In Concert

[Tracey Rivers]

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She saw dozens of eyes looking back at her, and the cheering and whooping from the audience washed over her spine like an electric shock. A weight suddenly lifted itself from her shoulders, and Tracey let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She wanted this. And while she worried that she would sound a little plain without the backing of other instruments, all she could do now was play her parts, and she resolved to play them well.

Without further ado, her hands plucked the first chord, and then the next. Amplified notes filled the hall through the speakers. Each chord hung in the air, reverberating in the large room and giving the song a gritty, haunted finish. Falling into rhythm, Tracey nodded along as she worked through her intro. Satisfied, she leaned into the mic and sang.

Come take your blindfold off and look around
Take in the misery we wrought upon ourselves
Light a fire in the dark and make it loud
Let it guide the lost souls out of their cells

The tune shifted, becoming more aggressive. Tracey's singing voice was smooth at first, but took on a gravelly quality as she reached the next part. Fired up, she screamed the words, following each line up with a riff.

I escape your control
The voice in the silence
Confusion reigns
From a throne of deceit
The world looks small
From the shoulders of tyrants
Throw down the chains
And follow me!

Let loose, Tracey swayed back and forth, weaving in little movements to enhance her stage presence. She channelled raw anger into the chorus section, stomping her feet and demanding answers from an uncaring universe.

Can you feel the longing
For the names no one remembers?
Can you hear the calling
To stoke the dying embers?
Can you see us crawling
Through your lens of delusion?
Can you smell the burning?
It's the fuse of our illusions!

A pause, and then she fell back into the established tempo, starting another verse. The Xenos, Cobra, her old problems -- that was all in the background now. She was putting herself into the show, realising that it was as much for her own benefit as anyone else's.

The rot at the core
Is gutting us hollow
The flames will rise
And engulf the tower
For those who came before
And those who will follow
Who see through the lies
Of faceless power!

Can you feel the longing
For the names no one remembers?
Can you hear the calling
To stoke the dying embers?
Can you see us crawling
Through your lens of delusion?
Can you smell the burning?
It's the fuse of our illusions!

Some of the audience was singing along with the chorus now. Tracey took a step back and did a little twirl, carefully avoiding the cable plugged into her guitar. She grinned as she played a fiery solo, exciting the crowd further. The stage lights pulsed and flickered, giving her performance an otherworldly feel. She walked back to the mic as she concluded the guitar solo and took on a more gentle tone as she sang the next four lines, bridging the way towards the final stretch of her song.

Light a fire in the dark
Mend the broken stars
A new day is dawning
Can you feel the longing?

Pleased with the build-up, Tracey brought everything together. Between the mic and the guitar she didn't have much freedom of movement, but she pushed it to the limit, dancing animatedly as she played and shouted the words of the chorus one more time.

Can you feel the longing
For the names no one remembers?
Can you hear the calling
To stoke the dying embers?
Can you see us crawling
Through your lens of delusion?
Can you smell the burning?
It's the fuse of our illusions!

She played the final note, and it was over. Tracey felt a flush creep up on her cheeks. That was the first time this song was played in years. Was it just a brief echo of rebellious youth, or something still capable of stirring emotion? She briefly wondered what the rest of the Dread Eclipse would think of her solo rendition. She would have to compare it to their old recordings later.

Still, she got through her first song, and she probably wasn't going to get lynched. Things could only get better from here. She made the horns at the crowd, took a moment to catch her breath and got ready to play the next one.

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