[i]Maybe he doesn’t hate me after all[/i] Jane thought to herself after she saw the first real smile from Rob that day. She closed her eyes and listened to [url=https://youtu.be/DRdK9S3Mpdw]Life in a Jar by Superheaven[/url] playing loudly through her head phones, one of the few songs she listened before she got on stage. Something about the raw power and energy that came through the vocals and instruments moved her, got her in the mindset she needed to perform. Jane had the vocals and sex appeal down when it came from her stage presence – both came natural to her – but as she got older, it got harder and harder to find the energy she needed from their music. 

But, Jane couldn’t think about that now. No.  She had to sell the band to the crowd. She had to give them reasons to not forget what band they were watching when they left the festival. 

When the band before them finished their last song on the adjacent stage, Jane chugged the rest of the beer she had grabbed back stage and removed her ear buds, taking a deep breath before lighting a cigarette. The booking agent told them there would only be a three minute pause between each band, which is why they had two stages and were able to book so many acts on one festival, but Jane took the stage with her cigarette and her beer bottle early, sitting on the front letting her dirty, bare feet dangle off as she drank. The stage itself was painted black, and it was much wider than it was deep, meaning that Jane would be able to fuck around with Rob during the set. She enjoyed this greatly, as Rob was most relaxed on stage and would be receptive to her teasing. 

Jane returned a smirk from Jared as she sat across from him.
“You cold, Jane?” he laughed as he eyed the white tee shirt she was dawning.
Jane looked down and realized what Jared was talking about. “No, just excited,” she winked as she stood up gracefully and looked behind her, seeing that they were ready to begin. She wasn't lying; performing almost felt like sex itself. [i]Almost.[/i] It was exhilarating. Powerful. Invigorating. Sweaty. All of Jane's senses were stimulated when she was on set. 

She approached the mic stand again and gripped it with one hand, using the other to push back down her hat, before addressing the audience. 

“Hey, everyone. Damn, you guys are some beautiful fuckers,” she chuckled as a few people let out a “Woo!” in response. The crowd had grown significantly since they set up, but between the sun setting and the bright spotlight shining on the stage, Jane couldn’t make out any faced. “Just kidding, I can’t see shit,” her raspy voice muttered into the microphone. 

“Well, we are In Bloom from Long Beach, California. Thanks for checking us out.”


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The last song to be played was their new single that caused all the tension in the band and the one that every one [i]loved[/i].   

That was when Sam’s guitar began to pump out notes over the speakers, playing by himself for a few moments before Austin joined in seamlessly into the song. And then Rob, on the drums came in soon after that. The vibration from the noise rang through her body as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, her body beginning to move with the music. They were all in sync, like a little cogs in a machine, all working together to produce something bigger than all of them. 

Before Jane was needed, she picked up her beer she had placed on the floor and took one more sip before grabbing the mic with her right hand and biting her lip for a moment as they formed into a smile. Her eyes scanned the featureless faces below her as she came in with her first line, the legato flow of her voice transitioning from note to note without hesitation. Her other hand gripped the stand and dipped it downward, and she belted out the second line as effortlessly as the last.  

After finishing the first verse, she abandoned her post and backed up a few feet until she was in front of Rob’s drum set, and she stuck her tongue out at him and smiled as she danced to the music, throwing her hands up above her hand and twisting her body while they played the song leading up to the chorus. Jane assumed he wasn't enjoying himself during this song, but maybe she could convince him to by making him smile. 

Jane made it back to the microphone at the exact moment she needed to begin the chorus, and she did - a deep, powerful tone ascending in to a high, soft one that broke nearly into moan at the end as the notes faded back into the verse again. She threw her hat to the floor and ran her fingers through her hair to remove the blonde strands from her face as she sunk into the second verse of the song.

Then finally, the bridge approached, and Jane once again grabbed the beer to coat her throat before beginning, building up in volume slowly as her voice bounced around until the end, where it turned into a sort of scream that rang out for a few moments. It was simply what her voice did when she pushed it too hard, and when she accidentally did it in recording, the guys liked it. 

The crowd began to cheer loudly until she finished as sang the chorus one last time, her hips slowly and naturally oscillating until the song finished.

Her voice was raspier than before, and she thanked the crowd for watching as she exited the staged and immediately lit a cigarette to be greeted by Jared.
“Jane, that was so fucking sick. You killed it,” he smiled as he hugged her. 
Jane was a bit sweaty and was still catching her breath, but she managed a “Thanks,” she smiled faintly with smoke flowing out of her mouth. She was satisfied with their performance and the crowd’s reaction. Jane wasn't one to critique herself.
"You're coming over, right?" Jared took a sip of his beer as he eyed her up and down.
She laughed. "Easy, tiger. I think I am," Jane said through a jokingly snobby look. 

The rest of the band members began to make their way off stage when Jane high-fived and congratulated them. She was on a high, but it never satisfied her long enough. 

"I'm ready to party."