Chapter 17: A Big Night

The dance was being held in Riverside High School's combination auditorium and cafeteria. The stage was simply huge. It was meant to host stage plays and musicals for the drama department so it was raised three feet above the rest of the room. Jerry was, of course, in the back center. The girls' keyboards were set up slightly to the front of the drums, Rebecca to Jerry's right and Tina to his left. Dewayne, Tony, and Kyle were lined up across the front of the stage with what had just become known as 'the fourth mic' between Tony and Kyle. Beth was currently at that microphone with Tina in the darkness behind her, holding her violin.

"A few weeks ago there was a band playing at the mall." Beth began. "It, well, it looked like a bunch of kids. It didn't sound like a bunch of kids. I talked to one of the girls, who was fourteen at the time. I had heard her sing, play violin, keyboards, saxophone, guitar, and flute. Not the whole band, just her, just one member of it! We auditioned the band and quite frankly, we stopped looking right there. I've gotten to know these guys since then and even had another chance to hear them play. Please welcome, from Central-West High, the amazing sounds of Chaos."

Tony really had no idea what to do except just start playing at that point. He had made a trip to the local music store, Moogy's, soon after the mall appearance. Moogy didn't want to deal with it, but he sent Tony to a theater supply shop in Macon to purchase lighting. Two trees had eight lights each; Chrissie had gone from Sound Chick to lighting director, operator, and all around guru. Now a clear white light shone on him where he stood (and where Chrissie had told him he 'damn well better be standing') so he simply started the acoustic intro to 'Drift Away'.

Chrissie brought up a light for each band member as they began to play; Tony, Kyle, Jerry, Dewayne, Rebecca, and finally Tina as she began to play her violin. By that time the auditorium was silent. The audience had started out a bit hostile after having the band introduced as hailing from a rival school, one that had just beaten them soundly in their own Homecoming game. When the violin started to play their murmur quieted. Rock bands didn't have a violin, did they?

The signal from Gwen on the sound board was three quick flashes of a penlight to tell the band the board was set for the next song. It was just long enough for Tina to get to her keyboards and Tony to strap on his Stratocaster before Jerry kicked off the drum intro to Van Halen's 'Jamie's Crying'. Dewayne followed with the highly distorted lead and then Tony with an equally loud and distorted rhythm electric. It was designed, by Tina of course, as a one-two punch. One established the bands musicianship; two established their rock credentials.

"That was just a little weird wasn't it?" Tony said into his microphone. "We are Chaos and, well, that's the way it should be. Welcome to the show!"

With that, he started the short rhythm intro into 'Brass in Pocket'. The female lead threw the crowd even more out of balance. It was right where the band wanted them. Tina came back to the front, strapping on Pink Piggie for the first time, leading the audience to expect something, anything but what they got, as Tony counted down with his fingers and the boys started the a cappella romp into 'Fat Bottomed Girls'.

By the end of the song the audience was theirs. They weren't done however. Tony stepped back to his microphone and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, on lead guitar Dewayne Wade and on drums Jerry Madsen." Dewayne started the frenetic guitar intro into Rush's 'Spirit of the Radio' the song was all about lead guitar and incredible percussion. Jerry upped the ante by singing the lead as well, his voice having the highest pitch of the boys; it was best suited to the Geddy Lee Lyrics.

Tony was having a ball and had really connected with the audience now. At the next break he held up three fingers and said, "OK, no one expects the drummer so we snuck that in on you. So that's three down and three to go. Think we can do it?"

The general consensus from the audience was no.

"OK, I think you're wrong. But you are going to force me into it." It was all preplanned, but the audience was playing into his hand as Tony picked up his twelve-string. "On bass guitar Mister Kyle West!"

It was a unanimous decision that 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' sounded better with Kyle singing at the top of his bass range rather than Tony in the middle of his. So Kyle was the fourth lead singer in what Tina had dubbed 'Around the World Chaos'.

The fifth was Dewayne. Tony had always lobbied that Dewayne was the better lead singer as well as a better guitar player. It was probably true, but it just wasn't his style. Tina convinced him to do just one, another song that Tony had sung before, but Dewayne belted out 'Piece of the Rock' with more soul than Tony could muster on his best day.

Tony then held up five fingers and said, "It seems we're missing one." Tony looked to his left. He checked that Tina was back up front with her violin and his signal was good from Gwen. "A certain redheaded someone it seems. We actually saved the best for last, at least for now. Miss Rebecca Harris." The stage lights dimmed to almost nothing on the rest of the band but a full strength blue spot came up on Rebecca as she started the keyboard intro to'Angel of the Morning'. As in the rehearsal, the ballad was spine tingling and the crowd responded with their largest show of appreciation yet.

It was less of a dance now and more of a concert. A dance band provides a beat to move to, and they had certainly done that, but it had gone beyond. Fully half the kids in the audience were pressed forward toward the stage.

"I told you," Tony shouted into the microphone while holding up six fingers, three on each hand. It's time now to elect your Homecoming King and Queen. On that note, we'll leave you for a while with a little Queen. It's just not what you're expecting." With that, Tony and Jerry started the two-part vocal into to Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. Tony took back lead vocal duties to start, though he, Kyle, and Jerry took whatever parts suited their voices. Cover bands just simply didn't do this kind of song but the kids had the talent to pull it off perfectly. The lights went down on the first set to enthusiastic applause.

Tony carried Rebecca piggy-back, trailing the other members of the band to a room off the auditorium stage.

"Dear God that was fun," Tony said to the assembled group.

"Speak for yourself," Kyle quipped. "I was terrified."

"Really?" Tony asked. "I thought you were brilliant. I really mean that Kyle."

The rest of the band added their agreement.

"I was scared to death, not afraid to admit it."

"Well you learned that you can be scared to death and still be brilliant at the same time then."

Kyle mulled that statement over in his mind for a minute. "OK, I guess I can live with that."

After the band had relaxed for 15 minutes, Beth popped in the door. "Were ready," she said.

Tina stood in the darkness in front of the fourth microphone, violin in one hand and bow in the other. Slowly she was bathed in a blue spot at half strength.

"Riverside High, for the first dance of your Homecoming King and Queen, please welcome back my big brother, Tony Smith."

She gestured toward the floor at the front of the stage where Tony was seated in front of a nearly ancient Steinway grand borrowed from the school's music department. One of Chrissie's stage lights came up on Tony then, pure white, as he immediately launched into Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer'.

It was their (Tina's) first actual re-arrangement. The 35 piece orchestra was now her single violin, and the steel and electric guitar that had been melded into a masterpiece played in Dewayne's style involving a lot of crying, bent string guitar. It was better than the original, and that is saying something.

Tony barely hesitated. As soon as the song was over he started the much simpler piano intro to Bob Seager's 'We've Got Tonight'. Fifty or so kids were surrounding the piano now, none crowding. There was really no need. During sound checks Gwen had insisted that no fewer than 3 microphones be dropped into the ancient piano so she could control the sound. To complete the three 'slow' songs that Beth had requested follow the crowning ceremony Tony moved into Night Ranger's 'Sister Christian'.

Things devolved from there. Going back to Elton John they went straight into 'Crocodile Rock' and didn't let up until they were through 'Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting'. It was rock 'n' roll piano at it's finest.

'Middle of the Road' by The Pretenders kept the crowd moving while Tony worked his way back up onto the stage. You can do a lot with a song like that, including turning it into a 15 minute jam session. By the time the harmonica solo came around, Tony was back on stage playing the rhythm part, Tina the lead guitar, and Dewayne was wowing the audience on the harmonica.

There had been some question as to just who would play exactly what on the next song. Heart's 'Crazy on You' began with a classical Spanish-style acoustic intro that was no small feat to play. It was probably the most complicated piece of popular guitar music ever composed and played by a female guitarist at the time. Tina had practiced it constantly, but in the end chose to have Tony, and Tony's bigger hands, play it while she played her electric as the rhythm to Dewayne's lead, though there were times in the song where that line was blurred.

After a quick guitar switch Tony found himself playing his least favorite song once again. He and Dewayne had decided to have a little fun with it onstage. It made Gwen's life a little more difficult, but in the end, without distortion or other effects, their two guitars should sound nearly identical. So after a minute or so the two would switch off on a chord change as to who was playing those 16^th note chords. Both made a comedic show of shaking out their right hands when the other took over. Together they made it through 'The Edge of Seventeen' while Tina and Rebecca got all the applause.

Tina switched to her violin again and a red spot came up on Rebecca as she began the piano intro into 'Alone'. Five hundred dancegoer's and five band-members' spines tingled to Rebecca's ballad about unrequited love to Tina's accompanying violin. When the applause died down Tony already had his twelve-string and started the acoustic rhythm to Tina's violin (fiddle) accompaniment to the Doobie Brother's mellow Southern Rock ballad 'Black Water'.

Most songs needed only a few adjustments by Gwen and Chrissie and they were done in a matter of seconds. The next song took over a dozen adjustments, most of them to the PA and the drum microphones. They had arranged a bit of a comic skit to cover that, and the other, rather obvious, change. It started with Jerry walking up and standing in front the fourth microphone carrying a tambourine.

"Hey Jerry!" said Tony.

Jerry just smiled goofily, gave Tony a quick wave and said nothing. There was an awkward pause.

"Um, Jerry?" Tony questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to sing!" Jerry said enthusiastically.

"Well Jerry, we know you can sing. You sing on most of the songs. We even gave you your own microphone."

"Yep, I'm gonna use this one now though."

"Uh Jerry, the reason we gave you your own microphone is because it's back there," Tony pointed his thumb over his shoulder, "with your drums." All this time Tina had been making a big production of moving past her keyboards and sitting down behind Jerry's drums and adjusting his chair.

"Yeah Tony, but I never get to sing from out here. It's pretty cool."

"But if you're out here, who is playing the drums?"

Jerry mumbled something unintelligible.

"What's that?"

"Uh, your, uh sister."

Tony stared at Jerry for a second then slowly turned around to see Tina standing behind the drums, holding drum sticks high in the air overhead. She attempted to twirl the sticks on her fingers as some drummers are wont to do, and promptly dropped them. The audience chuckled as she scrambled on the floor to pick them up.

Tony looked back at Jerry and said, "I am not paying for damages!" Chrissie cut the stage lights that had been intentionally left on between songs and Tina slapped the sticks together 4 times.

On the third beat bright white spots were brought up on all four out front microphones occupied by the boys. On the fourth they started singing in four-part a cappella harmony the beginning of 'Leave It'.

The voices split into parts then, singing an entire band with no lyrics at all. Kyle singing bass, Tony a lead melody, Dewayne a rhythm, and Jerry a quick percussive chant augmented by his tambourine. Rebecca joined in with an almost carnival like counterpoint on keyboard that was simply dismissed after one measure by a quick snare roll and rap by Tina. Both the girls were still in the dark.