Week Ten - Part Two: With the show underway and all of her duties done, Serena quickly determined she needed a break. This day might’ve been a slower one, as far as promotional things were concerned, but it seemed like the entire tour had taken a really big toll on her. It was funny. She used to be so excited about coming out here - it was nothing but a huge adventure. And now that she’d been there, seen that and criss-crossed the country at least five times…well, she was more than a little burned out. Still, this was a pretty good experience for her. She came out here last August having no idea what to expect out of Phoenix - especially given how tense relations between them were. And now, look at them. As if nothing had ever happened at all. It was really a weight off her shoulders. Immersed in thought, she entered the room T.J. had been hiding in earlier without even knocking. She hadn’t thought anybody would be in there, but quickly realized her mistake as she found herself staring directly at Frankie. He was seated in the chair T.J. had vacated and was engaging in much the same activity. It took a moment for her to even register him - much less what he was doing - but she quickly smiled, teasing, “And I thought you quit.” Frankie looked down at the table and laughed. “Yeah. You caught me. But I can explain this. I really can. See, it’s all T.J.’s fault.” She couldn’t suppress a wide smile. “I see. And how exactly would that be?” “I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” He shook his head. “Okay, this is our secret, because everybody else thinks I quit a year ago. Okay?” Serena took a seat in the chair facing his and nodded. “Absolutely. Wouldn’t tell a soul. Now what did T.J. do to corrupt my favorite Christian?” Frankie seemed to find that hilarious. “I’m telling you, it’s all his fault!” he maintained. “He sort of spoiled me. After he’d get done, he’d leave one for me. I don’t even know how that got started, but he’s done it for months. So I was dying when he wasn’t here. Tony and I both were. He’s our supplier.” Again, Frankie laughed at himself. “But again, that’s a secret, as if people can’t smell it already, right?” “For what it’s worth, I had no idea,” Serena smiled. “And don’t worry, because your secret is safe with me.” “Good to know,” he affirmed. “Otherwise, I might have to kill you.” She leaned back in her chair and laughed. Wow, if this didn’t bring back memories of tours past, nothing would. “Do you remember when you used to hide on the bus and smoke and I’d camp out in there with you?” “Some things never change,” he noted with a smile. “What were you hiding from?” “Phoenix!” he laughed. “Don’t you remember all the crap he gave me about it? He did everything but call C. Everett Coop out to talk to me about it.” “Oh yeah!” She pointed back at him. “I do remember the fights you had about that!” “All I wanna know is,” Frankie leaned toward her and whispered, “does he do the same thing to T.J. that he did to me?” Serena laughed. “I haven’t heard it, but they do yell at each other a lot, so maybe that’s what it’s about.” “It wouldn’t surprise me.” “Wow, those were some really fun times.” “Do you remember the time you came to my room and stayed there all night?” Serena’s face reddened immediately. “Yes,” she admitted quietly. “I thought you were really something then.” “I know you did! But you should be honest. I was only your second choice. You only glanced at me when you lost interest in Phoenix. It was either me or the bus driver. Oh God, remember that guy?” Serena raised a hand to her face, in an effort to hide her blush. “I do, and trust me, it was no contest between the two of you.” “That’s sort of what I thought,” Frankie nodded. “For what it’s worth, I am so sorry about that whole thing. Really. It was so silly and it’s so humiliating to think about now. I’m sorry I did that to you.” “Hey, don’t be,” he assured, with a shrug. “I sort of enjoyed the attention.” “Still, I was so stupid and so young and I’m sorry.” “Stupid stuff happens,” he consoled. “Look at Mel and me.” Serena looked up at him. “I’m sorry about how that happened too.” “That makes two of us,” Frankie offered up, with a weak smile. “But my point here is, don’t feel bad. Love is a really stupid thing, when you think about it. We’re all fools when we think we’re in love, so…that sort of thing ends up happening.” “Still, I’m sorry.” She reached out a comforting hand to his arm. “That was…” “Something.” He finished her sentence for her, shaking his head. “I know. What was I thinking? I still haven’t figured that out, but oh, well. What’s done is done, right? At least I learned something from it, right? Right.” He extended what was left of his forbidden cigarette out to her. “Want the last drag? You know, for Auld Lang Syne?” She smiled. “Of course, as long as you promise you won’t laugh at how badly I choke on it!” “I didn’t laugh at you the first time, did I?” “If memory serves, yes, you did,” she reminded, with a chuckle. “Oh. Sorry, then.” “Don’t laugh. I mean it.” Serena took in the drag, then, much as she expected, started coughing. True to his promise, however, Frankie didn’t laugh at her. All he did was grin across the table. “You’re cute, you know that?” “Cute? Me?” she scoffed. “Yes, you,” he affirmed. “I’m a lot of things, but cute is not one of them,” she laughed, upon recovery. “In fact, I hate that word. The word cute makes me want to gag.” “Uh, no, you were gagging before I even said it,” he teased. “Very funny.” Leaning back in his chair, Frankie propped a foot up on the table. “So was it as crazy on your bus today as it was on ours?” Serena considered that for a moment. “No crazier than usual,” she finally admitted. “Why? What’s going on with yours?” “You know, I don’t even know,” he laughed. “And I don’t know if I wanna know, for that matter.” “What’s going on?” “Something to do with Tyler. I don’t know. It’s weird.” He shook his head. “Okay, the best thing I can come up with - and this theory is probably flawed, but still - the best thing I can come up with is he’s upset about the tour ending. But then, when you think about it, it doesn’t make sense. Why would he be upset about it? Everybody else is pretty happy about it.” “Maybe he’s upset about the fact that once this tour’s over, the band is too?” Serena threw out. It seemed like the logical conclusion to draw. Frankie pointed at her. “I thought that too for a minute, but that doesn’t really make sense either. I mean, it was his choice. Not mine. Not Joel’s. Not anybody’s but his. He’s the one that said, ‘this isn’t working, I want out.’ I would think if he’s upset about that, he’s upset about two years too late.” Serena nodded. “I would say the same.” “I mean, this is what he wanted. And he’s always saying in interviews and stuff, ‘Don’t be sorry for us, because this is what we want.’ It was hilarious to me, because it’s not necessarily what I wanted, but nobody bothered asking me what I wanted.” Frankie shrugged. “Just like always.” “I’m sorry.” Again, she reached out to him. He shrugged again. “It’s okay. I went through this whole thing a year ago, so I’m over it. It’s really okay. It’s just annoying, because it’s always been about him. And I mean…” He stopped himself. “I need another cigarette for this story, and since I don’t have one, it’ll have to wait for another time.” “No, go ahead,” she prompted. “Talk to me.” “It’s stupid and I shouldn’t even think it, much less say it, so never mind.” “It might help to talk about it,” she offered. He sighed. “It’s just always about him. And I knew that coming in. It wasn’t supposed to be about me, but I sort of expected to at least have a say-so over what went on. Nobody asked me about anything. I was just there to sing. And arrange songs - but arrange them their way, not mine. And then, they wanted me to produce everything too, since I’m the only one that knew what I was doing. It was just…I don’t know. I don’t know, so ignore me.” “If you want the truth,” she began quietly, “I sort of saw that too. I knew a lot of the stuff that went on really wasn’t you.” “None of it was me. They asked me about that early on and I was honest. Don’t ask me. It’s not my band. And it never was. Even when he decided he wanted to put the brakes on it, he didn’t ask me about it. He told me. Basically, ‘I’m done, so figure out where to go from here on your own.’ And then remember when he ditched me that time? New Year’s Eve, I think it was.” “I do remember that,” she whispered, nodding sympathetically. “And I don’t really resent that - well, I sort of do. But I’m over it. I really am. It’s just…I don’t know what he’s got to be so pissed off about, when everything since day one has been his way. I think that if anybody ought to be pissed off, it should be me. But then,” he sighed again, “what do I know?” “No, I understand. I understand completely. I would feel the same way.” “It’s just frustrating. But it’s not worth worrying about. He’ll get over it. I’ll get over it. It’s fine.” For a moment, she just sat there, before lightly squeezing his arm. “Look on the bright side - you have quite a future ahead of you.” “And work!” he laughed. “So much work! I’m not looking forward to that, but it is exciting. I get to do my own thing here. My own sound. The question is, is everybody that liked the band gonna hate it?” He paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. They probably will.” “No they won’t!” Serena argued. “I’ve heard the stuff you’ve played solo. It’s great.” “Well, thank you - but let’s be honest here: it’s not exactly your standard A Few Good Men fare.” “That’s true,” she admitted, “but it’s you and that’s what makes it special.” “Are you always this optimistic, or does my pessimism just bring it out in you?” Frankie asked laughing. “You have an answer for everything. I love that.” “Well, I try,” she smiled, then glanced down at her watch. “And I hate to break it to you, but you have about fifteen minutes before you get out there.” “Yeah, I figured it was getting close.” He stood, but Serena stopped him before he could get to the door. “Hey, come here.” When he did, she wrapped both arms around him. “We’ve come a long way,” she began, “but the journey’s not over yet. Just keep remembering that.” He pulled back from the embrace and smiled at her. “Such wisdom for such a young age! You’re great, you know that? You really are,” “Well, so are you,” she grinned. “Don’t let Tyler or anything else get to you - this too shall pass.” He nodded. “Thanks for the reminder.”… ***** Though it took a moment for Trent to regain his bearings after spotting Rob in the second row, the concert did proceed on without incident. As soon as he got the chance, he spread the word to Tony and Phoenix, but neither seemed very concerned about it. While obviously surprised, they agreed that T.J.’s best course of action here would be to completely ignore him. As Phoenix put it, “It’s either that or have a nervous breakdown in front of 10,000 people.” Good point. Still, it proved to be a bit easier said than done. Between songs, when attempting to talk to the audience, he caught his gaze wandering back to Rob randomly, and he found himself running the gamut of reasons he’d come in the first place. Nothing he could come up even remotely made sense, when juxtaposed against today’s strange little lunch date with Mom and Gary. The fact that Gary - and presumably Rob as well - got so nice all of the sudden was an unsettling one. Trent didn’t believe it was genuine for a second…which meant they had some sort of ulterior motive. He just wished he could figure out what. All told, the first half of the concert went really well, despite the isolated Rob incidents. The unit was very much alive, and everything was on. It also helped out a lot that the audience was really, really into it. There was something to be said about a good crowd - they made a good performer just that much better. These people were almost rabid, but they saved their loudest praise for every single note their hometown boy played. It was really insane. At one point (during a lively version of “The Sonata of Serenity”), they got so loud Trent could barely hear himself, but wow, what a rush! It just made his energy level that much higher and he pretty much went wild up there. Running, spinning in circles (and getting hopelessly tangled in the cords to his electric) - he even tried his hand at a Reeves-esque back flip, though if history had taught him nothing, it had taught him that those sorts of things really ought to be left to the professionals. Tony seemed to find his sudden burst of energy hilarious and even exhibited some of his own. He was not notoriously active on stage - he just wasn’t that sort of performer. Still, tonight he let loose as only he could. He bounced throughout the always peppy “Celebrate Life!”, then went through the whole next song, more pensive “Wishes”, flat on his back on the stage. “I’m here by choice, not because I am way too old and stiff to get back up,” he insisted. Suuuuuuuure. About ten songs into the performance, after finally summoning the strength to stand up, Tony passed the cowboy hat to Trent (who wore it reluctantly at best), then unveiled the barrage of new material. Between them, he and Phoenix played five songs and they were all really, really good. They were well-written, well-executed and well-received, but still…it was more than a little awkward for T.J. to just stand there and watch them perform them. And since he’d been so concerned with everything else at home, he really didn’t have much to bring to the table. Still, that little interlude of new stuff was really great. It was obvious they’d put a lot of work into perfecting the shows in his absence and that was a great thing. Phoenix wrapped up the first half of the show, with the ‘get you going’ double whammy of “Shine” and “I Wrote This Song for You (Yes, You)”. The latter, a favorite on the original Solitude outing, was perhaps the best received song of the night. That probably had a lot to do with just how happy it was. Phoenix had sort of cornered the market on silly little songs that could make just about anybody (except Rob, of course, who scowled throughout the whole thing) smile. With its quirky little keyboard melody, the kazoo interlude that Tony was all-too-happy to provide and the fact that the ‘ooh-la-la-la-la-la-la’ hook that closed the song became a giant ‘I can sing louder than you can’ contest, it set the arena on fire - and set the stage perfectly for AFGM’s intermission arrival. It was obvious the second they got backstage that the intensity of the show thus far was taking its toll. As soon as Serena appeared with their standard intermission beverages, Phoenix climbed on top of a table and took what actually appeared to be a brief nap. Meanwhile, Trent quickly retreated off to have a cigarette, and was quickly joined by Tony. Conversation was light for the first five minutes or so, mainly pertaining to the concert, before it shifted dramatically to the one and only dark cloud over this evening. “So what do you think he’s doing here?” Tony asked, playing with the cigarette he’d shamelessly bummed. “I have no clue,” Trent admitted with a sigh. “I’ve been wondering about that myself. I mean, did I tell you what happened this afternoon with Gary?” “All I know is he was there. That’s all I could get out of Phoenix, anyway.” “Well, he was there, all right - and he was all up in my face, trying to be nice to me. It was the weirdest thing in the world. And you know, I know something’s not right about that. You know how you can just tell? You know just by how they’re acting - especially when they’ve never acted like that with you before - that something’s up.” “Right,” Tony noted. “I went through the same thing when Kath called me that time. But I was actually wrong about what she wanted. I thought I had her all figured out, but she surprised me. So don’t be so quick to write them off. Maybe they - ” “What, wanna try to make it up to me?” Trent scoffed. “I don’t believe that for a second. This whole family thing is a two-way street. I mean, Phoenix got pissed at me for not telling Mom - and I really didn’t mean to do that - but even still, she never calls me, so I can’t say I - ” Rather than let him elaborate, Tony simply nodded. “Right. I know.” “So if she doesn’t call me, she shouldn’t be that heartbroken about me not calling her. They’ve always been weird like that. I’ve got a problem? I’m on drugs? You can’t find me? I’m just going through a phase. I’ll get over it. That’s what she told herself for years, and obviously she still does it. They’re just fucked up, man. They’re really fucked up.” “Yeah. I gathered that.” Tony couldn’t think of much else to say. On one hand, he really wanted to try to be optimistic about this, but he didn’t exactly know how. He couldn’t imagine what it was like to have a family like that, especially since he practically had to beat his off with a stick. “And when she brought Gary to the restaurant, that was my first clue,” Trent continued to rant. “I knew something wasn’t right. And the crazy thing is she didn’t even know I’d be there! But he was still there. So I have no idea if he was only going because I wasn’t supposed to be there, then got all nice in my face, because Mom hates it when we fight or what. I don’t know what the deal is, but something’s just strange here. This is not like them.” Tony didn’t say a word for a minute, before looking up and taking in a deep sigh. “I wish I knew what to tell you right now. I’ve been here and it sucks. I hate having to try and guess what people are up to.” T.J. nodded. “Yep. That’s exactly it. I have no idea what they’re doing here, or why Rob would even come within fifty feet of me. I mean, after you’ve disowned someone, you typically don’t hang around them, do you? I never thought so. He’s left me alone for damn near five years, so why the hell does he want to come around me now? I don’t get it, man. I just don’t get it.” The next few minutes were silent, save for Trent’s whispered, “I just don’t fucking get it.” Tony sat there wishing he had something insightful to offer up, while Trent only continued to try and make sense of the whole thing. Finally, he looked up. “I’m like Phoenix here,” he began. “Know how things are crazy with his family too? Well, when Dennis first showed up, what was the first thing he said?” “‘What do you want?’” Tony recalled laughing. “Yep. So that’s where I’m at too. They want something - and I don’t buy for one second they missed me. That’s what Gary said, but nope. Not buying it.” “I’m sorry things are so crazy,” Tony offered up. It was really the only thing he could say right now. For a second, T.J. was silent, before sighing. “Yeah, man. Me too.”… Given that great lead-in from the Solituders, the Good Men didn’t have to work that hard to get the audience’s attention. It appeared they had it from the first note of “Take Me as I Am”. Their set was fast-paced (a little faster than usual, which probably had something to do with the level of intensity in that arena), and though everyone had sort of expected something pretty weird out of Tyler up there, it didn’t happen. As he often did, he left Frankie to do most of the talking, but he did take the microphone shortly after the third song to offer up a “parting statement” to the fans. “Wow,” he began quietly. “You know, I really never thought this would happen. Crazy, huh? I’m the one who said, ‘let’s call it a day’, but I never thought that day would actually come. But here we are. This is it. The end of the tour, and probably the last time you’ll see us here in Nashville - at least, all on one stage. It’s a pretty melancholy time for us, but me especially. I always accuse him,” he pointed over at Frankie, “of having a hard time letting go, but really, I think I must be the one.” Frankie attempted to interject at that point, but Tyler refused to let him get more than two words out. “Let me say this, okay? I’ve gotta say this.” “Yeah. Okay. Sorry,” Frankie agreed, stepping back from the microphone and glancing over at Jason with a ‘I have no idea what he’s doing’ look on his face. Tyler caught it, obviously, as the next thing he said was, “This won’t take too long. I promise. I just have to say this. Um, it’s been fun. Three years, two albums, three tours. Lots of fun. We started this whole thing having no idea what to expect and we still don’t! Every single day, we get up to something new and it’s always an adventure. Things don’t get old, because they’re so unpredictable. We’ve seen a lot in three years. A lot of places, all fifty states, parts of Canada - wow, it’s cold up there - every single fast food place you could imagine, a whole bunch of hotels and some really, really great people. We’ve met and made friends with some amazing people on the journey, and those friendships are something we’re always gonna treasure. But, you know, it’s not always been fun. There was a period in there when I wasn’t exactly happy with the way things were going. I sort of thought it was all falling apart around me, so I did the only thing I knew to do at the time - I bailed. This whole thing was my idea. I thought it was for the best at the time, and to be honest, it was. The way things were going, we couldn’t expect to keep going. It was like beating a dead horse. But then, with the whole EP and tour and the reformation of the original band…I started to realize something. As much as I thought I was ready for this a year ago - as much as I marked the days off on the calendar, I was so ready to move on to something else - I’m not. I’m standing here in front of you for the very last time, and I’m just not ready for this yet.” Tyler expected someone to jump in there as well, which is why he didn’t give them the chance, quickly explaining, “There’s not a lot that I - or anyone, really - can do about it now, and I know that. It’s a done deal. We’re done. But that still doesn’t mean I can’t have my regrets about it. And I really do. For a long time, I said I didn’t. And it’s not that I wasn’t being honest about it, because I really thought I didn’t at the time. But the more I think back on what I did, and on what we’ve gone through just on these six months, the more I realize that it was really premature of me to just pull the plug like I did.” He paused for a moment, and took in a deep breath. “So if you wanna blame anyone for this, if you wanna hate anyone for this, hate me. Blame me. I’m the Yoko here. I did it all myself. It was my choice, my decision, my fault. And I’m sorry to those that have been great to us along the way. I know this is probably a disappointment, and I really am sorry. I’m sorry to you guys as well,” briefly, he pivoted to glance at each of them, “I’m sorry about letting this go. Letting what we had go. But, like I said, what can you do? It’s a done deal. And that’s okay. It’s really okay. I accept that, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. And I don’t. I don’t like it, and what I dislike even more is the fact that it’s all my own doing, so again, I’m sorry.” Interestingly, the audience hadn’t said a word during his speech thus far. Tyler wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, but he made the point to bring them into it. After all, without them, there never would have been an AFGM in the first place. “You’ve been great,” he informed. “Really great. You’ve been so kind to us and we’ll never forget it. But it’s time to ride off into the sunset now, so, um, I guess I’ll wrap this up by saying have a great life and we’ll try to do the same. That’s, um, that’s pretty much it.” The final line of his speech was practically drowned out by the wild cheers of the audience. All at once, they exploded. It was the most unreal thing in the world - and it just seemed to intensify this experience that much more. Standing there, Tyler actually blinked back tears, before glancing over at Frankie. “Um, you can go ahead and say whatever you wanted to now.” Frankie was honest. “I can’t even remember what it was now. Wow.” For what seemed like forever, an awkward silence prevailed on the stage. Finally, they conferred briefly and began to play what would be their final song as a band, “Let it Go”, off an upcoming film soundtrack. The ironically titled song, on which Jason once again boasted lead vocal, seemed to fit the somber mood even more, and the audience responded appropriately. As soon as the song had wrapped, Frankie leaned over to a still noticeably emotional Tyler and whispered, “That was a really, really good thing you said.” Tyler nodded, with a forced smile. “Thanks. Thanks a lot.”… ***** Shortly after the AFGM set, and shortly before the Solituders took the stage once more, Joel and Shelly disappeared from the crowd. Phoenix knew this, because he randomly glanced in their general direction upon getting back out there, and they were gone. This was, of course, not exactly a heartbreaking sight, but it was a surprising one. Joel was not one to walk out on a show. He usually sat there on the edge of his seat the whole time, practically drooling. It was actually a little unnerving to perform for Joel, because he’d perfected the art of getting way too excited about it. Dan, God rest him, had put it perfectly once: “he’s creaming his own pants right now.” That, even over five years later, remained one of the funniest things Phoenix had ever heard. And funniest thing of all? He said it right in front of Joel! Wow, Dan. The guy had some really bizarre moments, and he was more than a little controlling when it came to a lot of things in the studio, but he was quite the well of entertainment. Every single day, he was guaranteed to say at least one thing that would make Phoenix laugh until he cried. Granted, they weren’t exactly the best of friends, but Phoenix still missed him for that reason. Anyway, back to Joel, it was always weird performing when you knew Joel was there, but the strange thing was…he never acted that rabid about you until well after you’d been signed. When going through the early stages of getting “in”, he acted like he wasn’t even listening. If anything, upon their first meeting, Phoenix was convinced that Joel couldn’t stand him. Not that it really mattered to him at the time or anything - singing was probably the very last thing he wanted to do at that point - but he still distinctly recalled coming home and telling Kristen, “I don’t think they’ll ask me back anytime soon.” Maybe he would’ve been better off if they hadn’t… But anyway, Joel and Shelly were gone when they got back on the stage, which did take off a little of the pressure - and make Phoenix a little nicer, since he didn’t have anyone to single out and belittle on a public stage anymore. And for the record, he knew that he probably never should have called Shelly out like that, in front of all those people, but damn. People like that creeped him out. Was it any wonder that Joel was so interested in the freak? They complemented each other perfectly. The level of energy from the first half of the show only seemed to intensify even more during the second. Phoenix and T.J. were all over the place, even colliding with each other more than one time. Steiney, meanwhile, stood there solemnly, taking the whole thing in. “They need harnesses, don’t they?” he asked the crowd. “I’d tie them outside if I could.” “And this is coming from the guy who performed an entire song lying down, because he was way too old and stiff to get back up?” Phoenix retorted. Tony did not appear to like having his own words twisted and thrown back at him, and turned violently toward him. “And that is coming from the guy who slept on a table during intermission! I’m serious, people. He slept on the table.” “He’s got ya there, man,” Trent interjected, at that point. “I hate to say it, but he does.” Even though he was probably supposed to be acting insulted right about now, Phoenix still couldn’t help but smile. He and Steiney had a great on-stage love-hate rapport going on - they always had - but something was still somehow missing from it when it was just the two of them. They didn’t have as much to argue about - or an objective third party to either sway to their respective sides or tell them to shut the hell up. “Hold on, I’m thinking up a way to deny that,” Phoenix informed. “Just give me a minute.” “Oh, sure. Take all the time you need.” Tony seemed all-too-happy to oblige, beginning to hum the Final Jeopardy theme. “That is really not helping!” Phoenix was doing his absolute best not to laugh, but he just couldn’t help it. Tony cast a wicked smirk in his direction. “I know it’s not. Know how I feel yet?” That reference probably went completely over the audience’s head, but it was not lost on Phoenix. Many a night, he would spend hours attempting to get Tony to crack. Don’t ask him why, because he wasn’t really sure - but he did know this much: getting him to break his cocky facade, if only for a second, was the funniest thing in the world. And obviously, so was payback. After that, it unofficially became “let’s pick on Phoenix” night, but that truly wasn’t a complaint. He could dish it out with the best of them, and he could take it even better. If anything, he was probably the world’s worst target, because he thought every single thing they said was hilarious. Much as he expected, Tony served as ringleader, coming up with a more creative insult for him during every between-song break. Phoenix’s personal favorite? “Ever wondered what would happen if you brought a mannequin to life? Phoenix Reeves, ladies and gentlemen.” The silly mood continued for at least another hour, but as the concert wore down, the seriousness increased. The up-tempo songs eventually gave way to a collection of ballads and more pensive melodies, and the audience in turn became more subdued, which only seemed to make the mood more intimate. T.J. was the one to initially tone it down a notch, and the one that seemed to benefit the most from the change in tempo. It wasn’t that he couldn’t perform as well with bright lights, large crowds and loud music - he could, perhaps better than anyone Phoenix knew - it was just…he came alive in a more intimate setting. He had this great way of just being real with those people. Saying things that absolutely everyone could relate to. Getting their attention and keeping it, just by being himself. It was an enviable trait, to say the least, and one that Phoenix remained in awe of. For instance, the guy delivered a fairly lengthy introduction to powerhouse ballad “Somewhere Outside Eternity.” He talked of how crazy things were in his life, especially lately, and even tied some of his past struggles into the story, relating how easy it would’ve been to give up. He went on a really long time about it - a whole lot longer than Phoenix probably would have - but those people just sat there that whole time, transfixed by his every word! It was almost as if he had them hypnotized! Unbelievable, for lack of a better word. Simply unbelievable. After that (and the song that followed), Phoenix took center stage to deliver a speech much like Tyler’s earlier - but not quite as…uh, self-serving. He thanked everyone profusely for their encouragement, their devotion and for their part in making this six months so memorable before premiering another new tune, written only three nights ago. It was rough - to the point of him actually forgetting the words midway through the first verse - but pensive piano ballad “Traveling Light” summed up his experience as a whole, and served as a “thank you” to everyone out there for being a part of it. With the appropriate mood set, and Nashville successfully captivated, Phoenix yielded the floor to Tony for the last song of the night, the always compelling “Notice.” At the risk of sounding too much like Shelly here, there was always something so magical about the way he introduced that song. Probably because it was the only glimpse he ever gave those people of his true self. No theatrics. No facade. No lunacy. Just calm, steadfast honesty. This song had long remained the only one he didn’t coin an M-ism for, and simply by observing, it was clear why. He got his point across much better by just being himself. By its very definition, “Notice” was a big song. There was nothing small or subdued about it. Huge everything - arrangements, vocals, emotional wallop - it was a powerhouse. However, tonight, Tony took a noticeably more subtle approach. With a rendition he dubbed “Notice Unplugged”, he took center stage one final time and did what he did best: delivered the hell out of a song. It had been said before but it still bore repeating: there was absolutely nobody (and I mean nobody) that could sing a song the way Tony could. Even at his absolute simplest, with nothing to accompany him but an acoustic guitar, he still gave the performance of a lifetime. It was more than just a song, it was an experience - and Phoenix couldn’t think of a better way to bid this jaunt adieu. From there, it was on to greet the public, which took a whole lot longer than any of them expected. Of course, that probably had a lot to do with the fact that T.J. spent upwards of fifteen minutes talking to each person in it. So much for rushing them along, huh? Still, it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was obvious he was the man of the hour here, as half of these people barely muttered a hello to Phoenix or Tony, so why not just let him have his moment? They could sit there and eat candy for three hours. If nothing else, it was a pretty good way to wind down after the day that had been. It was also pretty amusing to watch these people fall all over themselves over Trent the way they did. Every other person went into great detail about how they came all the way from (insert obscure Southern town here) just to see him - and more than half of them came bearing a gift of some sort. Now, that was hardly unusual (his fans had this really weird habit of giving him all kinds of crap), but the sheer amount of it tonight was amazing to all three of them. There was so much stuff, there was hardly a place for it all! Not only was it scattered out all over the table, it was strewn along the floor and had completely taken over the extra chair in the corner over there. And the stuff just kept coming. It was unbelievable. For the first hour or so, Phoenix attempted to keep count of just how many of what T.J. received, but by the end, his entire head was spinning just trying to take it all in. There was a lot of stuff there, from a lot of different people. Let’s just say that. After getting everybody appeased and while in the process of helping Trent round up all his stuff, Phoenix realized how wrong he’d been earlier. Joel hadn’t gone anywhere during the concert. He’d just slunk off into the shadows, to lie in wait for the right moment to jump out of nowhere and scream like King Kong on crack at him. For the first minute or so of Joel’s little tirade, Phoenix could do little but just stand there and stare at him. To be honest, the whole thing sort of blindsided him. Of course, he’d known he’d eventually have to deal with Joel’s little brand of retribution for those remarks he made about Shelly, but he’d sort of hoped to at least get home and regroup a bit from this grueling journey before that happened. Obviously, though, Joel had other plans. “I’d like to know who the hell you think you are!” he demanded, growing increasingly more irate by the second. And most infuriating thing of all? He made no effort whatsoever to make this little “discussion” a private one. Everything he was saying, he was saying right in front of Steiney, right in front of Trent, right in front of Rena, right in front of the two security people that were still there. He had no discretion whatsoever, which was probably the thing that set Phoenix off the most. All right. If Joel wanted a huge, public battle, then he’d come to the right guy. “I could ask you much the same question!” he fired back. “What the hell are you even doing here? You show up out of nowhere, with your sideshow freak little girlfriend and think we’re all supposed to drop everything and show you the respect you think you deserve? No. No fucking way. I had to put up with you for a long, long time - ” “Same here,” Joel interrupted with a snarl. “I had to put up with you for a long, long time,” Phoenix continued, even louder, “but guess what? I don’t have to now. You don’t like me? You don’t like what I have to say? Well, I’m really fucking sorry to hear that, but guess what? I don’t give a rat’s ass what you think. I didn’t then and I sure as hell don’t now. Clear enough for you?” Joel took a step forward, breathing heavily. “You think you can say whatever you want, whenever you want and it doesn’t work that way. You can’t - ” “Oh I can’t? Well, I’d like to see how you plan to stop me.” Phoenix took a step forward as well, ensuring that he was right in Joel’s face. For a moment, neither spoke, only glaring at each other. The standoff was an intense one - and it only seemed to intensify when Phoenix spotted Shelly out of the corner of his eye, peeking around a corner at the fight. Joel obviously caught her too, as he turned toward her, then glanced back at Phoenix. “I don’t know how anyone can be so cruel. The only person she ever wanted to see out here was you and you broke her heart up there! What the hell do you have to say for yourself?” “I broke her - ” Phoenix began incredulously, then whirled around again and shifted his gaze over to the now strangely timid Shelly. “I broke your heart? Are you kidding me? You come in here, follow me all over the bus, basically chase me into the bathroom and start groping me and now you think I broke your heart? You’re damn lucky I didn’t break your hand!” Joel took another step forward. The veins in his neck looked like they were ready to burst he was so angry. “Don’t you ever say something like that to her again! Do you hear me?” Phoenix stared at him for a moment, before raising his arms, as if he was going to shove Joel back out of his face. That would be when a hand grabbed his arm from behind and pulled him back. He turned to glare at the culprit (an unusually brave Steiney) and jerked his arm free before once more turning his attention to Joel. “Stay the fuck out of my face,” he warned, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not gonna do this shit tonight, okay? I’m gonna go home. If you wanna continue this later, fine. You’ve got my number. But I’m done with this tonight, you hear me? I’m done.” Without another word, Phoenix stormed past Joel and out the door, slamming it behind him. No, it wasn’t exactly like him to walk away from a fight - especially not at the climax of it - but he knew he couldn’t stand there one minute longer without beating Joel’s head into the ground. He just couldn’t believe that guy’s nerve. First and foremost, he had no right to even be there. What did he want, anyway? It obviously wasn’t to congratulate them on a job well done! The only thing he’d done since he got there was flaunt that demented Shelly freak like she was some really something to be proud of. And then - then! - he wanted to delay Phoenix’s arrival home even more by yelling at him for calling her exactly what she was? The one and only thing Phoenix was glad about in this situation was the fact that it would all easily be forgotten once he finally got on that plane. That was the important thing here, he reminded himself. Not Joel, not Shelly, not any of that - the only thing that actually meant something at this point was arriving home in one piece and enjoying what little time he had before he had to head into the studio once more. Everything else seemed trivial in comparison. This whole thing was hardly worth Phoenix’s time, let alone his trouble - and that was the bottom line. Still, he couldn’t get over the guy’s balls. Did he know how to ruin a good night or what?... ***** After accepting compliments, cards, gifts and almost everything in between from almost everyone in Nashville for three straight hours, and getting an earful of Joel and Phoenix’s latest battle (something he was decidedly not in the mood for tonight), Trent was more than ready to get the hell out of dodge. Don’t get me wrong - this had been (for the most part, anyway) one amazing experience, but it was also a really long, really draining one. It was sort of funny. He didn’t remember being this tired before he took that little detour home. He could do this every single night and still find the energy to move around after it was all over. He didn’t go very far, but still - he could hold his head up then, and that was a lot more than he could say for himself now. It didn’t take long to gather his loot, gather the rest of his things, tell everyone goodbye and arrange for a ride to the airport, but getting that ride seemed to take the better part of forever. He waited at least twenty minutes inside the building before going outside with everything, in a misguided effort to somehow hurry this whole process along. If anything, sitting in the dark just seemed to drag it out even more. Trent actually caught himself falling asleep out there, slumped against the back door of the arena, at least three times during the wait. He’d no sooner resolved to get up, pace around a bit and have a cigarette to keep himself awake when he heard the door to the arena open and footsteps approach. “Hey! What are you doing out here this late all by yourself?” He didn’t say a word. He didn’t even turn around, which left Gary to talk to the back of his head. “I was looking for you. Someone told me you were out here. That’s not very safe, you know.” “Yeah,” T.J. managed, his back still toward him, “I know.” “Thrill seeker to the end, huh? Some things never change. So what are you doing?” “Uh, waiting on my ride, actually.” Nervously, Trent glanced down at his watch. “My ride that probably should have been here an hour ago.” “Oh.” For a minute, Gary was silent, before clearing his throat. “Well, um, if you need a ride, I could - ” Though the offer was tempting, Trent knew better than to accept it. “No, it’s okay. I can wait.” He halfway expected him to persist about that one, but Gary didn’t. All he did was nod. “Okay.” “Thanks, though.” “Hey, no problem. No problem. You know, um, Momma’s still here, if you wanna, um…see her or anything. And - and - and you know…Dad’s here too.” “Yeah. I saw him.” That was all Trent could really think to say. “Yeah, I thought you did. I could kind of tell by that look on your face.” “You said it best, Gary. Some things never change.” “For what it’s worth, I thought you did a - a real good job tonight,” Gary drawled. He was doing an awful lot of stammering tonight - which immediately tipped T.J. off to the fact that he was lying through his teeth. Gary was a terrible liar. He couldn’t do it to save his own life. He’d always look away. Or stutter. Or make up something so utterly stupid you knew it couldn’t possibly be the truth. Something like… “I mean, I’m no expert on that stuff or anything, but I know good stuff when I see it, and you’ve still got it. It’s kind of weird for me, though, because it’s like that’s not you. Does that make sense at all?” Nervously, Gary laughed at himself. “For the record, no. It doesn’t,” Trent informed. “I didn’t think so.” Gary kept laughing. “What I mean is, it just doesn’t seem like you. I can’t get used to seeing you up there. I’m always thinking, ‘That can’t be my brother. My brother can’t do that!’” “Nice of you to give me so much credit.” “You know what I mean. It’s just weird. It’s weird because I still remember locking you in the closets and - ” “And the trunk,” Trent reminded immediately, turning back around to face him. “Let’s not forget that.” Gary held up both hands, a stupid grin on his face. “Hey, that one wasn’t me! We both know who did that one!” “We know your version of it, anyway.” For a second, Gary just stood there, staring blankly at him. Finally, he shook his head. “Okay,” he resolved. “If this is the way it’s gonna be, then - ” “Let’s just get this out of the way, okay? What do you want?” The question seemed to take Gary by surprise, as his expression only grew more blank. Again, he held up both hands. Again, he started stammering. “I want - I want - I don’t want anything!” T.J. rolled his eyes. “Bullshit! You’re here for a reason and so is Rob. You came all the way out here for a reason - don’t even try to tell me that it was because you missed me, because I saw right through that one! I’m gonna ask you again: What do you want, Gary? Whatever it is, spit it out while I still have the time.” Gary’s eyes narrowed. “Were you always this paranoid or is this something new?” “What do you expect out of me?” Again, Gary hesitated, before throwing up his hands and heading toward the door. “I don’t even know. But obviously, it’s way too much.” “I should have known he’d put you up to talking to me.” As if on a pivot, Gary turned back around. His voice raised considerably. “What the fuck is the matter with you? Where’s all this paranoia coming from? Nobody put me up to this! This was my own stupid idea. I wanted to talk to you, because I haven’t talked to you in three years and - ” “And that’s your own damn fault!” T.J. interrupted, even louder. “You know what? Yeah, it is,” Gary conceded. “I admit that. Now, what’s it gonna take for you to admit what a stubborn little shit you’re being? They came here to see you and - ” “Wait a fucking minute! Just wait! You mean to tell me that Rob came to see me, after he hasn’t seen me in years and pretty much said he never wanted to see me again? And you expect me to believe that? You - ” “That was a mistake!” Gary shot back. “People make mistakes. You of all people should know that!” “Oh yeah. Go right ahead and throw my mistakes back in my face. That’s the only thing you’re good at!” “They are in there to see you. Whether you wanna believe that or not, I don’t care, but they are. And if you’re gonna be such a stubborn, spoiled little ass that you don’t even care, well - ” “Is that supposed to be a guilt trip?” T.J. found that exceptionally amusing. “You’re gonna stand there and give me a guilt trip! Oh, that’s rich, Gary!” Again, Gary turned back toward the door. “I don’t know why they even bother with you.” “You know what?” T.J. called after him. “I don’t either. And you can tell them I said that.” “Tell them your own fucking self,” Gary retorted, over his shoulder. “I’m done with this shit. Have it your own damn way. Just like always.” “You know what? I think I will. My way is certainly a whole hell of a lot better than yours!” Standing in front of the closed door, Gary took in a heavy sigh, then turned back around to face his glaring brother. “Is it? Is it really? Look at me and then look at you and tell me who’s better off.” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” “Think about it.” That was the last thing Gary said, opening the door to the arena. Trent still couldn’t resist one final shot: “Go fuck yourself!” Gary seemed to snicker at that, then shook his head, but he didn’t turn around, only heading inside and closing the door behind him. Trent, meanwhile, glared at the closed door for a moment, then took to pacing all over again. Somehow, he’d known something like that was coming, but it didn’t make dealing with it any easier. He glanced up at the driveway ahead of him. He really, really wanted that damn car to get here now. He just wanted to get the hell out of here - and never, ever come back. What a night. God, what a night… As he stormed back through the arena in search of his parents, Gary did little but mumble obscenities under his breath. He could just strangle him! And it wasn’t just the things he said to him, though they were certainly bad enough - it was the fact that he insinuated that he was only here for the purpose of begging his way into something and the fact that he blatantly blew off both Mom and Dad, who wanted more than anything to see him. Gary really meant what he said back there. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why they still bothered. Mom especially. Whether that ungrateful little shit knew it or not, he was her whole world. Literally, he was all she ever talked about. About him. About the baby (that he conveniently "forgot" to tell her about - yeah, right). About everything. You know what? When she heard he was gonna be in town, she not only plunked down an insane amount of money (and get in touch with a few people she would sooner not do business with) to get tickets to the show, she literally marked the days off on the calendar. Then he does what? Initially not show up, only to arrive later with a half-assed apology and the same ‘I am so much better than you, so don’t touch me’ attitude he’d always had? Refuse to acknowledge her from the stage (something that would’ve made her day)? Blow her off after she waited around four damn hours after the show to see him? What the hell kind of son was that? And Dad - well, yeah, Gary could sort of see his point there. The relationship between those two had never exactly been ideal, but he really needed to give the old man the benefit of the doubt. A lot of the stuff that happened back then was a really, really long time ago. For someone that was so vocal about how much he’d changed over the years, he sure wasn’t willing to accept that maybe other people had too. The fact that he actually apologized to him (and that old man never apologized for a damn thing, no matter what it was) should have told T.J. something huge was going down here. But did he care? No. He did the same thing then that he did tonight - he blew it off. It didn’t fit into whatever stupid ideal he had in his head about the way things should be, so he ignored it, just like he ignored everything else. That was his answer for everything. He didn’t wanna deal with something or someone? Ignore them. They’ll go away eventually. And that, in a nutshell, was just what Gary was afraid of. There were only so many times you could slam a door in someone’s face before they got the message and left you alone for good. Was that what he really wanted? Was he really that pissed that he was willing to forsake his own parents - let alone the brother he used to refer to as his best friend - for his little castle of bitterness across the country? Yeah, this whole situation was frustrating for Gary, but more than anything else, it just made him sad. Where T.J. got so jaded along the way, he would never know, but he was missing out on a lot by making himself scarce. Probably more than he would ever know. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was look them both in the face and tell the truth about what just happened, but the idea of lying wasn’t very appealing either. That would be why he visibly hesitated when Momma leapt out at him and grabbed his arm, eyes wide with excitement. “Did you find him?” Gary’s eyes darted from her to Dad, then back again. “I - I - ” Aw, damn it, he just couldn’t do it. He couldn’t hurt her even more than that self-centered little shit already had. His gaze shifted down to the floor. “I couldn’t find him,” he finally whispered. “I think he must’ve already left.”… So what did you think of this week? Drop by the BCD forums and let us know! |