After two songs, Jake signalled to Todd that he was going back to get ready for Silver Lake’s set. He reached out to take his daughter with him but she scowled at him and shook her head vehemently. Realising he was wasting his time, Jake headed back to find the others.
Compared to their normal pre-show routine, this felt more like an after-show gathering. All of the band’s invited guests had joined Silver Lake and their families in the green room. Scanning the room in search of Lori, Jake’s eyes met Nicole’s. She was standing in the corner deep in conversation with Paul and Kola.
“Hey, rock star,” said a voice behind him.
“Hey, li’l lady,” he replied, turning round to face his wife. “Quite a party going on here.”
“Feels that way. Maria arrived a few minutes ago,” said Lori, slipping her arm around his waist. “Is Melody not with you?”
“She’s at the side of the stage with Todd. She’s loving this.”
“So’s Jesse,” laughed Lori, pointing to where their son was clambering all over Tailz from After Life. “He’s wearing poor Taylor out.”
“Doesn’t look like he’s complaining,” observed Jake. “You seen Jethro?”
“Not for a while. He was with Maddy out in the hall.”
“No worries. I’ll find him,” said Jake. “You going out front to watch?”
Lori shook her head. “We’ll watch from the side of the stage. Annie’s taken the twins and Grey’s girls to watch from the balcony. I think Kola’s watching from up there too.”
Jake nodded then said, “Right, time to get ready. Grey’s trying to round us up.”
“You ok?” asked Lori, sensing how anxious her husband seemed.
“I’ll be fine once we’re out there,” replied Jake, hugging her tight. “This one’s going to be tough.”
“I know,” sighed Lori sadly. “Play for him. Play as if he was still beside you.”
“He still is,” said Jake, touching the spot on his chest where the arrow tattoo was. “Always will be.”
“See you on the other side, rock star.”
Pacing restlessly, Jake waited on Jethro’s signal to step out on stage. The house lights had been dimmed for a couple of minutes and the capacity crowd were chanting, “Silver Lake, Silver Lake, Silver Lake Lake Lake” passionately. Beside him, Grey was bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, eager to get out on stage. In the shadows, Todd stood looking nervous and ready to throw up. As was his usual pre-show ritual, Paul was crouched down, drumsticks in hand almost as if he were praying. Each of them was lost in their own thoughts as the time ticked down.
“Right, showtime,” declared Jethro. “Get out there and do Rich proud.”
Paul was the first to bound out on stage while the house lights were still dimmed. The fans went wild as they spotted him dart behind his kit. Next to run out, as the lights went up, was Grey closely followed by Todd. Last to walk out, at a leisurely pace, was Jake. As he reached his mark centre stage, he offered up a silent prayer to the music Gods to watch over them.
The audience quietened as Jake stepped up to his mic and began the haunting ghost-like intro to Depths. As the last long lingering note rang out, Grey began the familiar heavy pounding riff. Like a well-oiled machine, Silver Lake delivered a thundering rendition of the ever-popular song from their second album. Feeling calmer and more in control, Jake ended the epic tale of drowning with a husky, almost raspy reprise of the eerie intro.
As the fans cheered ecstatically, Silver Lake moved straight into Dragon Song. In true Silver Lake fashion and, just as they had done in rehearsal, Todd and Grey played in back to back formation behind Jake. The fans were already in fine voice.
“Thank you,” said Jake at the end of the song, addressing the fans for the first time.
For a second, he faltered, a wave of fresh grief hitting him hard in the chest. He gazed out across the sea of fans in front of him on the floor and in the two raised areas then said softly, “Baltimore, this is Out Of The Shadows.”
For the first time of asking, it was Todd who found himself in the spotlight as he played the delicate intro to the third song on the setlist. He let out an almost audible sigh as he nailed it just as Jake began to sing the first verse.
“Baltimore!” roared Jake at the end of the song. “You look beautiful tonight!”
The surge of appreciation that roared back from the fans dissolved any remaining nerves Jake may have been suffering from.
“We’d like to thank you all for being here tonight,” he continued. “Every song in the main set was chosen by you guys tonight to honour Rich’s legacy. He lived to play. He loved his music and he loved each and every one of you.”
Another crescendo of cheering drowned out what Jake had been about to say.
“Thank you,” he said, smiling out across the crowd. Along the rail in front of him, the usual die-hard fans were hanging on his every word. “This is an emotional night for all of us. However, we’re here to celebrate Rich’s life and to find some Good In The World.”
Inwardly, he cringed at his cheesy lead into their next song. If the Silver Lakers thought his comments were too twee, they never let on. The only one to show any emotion was Grey,
