notify the sound engineers that you are coming.”
“Great work, guys! I knew I could count on you,” Ethan said giving each of them a high five. “Now show me where I can put my guitar case and things.”
Daniel and the band had just finished their second number, when Ethan Savage came walking out on stage with his guitar. Daniel who was just about to announce the next number, instead ending up saying, “Oh my God!” Quickly he recovered his composure and announced in a loud voice, “Please welcome rock legend Ethan Savage!”
Upon hearing that and seeing Ethan, the crowd went absolutely wild, cheering, stomping their feet, and applauding for the retired rock legend who was suddenly there in front of them. After a few minutes, Ethan waved at them for quiet, and eventually got them to settle down. He walked over to a microphone and began to speak.
“Thank you for that fabulous reception. It makes this old rocker feel good to know that I can still connect with an audience. But this appearance isn’t about me. I’m not here to announce that I am coming out of retirement or anything like that. I am here because I wanted to support my friend Daniel Holmes and his fabulous band on their first big league tour. The reason for this is because Daniel put his life on the line for me, in a time of need. Crooked people in my management company were plotting to embezzle a lot of money that I wanted to go to charities and non-profit organizations. To make their wrongful transfer of this money look okay, I was drugged and an imposter was put in my place. Daniel saw this but was grabbed by two crooked cops who were overseeing the crime. Luckily he was able to escape, alert the authorities, and prevent the scam from going down. I am forever grateful to you Daniel, for your bravery and heads up thinking. How about a big hand for Daniel Holmes!”
The audience cheered loudly for Daniel who took a quick bow. Ethan went on, “I know I am interrupting the timing of this concert, but would you mind if I jammed a number with Daniel and his band?” The audience went wild with cheering and yells after that announcement.
Ethan turned to the band and said, “You guys know ‘Party Girl’, right?” Eric, Tim and the others shook their heads ‘yes’. “The song ‘Party Girl’ is the reason I met Daniel. He was a fan who was actually interested in how I performed the music. We had just discussed and jammed on that song before they pulled my limo over to make the switch. If he hadn’t been in the area on his bicycle, the bad guys would have gotten away with their money grab. So I say, let’s play ‘Party Girl’ to celebrate! Would you like to hear that song, audience?”
Again the crowd went wild. While they were cheering, Ethan handed Daniel a round metal bar needed to create the distinct guitar sound at the end of the song. “Here, you didn’t think I would forget this, since it was the reason we actually met! Now count off the band!”
Daniel did that, and he and the band began to play one of Ethan Savage’s signature songs. Ethan was great on the vocals, and even improvised a couple of choruses of guitar solo, before having Nick, Jonathan, and Daniel take choruses. On the last chorus, Ethan had Daniel join in the vocals. The band had played “Party Girl” as a cover on their performances prior to the tour, so the arrangement sounded tight as they came to the end. When they were done, the crowd gave them a standing ovation for five minutes. Ethan went all over the stage, waving and bowing for different sections of the audience.
Finally he got them to quiet down again, in anticipation of another number. Instead, Ethan got on a microphone and said, “I have to go now. I want you to support Daniel and his band. You just heard how good they were performing with me. They are just starting out so imagine how great they will be in the future! So buy a CD or a ticket to their next concert. You won’t be disappointed!” With that, Ethan walked off stage, as Daniel announced his name.
Things were in a temporary pandemonium. The crowd was noisily discussing what had just happened. Daniel looked off stage at their manager, Colin Porter. Colin was frantically signaling “ten minutes left” with his hands. Daniel turned to the band and told them to cut the next scheduled number and do shorter solos. This would leave one upbeat dance number, ‘Diana’, and ‘Freedom Song’ to end their set. They still ended up taking forty minutes, but given what had just gone down, that was to be expected.
Daniel and his band exited the stage to loud, sustained applause. Even though they hadn’t played all the songs they wanted to, the surprise visit of Ethan Savage was a very special moment. And his enthusiastic endorsement would surely help sales of their CD.
When they got backstage, Ethan was still there talking with several reporters. There was some local television coverage; Jason had called in a favor with Jaime Orlando for that. When Ethan Savage showed up, suddenly this became a big deal story, and the media wanted to know more about why he decided to show up at this concert. “This kid Daniel risked his life to save mine. You should all know about that. There was a lot of media coverage at the time. I knew I wanted to return the favor somehow, and when he told me he wanted to become a band leader and professional musician, I vowed to help him out when the time came. He didn’t need my help to get his first break, namely this tour. The tour company recognized his talent, but I wanted to make sure that everyone out there knew that too.”
“Do you have any plans of returning to the stage?” one of the reporters asked. “That performance was a reminder of how great your concerts were.”
“No, as I said on stage, this was a one-time appearance for a friend. But thanks for asking! It does me good to know that I still have audience appeal.”
After his brief interview, Ethan went into the large room backstage where the other performers and people with back stage passes could stay and watch the video feed from the concert. He saw and greeted Gary and Melinda Holmes, his old band mates from before he became a star, and of course Daniel. Ethan gave Daniel a bear hug and said, “How did I do out there?”
“You were awesome, as always,” Daniel replied. “It was a true honor to actually perform with you on stage. I and my band mates will never forget this concert.”
Then he said hello to many of the people there including a perfunctory hello to Mark and Jonas Biloxi before he grabbed his guitar and left. Much of this went on while Heathcart was performing. After Ethan left, the room seemed empty and quiet, even though it was filled with people.
Although things back stage had settled down, the Biloxi Brothers were furious. They called in their manager and the tour manager to complain about Ethan Savage’s appearance. They felt that their act was completely upstaged by Ethan’s appearance. They demanded that the management do something about it.
Eventually Daniel, who was talking with Jason at the time, was brought into the argument. Soon he was surrounded by Eric, Nick, Tim, and Jonathan once they heard raised voices. Daniel tried to explain that he had no idea Ethan Savage was going to show up.
“I hadn’t been in touch with Ethan for several months,” Daniel began. “I did let him know about the tour when we received the contract but that was all. I never thought that he would actually come to one of the concerts and give us his endorsement. That was totally unexpected, but I must say it was a thrill of a lifetime to jam ‘Party Girl’ with the man who made the song famous. I know the audience felt the same way. It was a special moment probably never to be repeated!”
“This whole thing smacks of a set up to make us look bad,” Mark Biloxi growled in an angry voice. “How are we supposed to go out as headliners after Ethan Savage has been on stage?”
John Dixon, the tour manager, tried to calm things down. “You go out there like you always do, play your music and do your bits with video and the audience. The audience didn’t buy tickets to see Ethan Savage, they bought tickets to see the Biloxi Brothers!”
Jason's Network Page 23
