Chapter 20

It was a constant stream of customers for the next two hours. Many had brought all three items and wanted all three signed. It did give the band time to answer questions while they were signing. They all signed with only their birth name, to allow enough space for all eleven on the plastic case. After the first few had bypassed the two at the end of her table, Willow got up and got Vivienne to sit in her seat. Being one of those that everyone wanted the signature of, she created a slowing of the line so that everyone had product presented to them.

What did slow them down was the number of ‘Coventry Carpentry’ and ‘Journey’ cases that were presented for signatures. At the end of two hours, Clive stood at the head of the line and called out that the band was going to take a short break. That allowed them to ease their flat bottoms and get a drink and comfort stop. Willow was out first and went up on the stage to play a few songs from the first album until the others were back. As the line restarted, she went back to her seat at the end, with some generous applause in her ears. They sat and signed for another two hours, with Clive calling for a thirty-minute break.

There was a table set up in the storeroom, set out with sandwiches and finger food, plus water and cola in bottles. This time, Gina came back with her and played the keyboard while Willow sang songs from ‘Journey’ until everyone was seated again. The mood in the store never got rowdy, and all the customers realised that they would get their product signed, and entertained while they stood in line. Willow noted that some, who had only bought the CD, rejoined the line with one, or both, DVDs.

They had another break at half-past two, and yet another at half-past four. At five-thirty, Clive spoke to the manager, and they went to the door. The manager called out to the line, still outside, that he would open the shop early on Sunday morning if the people wanted to come back, but the band had signed for over eight hours and needed a break. He handed out business cards, with Clive writing numbers on them as they walked up the line.

“These will get you in on Sunday morning, starting from nine. No numbered card, no entry. Thank you for coming and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”

Coming back in, the main door was closed and only opened to let a customer out. The line dwindled until there were no more customers in the shop. The manager came and shook hands with the band.

“Thank you for today. You’re the best band to launch here, by far. I’ll open at nine and I think that we’ll see the rest leaving with their purchases by eleven, when it’s our normal Sunday opening. Then, it’s lunch on me. I think that this may have been the best Saturday for a very long time.”

The coach arrived and turned around at the corner. The line had dispersed, and the band left the shop, all with their own set of discs. Willow had to smile, as the cover of the Kansas set was the one her mother had drawn, a long time ago, while the cover of ‘Homegrown’ was a single blue rose, on a thorny stem.

They didn’t go far for a meal. Sebastian turned onto Hanbury Street, crossed Commercial Street and parked where Jill had put out orange cones on Lamb Street. They all left the coach, which Sebastian locked after putting a ‘Parking allowed by Spitalfields’ sign in the front window, and they were led to the Brother Marcus Restaurant, where they had a long table and were served seven share plates with a range of different foods. They all had their fill, with those underage on soft drinks. Willow, Jacob, Gina and Brent had quiet conversation which left all four smiling.

Back at the hotel, they all had group hugs and said goodnight. Sometime later, Gina, in her nightie and gown, and carrying a towel that she had brought in her case, walked to the other room and knocked on the door. Jacob opened it, gave her a hug, and went to where she had left her door ajar. He walked in, closed the door, and looked at Willow on the bed, looking beautiful in a black nightie. As he went to her, his dressing gown landed on the floor.

Two hours later, there was a knock on the door and Jacob, now redressed, opened it to let Gina in. She gave him a hug and a surprising kiss, said thank you as he left. Willow, still on the bed and well satisfied, spoke quietly.

“A good result, friend?”

Gina held the bloodstained towel up and grinned.

“The best thing to happen to me since dinner, friend. Odd feeling at first, and then it was as if I had shooting stars behind my eyes and a volcano erupting in my groin. I’m a woman!”

Willow stood and they hugged, then Gina put the towel in a plastic bag for disposal tomorrow. They hugged again and Gina went into the bathroom to clean up. Then, they shared her bed, cuddling together, both women and friends for life.

In the morning, they checked out of the hotel and the coach took them to Dray Walk. They got out after Sebastian had turned it around. There weren’t many there and they were allowed to enter the shop unmolested. Seeing it was Sunday, Willow turned on the keyboard and doodled Bach while everyone else got themselves settled and the line was allowed in. More arrived with the numbered cards and the signing continued unabated until nearly eleven. The tables were cleared away and the life-sized pictures gathered up.

Jill rang Sebastian to pick them up in an hour and a half and to park on Brick Lane, next to the entrance to Dray Walk. The manager made sure his staff were good for the normal trading and then led them the few yards to Café Thousand and One, where they had a leisurely time to relax and eat. Most of them went for one of the all-day breakfasts. When the coach arrived, they all got in and it took them to Hyde Park. They were dropped off at the north-east corner and walked to the big, grassed area where the show was. Jill pulled a load of lanyards out of her bag and gave one to each of them, with their name on the pass. They went through a special gate which led to a VIP viewing area. The stage was strangely normal, no flying saucers or other props, just the usual amps and instruments.

They settled in comfy seats to wait for the show to start, with waitresses bringing out soft drinks for the band and wine for Jill and Clive. The band came out and the crowd roared, the Jeff Lynne walked on the stage, and they started with ‘Can’t Get it Out of My Head’, followed by ‘Livin’ Thing’. As the show progressed, Willow realised that it may have been a nice, but expensive gesture by the label, but was also a practical lesson in working a big crowd.

When they had finished their set, Jeff Lynne said that this had been their last ever big show. He then told that crowd that they had, in the audience, a band that would be playing their first ever big show in two weeks and asked Summer Rose to stand and give the crowd a wave. Willow didn’t expect the roar as they waved. The band, on the stage, went into their encore number.

While the audience was grooving to the sound, Clive and Jill quietly took the band out to the waiting coach before the gates were opened at the end of the show. The coach went a little way north and stopped to let Clive and Jill out in Maida Vale, then Sebastian found the start of the M1 heading north.

On the way, the band discussed what they had just seen, and how they could fit it into their own act. They realised that, up to now, they had been performing for friends and locals from Coventry. In two weeks, they would be in front of thousands of total strangers. The turn-out at the signing was indicative of support, but the roar that they got in Hyde Park was a sure sign that a lot of fans were out there.

They planned a meeting, after school, in the usual orchestra room on Tuesday to hash out a playlist and likely ways that they could interact with the audience. Sebastian told them that they would be picked up later and that the other drivers would be told.

When they arrived at Willow’s home, there were a lot of hugs and a nice kiss from Jacob. She wished everyone luck in exam week and got out to collect her case from Max, who also gave her a hug before he got back in the coach. The house was empty when she went in, so she took her case up to her room, hung the unworn items and put the soiled ones in her hamper, including the black nightie, which she held to her nose and smelt the residue of sex.

She had a quick shower and put on a simple shift, then picked up her bag and walked to the club. Her parents were there, with Maisie, so she sat with them and related some her weekend. Eventually, Gina walked in having showered and changed as well. They had dinner and talked. Maisie looked at the two of them.

“There’s something different with you two tonight. You aren’t the young girls who left on Friday.”

Willow was first to speak.

“On Saturday and Sunday, we both grew up. I think the rest of the band did as well. We sat and signed albums and DVDs for over ten hours in the two days, meeting strangers who were keen to spend their money and talk to us. We signed the two earlier albums, the new one, the DVDs, and I even had to sign a couple of the BBC DVDs. Then on Sunday, we sat in Hyde Park and watched a lesson in entertaining the crowd by interacting with them. It brought it home to us how big next weekend will be, and how hard we’re going to have to work. Yes, we’re different; we’re more aware of what we’re letting ourselves in for and the responsibility we have to the paying customers. Jill told me that our shows are seventy pounds a ticket. If we fill the smallest stadium, that’s two million a show. Liverpool will be four million a show. There are homeless and disadvantaged people out there who will get a huge boost if we do our job. Yes, Maisie, we’re different.”

A little later, in the toilets, Gina put her hand on Willow’s arm as they were checking their lipstick.

“Thanks for that, back there. I was frozen, wondering if I smelt of sex, even though I’d showered. I was almost about to let the world know that I’d lost my virginity. Once again, Wonderful Willow saves the day.”

“Call me that again and I’ll glue the keys on your keyboard.”

They laughed and hugged and then went back to the table.

Monday was the first day of exams. They sat for one and had time to relax before the next, then had lunch. Everyone was being serious, as this was the week which sealed their futures. There was a table with the double album of the orchestra, with a notice that it was now available for order through the website or could be purchased at reception.

Jacob told them that he, Herb, Roy, and Victor were being taken to the music store in Birmingham, from school, to get extra guitars. Doing big shows can be hard on them, so they needed spares. That afternoon, when they left, they had Brent in the vehicle with them to take him home first.

When she arrived home, there was a big parcel from Madame Francesca on the doorstep. It was her other three outfits for the shows. Monday evening, Willow looked at their songs and tried to visualise their show in her mind. They needed a little bit of the ‘Journey’ album but could skip the Carpenters. All of ‘Homegrown’ was a must, with ‘Spitter’ as the encore. There had to be some Kansas to promote the DVD, and she thought that the last four tracks from ‘Dust in the Wind’ on would be good. In fact, she thought that they would be best as the last four songs.

There was an email from Wilhelm, saying that the architect had drawn up plans that both the builder and the studio people were happy with, and that they had been sent to the council, with a note to say that the studio was designed as a personal space, and not a commercial venture, because of the lack of parking.

There was an email from Jill, telling them that the label had been happy with the launch, and that advertising for the shows was bringing a lot of interest. Most of the first shows were close to fully booked, and the second shows had been announced. Because of this, there would be two stages and pitch coverings, with the first venue taken to the third, and so on.

There was a second one from Jill, as an attachment from one to Jacob. It said that the police had visited the girl who had set up the pictures at the party, and had looked at her phone, finding the pictures had been sent from another phone, which turned out to be one of her friends. The other girl was apprehended on Saturday afternoon and her phone confiscated. The only transmission of the pictures had been to the first girl and to Jacob’s cousin. A search of the three houses discovered the Rohypnol at the cousin’s house, and her brother had been arrested on suspicion of three reported rapes that had not been solved, with his DNA being taken so see if there was a match with the evidence. The only other person to see the picture had been Racheal. The pictures had been deleted, the three girls cautioned, with the pregnant girl taken to the hospital, under guard, and given an ultrasound, which showed a close to two-month foetus. Jill noted that the parents were angrier about the baby than the attempted extorsion.

Tuesday morning, Jacob told them that each of the guitarists had chosen three extra guitars, which would be transported to the first venue and taken, with their normal instruments, to each of the others. The day was the same as exam days before it, and probably similar to all future ones. After school, the band gathered in the rehearsal room and it didn’t take long to agree on the song order, some announcements to include the crowd, and Willow didn’t have to pull the bit of paper that she had which was almost exactly what they had just decided.

She, like all the others, had a quiet evening looking at the material for the next day. Wednesday was a carbon copy, and then, as it was choir evening, it was over to the club. They worked on the seven items that Margaret and the chorus had, being happy with what had been achieved. Willow wished them all a good break and that the next session would be the last week of August.

Thursday, it was exams again, and they told the security that Friday would be an early day, with just an exam or two in the morning, so they would have lunch and be out to go home after that. The only other thing was to pick up her remaining B-twelve ampoules. That’s how it played out, and they were on their way home in the afternoon. They all hugged and said that they would meet again at the party.

When she went into her home, she went upstairs to shower, putting all of her school uniform in the hamper. Some would be washed, others would need dry cleaning, but she couldn’t have cared less about that at the moment. Tonight, the birthday party was in the function room of one of the Coventry hotels. Wendy had been able to get a nice card for each of the celebrants. Willow sat at the kitchen table and wrote in them, then relaxed, listening to the radio with her eyes shut, hearing the band being played five times before her mother arrived home.

While they waited for Ashley to get home, they got themselves pretty. Willow had a head start, so turned on her laptop while she waited for her mother. There were a couple of emails.

One was from Wilhelm, to tell them that planning permission would be granted, with the paperwork coming next week. The other was from Jill to all the band, with more details. The shows will start at seven-thirty, with G-Force opening. At eight-thirty, the Hikers will take over. With Summer Rose playing from nine-thirty to the end. There would be no breaks, as it was usual for stadium shows to have people wandering around, with the facilities and vendors all in the surrounding concourse. There will be a second show in Nottingham, Derby, and Leicester. Coventry will have a show on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Other venues looking good for second shows. Willow printed that email to give to Dianne and Barbara the next day, as they were the first of the ‘partners’. It looked as if they would be able to take a lot more of their friends to experience the show, from the inside.

The family went to the party, with the adults all off to one side while the teenagers danced to the DJ and grazed on the table of goodies. For all of them, it was a celebration of birthdays, of the last day of the school year, the end of the exams and the beginning of the glorious holidays. For the band, it was their last break before the work started next day. Most of the band members left earlier than others, mindful of a need to be ready for the show,

On Saturday morning, Willow woke with a feeling of optimism. They knew what they had to do, and already were playing better than when they were at the Belgrade. The show, tonight, was booked out, and, as far as she knew, Sunday was filling. Today, they would discover what had been set up, and see, for the first time, the stage they would be on.

She showered and made sure that everything was right as she dressed for the day. She had a shift dress for travelling and her outfit for playing was in a garment bag. At breakfast, her parents were quietly supportive and told her that they would be there to see the show. Mid-morning, the minibus arrived, and she kissed her parents and went out to get in. Max helped her up and then got in and closed the door.

“Big day, today, Willow. This is the one that you’ve worked so hard for.”

“It is, Max. Thank you two for being such good protectors and friends. Things could have been much worse without your professional service.”

She said hello to the partners, who had both met her before, and they travelled north, picking up Gina and Jacob. His trusty guitar was stored in the locker. When he got in, he told them that it would be shipped to the other venues with the gear, so he was stuck with his Fender at home. They picked up Xavier, Frank, and Dave, with their parent partners, and then stopped at the Cathedral to collect Dianne and Barbara, plus the Junior leader, Abbie. Then they were off to Nottingham. It was just under an hour and a half later when they arrived in a secured car park at the City Stadium, where there were already lines of fans waiting to get in.

They were escorted to the VIP dining room, where they had lunch with the other bands and their partners, then, they all went to look at the stage. It was set up at one end of the ground, with a sea of seats in front, and the seating behind roped off. This allowed them to be able to leave from under the stands and walk into a large marquee behind the stage.

The marquee was their dressing and relaxing room, with drinks and snacks. The bands all had their stage outfits with them, so were shown their screened off, reserved sections and hung them on racks. Then they climbed the stairs to the stage.

The stairs came up to a space behind a wall of amps. As they passed them, Willow noted that six were marked as SR, and the three others were marked HIKERS. Jill was waiting for them.

“The amps are for general use. They’re all the same. Come and look at the view from up here.”

She led them around the speaker wall and the sight took their breath away. Stretching out before them was a vista of seats, with a low tent close to the centre spot.

“What we have is this stage, which is slightly sloping. The drum kit and the keyboards are on raised platforms, so that everyone can see you. Guitar players, you will need to make sure that you stand towards the front so that you can be seen by the first twenty rows. Your effects boxes are clearly marked with your names and all the cables are routed around to the amps and plugged in. That allows us to have a clear stage. The tent is the audio and visual control centre. Xavier, that’s where you and your friends will be. You have a full mixing board for sound, and there are banks of screens to see the vision from all the cameras. It’s the job of the visual technicians to make sure that the pictures on the big screens fit the music. There are two big screens on each side of the stage, pointing slightly to the side, so people in the closest stands get the full view. There are also screens and speakers around the concourse so that nobody misses out.”

She pointed out the camera positions in the stands, with one each side of the tent.

“Dave and Frank, you will assist a pair of experienced directors. They will be in radio contact with all the cameramen. Xavier, it will just be you and a professional sound man. You will be in contact with whatever band is on stage. You will have a screen to one side, with scrolling messages from the security and ground owners, so that if there’s an emergency, you can alert the band. We will have a number of ambulances and paramedics, and the club clinic will be manned. There are always some who want to faint at a show like this.”

Willow took in the sight, noting that there was a blanked off area behind the low tent so that nobody had their view restricted. Jacob was holding her hand, and Brent had his arm over Gina’s shoulders. The most affected seemed to be their partners for the day. Dianna was literally shaking with excitement, and Barbara was having a problem keeping her mouth from dropping open. Jill continued.

“Partners, there is another exit from the dressing rooms. It goes under the stage and the first ten rows are reserved. There is a rope between you and the paying customers, and it will be monitored by security. If you want to wander the concourse and get keepsakes, there is a way there from where we came out of the stand behind us. Make sure that you have your lanyards in view. Later in the day, there will be someone back there to help other VIPs with directions. All VIPs have to come through the marquee to get to their seats. There are toilets back there for your use.”

Rick called out.

“What are the numbers, Jill?”

“With the stands behind us sealed off, and the pitch seating added, you’re looking at forty thousand tonight, and tomorrow night is already at thirty-eight thousand, so may be full by the time that you take to the stage. We’ll let you have a wander around, but we need sound checks starting at five. There will be a light meal in the dining room at six.”

They went back down and then through the passage to the seating area, looking back at the towering stage, with the four big screens, the staggering number of PA speakers, and the lighting along the upper cross-piece. Jill saw them looking up.

“The lights will only have a marginal effect until it gets darker, so Summer Rose will be the band to benefit most. There are pyrotechnics, so don’t get frightened if you see flames.”

Back into the stands, they found the exit to the concourse and did a full walk of the perimeter, finding food outlets setting up, merchandise vendors for each of the bands, a few stands with amps and instruments on, and a lot of stands with stocks of the band’s albums and DVDs, manned by staff from the label. Clive was overseeing the preparations.

“Hi, there, you lovely people. This is one of the biggest operations we’ve had since before COVID, and it’s great to be here. If Jill hasn’t mentioned it yet, all of your partners get a free product from us, and our merchandise vendors. It will lower your income, slightly, but it will be a drop in the ocean from what this tour has become.”

Marianne Gregory © 2025