Patsy Power Part 29

Back at the hotel most of us found the lounge and coffee machine. I was sitting with Joanne, Nina and Riordan when the CEOs’ wife came over to thank us for the experience tonight and say that she was looking forward to the full concert on Friday evening. She said that she, and her husband, needed to go shopping on Friday.

I said “Let me guess, he forced you to pack a long dress and put a tux in his bag.” She laughed and told me I was psychic. Lorraine came over in an excited mood and showed us a message that had come to the reception this evening. It said that the studio heads were very happy with her screen test and wanted her to go into the head office urgently to talk about her future. I told her to get Angela to go with her and maybe see if Sarah or Simon could join them. We could do the sound check without her and, if she was wanted so quickly, we could organise the rest of the tour, after this weekend, by taking out her special songs. She went off to find Angela and I turned to the others and said “Looks like it’s gunna be just us, kiddos.”

Friday morning was bright and sunny, as was our mood at breakfast. Lorraine had an appointment at 10.00am and would be accompanied by Sarah and Simon. Angela and Mary were tasked with keeping the rest of us in check. After breakfast we piled into the buses again and went to the stadium. It was really buzzing and several vendors asked us what last night was about. We asked them to gather everyone together in the middle of the playing area and we would tell them, so that’s what we did.

We told them that we were planning on merging the two bands by Chicago at the latest and that the line-up would be given to them at a later date but to run the entire Innocent Party product out as the new band would still be ‘Amazon’. They were told that this was a polite heads-up but we would like it to be kept out of the media, until it evolved over just one or two weeks. They went back to setting up and we went up onto the stage.

The guys had set it up with two keyboards and all eight of the big amps we now had on hand. I asked Carl if he was sure that Jake and the others would be all right and we called Jake over to go through the play list and point out the ones he thought would be a problem so we pulled them out and still had a decent set, even without Lorraines’ songs. I asked if we could run a practise set with the new band so they got themselves kitted up while Carl and the others went down to sit with Ron. Once we were all ready we started with ‘Wait’ and worked through the four other songs that the band had not done before and they were pretty good. We then did ‘Changing’ which would be the point at which we would move into the dance part of the set. We took a leaf out of last night’s book and did the repeats of the chorus while Minh and I changed guitars, stopped and went into ‘Bounce’, followed by a couple of others and then finished with ‘Dancefloor’ and, after a short break, ‘Maximum Dance’. When we stopped I asked if there were any problems and everyone said that just another run through would be good.

I asked Joanne how she was and if she wanted to play keyboard if we did it again. She readily agreed so we had some water and started again from the top. I could see Riordan, Nina and the rest of the ‘Amazon’ band out front along with our full crew of roadies and support staff. It was interesting to see the guys and girls dancing through our second pass. Joanne added a different sound overall. When we finished Carl called out “Can I go home now?” and we all laughed. We took a break while Lucy showed us the outfits each band would use this weekend. We were in different shades of red for this one; the ‘Party’ shade was muted while the ‘Amazon’ one was really, really bright. I said to her to make sure that she had a complete set for the new band by Seattle, even if we had not perfected the play list.

After our break Riordan asked Jake and Keith if they would stay on stage and just get used to being among the band and to add notes as it took them. She asked Joanne to be on the other keyboard and just work with Julia. Minh was to stand with them and add backing vocals as needed. We did the set straight through and I could hear a difference already; it sounded fuller and the keyboards added a sort of sparkle. Two extra female voices brought out the lyrics and the two extra guitars created a veritable wall of sound. When we finished Riordan turned to us with a big grin on her face. “That’s what I have dreamed of for a couple of years,” she said, ‘this is going be awesome.” She turned to Jake and said “Right, we will do it again and this time I want to hear the skill you show with the dance material. Let’s get this into the next orbit.” We did it again and we took off to Mars.

When we finished the vendors were amassed on the grass and applauded the set, I could see Lorraine back from her appointment standing with Simon and Sarah with big smiles and our crews were leaping about high-fiving. I think we may have sounded good. We rid ourselves of our kit and went down the stairs onto the grass and into a mass hug and handshaking session. One of the vendors told me that we were going to make them a fortune over the next few dates. Ron told me that he had called Chris to tear up his documentary script and start again as this has rewritten the ending to both that he was making. His crew had filmed us this morning but were not present last night so the change-over try-out had not been recorded.

Simon and Sarah came over with Lorraine and Simon told us to meet the latest star to grace Hollywood so we all gave her hugs and congratulated her. She said she could start Monday and wanted to know if we could do this gig without her. We told her that we could manage and that she should take the chance offered. She said that some of the other cast would be at the concert tonight, along with the producer and director and a few staffers so she would sit with them during the show. She would need to find a place to stay over the weekend so she was ready to start work. Simon told us that the son of his CEO went to college with Hector Vickers the Third and he knew the family. They were going to get together on Saturday before the CEO and his wife flew back to New York.

We all stopped for lunch that Angela had organised and discussed the future for the band. We did not have any live dates set for after the tour as the ‘Party’ had been just starting while ‘Amazon’ had not thought they had another tour in them, so there was a bit of a break when we could write new material, get the Christmas Album out and develop the new ‘Amazon’ look and sound to take us into the new year. We double checked our kit for tonight’s show, and had another look around the concessions. The Thunderbird was now in its’ place by the main entrance with the big picture but had now been joined by a couple of new cars and an advert for a Los Angeles dealer describing itself as a happy place to buy cars.

Back at the hotel I got Riordan, Nina, Joanne and Minh together and we sang through some songs that we had chosen for our acoustic outing, including the first run through ‘Serendipity’, my new song about chance and the lows and highs of life and the fact that taking care of details can lead to amazing things. At dinner we decided that Jake and the new band would now be the only band. I thanked Carl and the boys for their support and talents and wished them well in semi-retirement – again! Sarah said they will stay with us for the rest of the tour ‘just in case’. We all toasted Lorraine and wished her all the success she deserved on the big screen and she told us, with her tongue firmly in her cheek, that we could be her backing band for any albums she would release in the future.

Part 30

We girls had our salon session and then we got the buses and went to the stadium, driving under the stands to go up to the changing rooms. Jake and the band were a bit hyper and we tried to settle them down by being very laid back, saying it will be good, just do what we did this morning. Kitted up we walked up the back steps and stood behind the speakers waiting for our start time. Riordan was there to wish us well and then it came time to step on to the stage. Minh and I went out front to a roar of approval, while Joanne took up position behind the keyboard and the band settled in place. I called one-two-three and we were off again into the set. The new numbers for the band went well but once we got into the dance bracket we raged. The crowd was going nuts by the time we finished with ‘Maximum Dance’.

While we took our bows Kurt and VB quietly replaced Paul and Kevin and when Kurt hit the notes for the first number of the ‘Amazon’ set there was an audible gasp from the crowd and a roar as we continued with Riordan coming in from the right, Nina from the left and Julia standing alongside Joanne at the keyboards. It must have looked odd with some of us in a paler red but it made the original ‘Amazon’ members stand out. We recreated our ‘wall of sound’ and the noticeable additional keyboard sound and the crowd got really behind us through the set and were roaring by the time we did our encore number. We lined up to take our bows and the noise was tremendous. Riordan keyed her comms and said “Jake and Keith, I hope you know ‘High Voltage’” and they both nodded so we stepped backward and I started with the riff and we went on a rampage for ten minutes until Jake and I stood face to face and did a very rock and roll finale.

We all waved at the audience and walked off the stage as the house lights came up. “Wow” said Jake, “that was something else again.” Back in the rooms Riordan said “Right, next two days we practise with Paul and Kevin doing the second half and I think we may be able to run with the full band Sunday and Monday. I’m proud of you all.” Lucy said that tomorrow night Joanne, Minh and I would be in the bright red as well with the boys following suit on Sunday. She said she would have a new set for Seattle. We had a signing table in the concourse after the gig so all changed into normal wear and did the tunnel trip to the foyer area where we spent nearly two hours signing and chatting.

Simon came by with the rest of the executives and we did special signatures for them. The CEO was quite smart in LA casual and told us that he had really enjoyed himself and was looking forward to seeing us in New York. He seemed to speak a bit loudly so I caught the eye of his wife and tapped my ear. She caught on and as they walked away I could see her telling him to take his ear plugs out. Lorraine gave everyone a hug and a kiss and introduced us to her leading man who was, as described, quite a hunk. She told us that she had been told about a place to stay and would check it out on Saturday and may move in that afternoon. The director, Anton, told us that he was very glad she was no longer singing with the band as it would save her voice for ‘serious music’.

Eventually we all got into the buses and got back to the hotel. We had to go around the back as there was a crowd of fans out the front. Carl said that he was glad he was out of it now. We bypassed the lounge and all went to our rooms for a shower and bed. I congratulated Joanne on her playing before we went off to sleep.

Saturday morning we all went back to the stadium and did the ‘Amazon’ material quietly with Paul and Kevin playing, with Kurt and VB standing next to them to give them pointers as needed. We did the more difficult numbers a few times and then did the whole set from start to finish a couple of times. Riordan declared that the guys were ready to roll tonight. Over lunch we decided that ‘High Voltage’ had been done to death so we should hold ‘Maximum Dance’ for the encore to the encore.

Riordan thought that we should do the Sunday show with a single colour outfit for everyone and that Monday we should do the changing song after the quiet ones and add the dance music into the ‘Amazon’ set. This would mean that the Seattle show would be simply ‘Amazon’ so we would need to rejig the whole playlist to suit. Angela said she would contact Ma, and the publicist, to make sure the posters would be altered for the next four cities. We had Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Seattle and Angela reported that Ma had found a small industrial shed away from the city which would be able to use from Monday to Friday.

She gave Tom the address and phone number to call to gain access. Tom said that he would airfreight a pair of amps in a half container with the drums and instruments so that they would be there Tuesday afternoon for us. We would have to rent a bus to pick us up so he said that he would leave the rest of the packing and transport to the crew and he and one other rigger would fly directly into Seattle first thing Tuesday. The rest of the equipment should arrive by late Wednesday afternoon and would go directly to the stadium; a truck coming to the shed to pick up the other gear when we were happy with our work. It seemed that we had booked a huge Arena in Seattle and another in Detroit and would finish in New York at Madison Square Garden. New York had been extended by a night either side which would be a five night stay.

The afternoon had been set up with interviews and it looked like everyone wanted to know what was going on so we told them that changes were in train and they would see the results by Monday night and definitely in Seattle. We had dinner at the hotel and went out to the stadium by bus with plenty of time to spare. We got dressed for the show with Minh, Joanne and me in the bright red. We got kitted up and went up to the usual spot by the amps to wait for the start time. The place was packed and the buzz turned to a roar when we went on to the stage to start our set. We finished with ‘Dancefloor’ and took our bows and then Paul hit the magic bass notes and Riordan, Nina and Julia came on stage to kick off the ‘Amazon’ set. We ended with the encore number and, as the crowd wanted more, did a fifteen minute version of ‘Maximum Dance’ with enough solos to please anyone. We made our final bows and waved to the crowd as we walked off. Sunday we took it a bit easier during the day with some practise of the acoustic set and Sunday night we repeated the Saturday show.

Monday was more of the same until we got to the stadium. This time I was only going to do the quieter numbers first and do our ‘Changing’ trick with the dance music mixed in with ‘Amazon’ material. I have to say that, by this time, the ‘Amazon’ music was somewhat different sounding to the ‘Greatest Hits’ album. The fuller sound and double keyboard on top of a five girl vocal output had really spiced it up. The fans could still sing along as the basic lyrics were the same and the basic tune was unchanged. We all were dressed in the same colour and it went well, the ‘Changing’ section running smoothly. Riordan was great with the dance vocals and, of course, Nina already knew them. We ended the night with ‘Maximum Dance’ and waved to the crowd as usual. The crowd was chanting ‘am-a-zon’ am-a-zon’ as we walked off the stage.

Tuesday morning we flew to Seattle and got into our hired bus to go to the hotel. The rest of the day was filled with interviews and Wednesday the bus took us to the industrial shed where a mini stage was set up. We practised our full rejigged set several times and made some alterations to the format. Thursday we did the same and then told Tom it was OK to ship everything to the Arena for Friday night’s show. Friday morning, though, would be a bit different as we had the acoustic set to do for the children.

Marianne G 2020