Pre-Show

"Do you think that the people understood those subliminal messages you placed in the EP?"

"I don't think they did, I know they did, those symbols were just too easy to decode."

"Well I hope so, I wouldn't want to perform in front of three people."

"I don't care if only one person would show up, I came back for the music, not for the money."

"Okay then."

Troy was sitting in his chair watching the crew set up the stage for a secret gig he was going to play. He wanted to play in a barn that he rented from an old farmer he had met through a friend because the space of the venue was big enough for at least a thousand people to occupy. Troy had wanted to play in a venue that was out of the ordinary, a gig that was in a place very unique. He didn't need to worry about crops or farm animals because Mr. Ricks was out of the country importing some animals for the barn. Troy was taking a sip of his coffee when Liam Noah, his touring drummer, conversed with him about the gig they were about to play.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mascenon, I'm just really nervous about what we'd be doing."

"Don't worry Liam, getting nervous is just part of the industry. You'd start off as a nervous kid, get into drinking, smoking, or even drugs just to make you feel like an asshole and start acting like an asshole on stage because you think it's cool. Next thing you know you'd be in rehab where everything is so bright and peachy, a place where you'd learn from your mistakes, and be a better person and a more confident musician. Then you'd learn that all you needed was experience."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"I could say that."

Troy took a sip of his coffee and looked at the blue sky. He reflected on the life he had lived before and was thankful that he was still alive to this day. He then thought of JC, who was suffering from a disease he had because of his unhealthy lifestyle while in Reckoner. What if Troy also did drugs like JC did, would he be suffering the same fate? Troy then looked at Liam, who resembled himself back when he was still part of Reckoner. A young kid with a big dream, he didn't want Liam to go into the darkness he had been. He wanted to be the wiser man, the guy who could change lives.

"Want an energy drink?"

"Nah, energy drinks tend to make me more than active, I'd lose focus and stuff."

"You know something Liam, you remind me of myself when I was younger."

"How?"

"You're a good kid, don't mess it up just to get what you want. Sometimes, what you need is better than what you desire."

"I don't really get you right now."

"Soon you will."

Troy went up from his seat, grabbed his guitar case, and took a bike ride around the country side. He still had about 3 hours before the concert was going to start and he wanted to unwind at the same time prepare himself for the concert. Bike riding was always his favorite past time, enjoyable and good exercise. He loved the countryside because it had fresh air, a vacation from the polluted atmosphere of the city. He went as far away from the concert venue as possible and wanted to explore the area.

Troy was able to ride far enough to a lot of places and saw the simplicity of life in the country. Kids were playing games with each other and running around unlike kids in the city who would rather stay at home and play their video games, old people were lively and happy riding bikes to exercise their bones unlike the old people in the city who were sickly and sad, life was simply beautiful in the country and Troy was inspired to write a song about his mind opening experience. Troy parked his bike and sat down on the open fields. He took his guitar out of the case and began writing words to the song as he strummed some chords.

"Life is beautiful, oh so beautiful, it's too sad you're blinded by your dreams."

Troy felt that the song he was writing wasn't just about the life of the people living in simplicity, it was a direct hit on himself. He was writing a song to himself about his past, the mistakes and how these mistakes brought him down. The city was aesthetically beautiful, but the city was also the place that brought him on his knees. He felt a tear roll down his face as the words came to him continuously, the flow just went on and he just went with it.

"You try what you want, you try just to please; you try but you'll find yourself begging on your knees."

Troy went on and finished the song in about an hour and found himself awestruck at the song he had just made. He felt that he had found relief and peace within him. He shouted as loud as he can to release all the pain inside and laughed afterwards. He was free from the prison he put locked himself in, he was free at last. Troy got up and went on his bike to go back to the barn. It was an hour before the concert and he was surprised to see a lot of people in the area, he couldn't count the number of cars, vans, motorbikes, and other vehicles parked outside the area. Troy felt that he was a washed up rockstar, but now he realized that he was never forgotten, he was still in the hearts of the people touched by his music. Unlike most celebrities, Troy did not try to hide from the people and did not go backstage to avoid being tackled on by fans. Troy bravely walked in the bar from the front and he was easily spotted by the audience. He was surrounded by a crowd full of fans and even shook some hands, hugged some people, and greeted the fans with hospitality. Troy realized that his fans meant the world to him and he wanted to show that they should not be intimidated by his celebrity status. Troy felt happiness within him and couldn't help but smile. He was able to reach backstage in about twenty minutes and Raven, his manager, went up to him.

"Where have ya'll been? You've been gone for an hour!"

"I just needed some fresh air, I'm ready for anything now."

"Well at least you came back safely, get ready now, the show's about to begin in half an hour."

"Sure thing."

Troy looked at Liam and Jensen, the touring bassist/guitarist, and called for them.

"Now I know that both of you are good musicians but have never played a gig with more than a thousand people attending. Listen to this, there really is no need to be nervous right now, you can do this, I know you can.

Troy took a moment to look at the two and saw a pack bulging from Liam's pocket, it was drugs he thought to himself,

"I know very well that both of you have some sort of history on drugs but I'm telling you, if you want to play in my gigs and be part of my tour, I need you two to lay off the weed, understand me?"

Jensen and Liam nodded, went through their pockets and grabbed the packs filled with drugs to throw them in the trash bin. Troy smiled, he knew he saved two lives at that moment. They had ten minutes left before the concert and when Troy took a peek at the audience, he saw that the whole area was filled with people, the audience was ready for him.

"Okay now, let's put on a great show everybody!"

Troy and his band went on to the stage and never looked back.

OOC: The show would be posted sometime this weekend, comment please..:)

Edited by user 13 October 2011 16:12:29(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OOC: Wow, this is turning out brilliantly... should've seen it earlier lol. It should have WAAAAAAY more comments.

OOC: I, in-fact love this RP. I like the idea off the pre-show, it is a good way to put across how the band is feeling and the mood amongst them. Look forward to seeing the rest of it.

Edited by user 08 October 2011 22:10:21(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Yulia: What a cool idea! I never thought about putting subliminal verses on my songs before.. and I don't know, but it can turn into a really crazy fun thing!

Abie: Great performance guys, I love it!

OOC: What a fun read… love the way you wrote it very simple.

Ooc: I genuinely didn't see this before. Sorry man. Brilliant read though :)

Scott: Troy Mascenon...legend! Always one of my buddies in this industry, one of the old school. Actually I need to contact you about something...I'll be in touch.

Lock N Load

"Are you guys ready, to LOCK N LOAD?!"

The crowd went wild with enthusiasm as Troy drank from the bottle of water placed on top of his amp, he then looked at his band mates, bopped his head one two three, and in comes the hard rocking intro of a Reckoner classic, Lock N' Load. It's been ages since this was last performed by either Troy or Reckoner so only the people who have heard Backstabber jammed along to the song, the others joined in a while later after catching the flow of the song. It was played slightly differently from the original version since the original had 3 guitars playing along very complex riffs, this time, Troy had himself doing the song so he did his very own rendition, a much more simple yet at the same time still strong version of the song.

"I've got my shot gun and I'm ready to blow this up, I've got my shotgun and I'm ready to blow up!"

Troy sings in his signature angry voice as Jensen accompanies with the "oohs and aahs", the heavily distorted guitars and bass complement Liam's hard hitting yet addictive drum beat. Troy remembers the first time Reckoner played this song a few years ago, he climbed up JC's amp and stage dived, unluckily, he fell on 3 people and got himself a fractured elbow, Troy was determined to try it one more time tonight.

"Okay everybody, now when I jump off my amp here, I want to still be able to do the show, so you better fucking catch me alright?"

The audience answered back positively and everyone from the front row up to the sixth raised their arms to prepare for troy's crashing. Troy gives his guitar to his guitar tech who knows how to play the song, asks him to play it until Troy gets back, and after raising his arms up to the sky, jumps for the waiting crowd below.

"SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIII-----!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The noise of the crowd overpowered Troy's cursing and now the camera crew didn't need to worry about censorship. The dive was successful and Troy was having the time of his life. Jensen threw the wireless mic at Troy so that they would be able to finish the song and go on with the 9 song set. Troy catches the mic but instead of singing the song himself, he rides on the shoulders of one security guard and goes around the crowded area pointing the mic at the people to make them sing the song for him.

"Lock! N Load! baby lets go! Lock! N Load! baby lets go!"

The reminiscing hook of the song's outro echoed throughout the whole venue as the crowd tried to get their hands on Troy. The once antropopophobe was now able to accept the respect the fans had for him. A few minutes later, Troy climbed back up on stage and bowed down to the people, followed by a huge round of applause.

"Thank you! That was just the second song of the set, we have seven more and I'm telling you, it would be a big treat later on."

OOC: Trying to keep each post as short as possible to avoid boredom..:)

OOC: Thank you to Alex(infinite135) for the amazing collab RP..:)

Just as Troy, Jensen, and Liam were ready to leave the trailer, Troy heard a familiar voice call for him from outside. He opened the door and saw Eric Quillington standing in front of him, he wasn't surprised at all since he did personally call for Eric to sing with him on this night. Troy gave Eric a quick brotherly hug, he never did have the chance to do this in all their previous meetings. Jensen and Liam were starstruck at the sight of Eric, they kept quiet throughout the whole conversation that Troy and Eric had.

"That's Eric Quillington mate, this is so fucking awesome!" Jensen whispered to Liam.

"I know! I know!" Liam whispered back.

After a while, Liam and Jensen started to ask for Eric's signature, for Jensen's pick and for Liam's cap. Both young musicians were overwhelmed and asked for a group hug with their two musical idols, it was just too sad that Jason couldn't come.

"So let's get this party started huh?" Troy asked Eric.

"With pleasure" Eric exclaimed as the group made their way on stage.

Pigs on the Wing 1 (Pink Floyd Cover)

An instantly recognizable figure takes the stage amid roars of approval from the audience. Eric Quillington is dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans, wearing none of the more flamboyant stage attire he has become known for. In many aspects, this looks like clothing he’d wear on a day away from the limelight; the only notable quirk are the lyrics to Glamazon’s ‘How to Destroy Your Boyfriend’ (written in his own handwriting, no less) on the front of his shirt. But this is someone else’s show, and Eric knows all too well how inconsiderate it would be to take away attention from the legendary Troy Mascenon through flashy clothes. Tonight, Eric is simply a guest. And the luckiest man on earth.

In numerous past interviews, he has expressed his love of Reckoner at the five musicians at the band’s core. Despite the countless awards and prestige bestowed on Infinite over the past few years, nothing compares to being deemed good enough by a personal hero to play side-by-side. Although the cheers at this venue were dwarfed in comparison to the hundreds of thousands at Wembley, they aren’t any less meaningful. To be accepted by those outside his typical fanbase, those loyal to Reckoner, was something Eric once never thought possible. But it goes beyond just acceptance, however; the thousands in the audience treat him with nearly the same euphoric response they gave to Troy. Turning his back on the crowd, and the reaction he never expected, for one brief moment, Eric says a few quick words to the man he considers his mentor;

“Time to go straight-up acoustic on their asses.”

After picking up an acoustic guitar, Eric pivots on his heels to face the audience and strums the introductory chords to a Pink Floyd cover. As if a switch is flicked, the crowd is instantly hushed, and hangs on every last note. The song is a fragile thing, one handled with great care during this performance. His voice possesses a beautiful, haunted quality, and sounds as though it may crack at any moment. As the song is only a minute in length, it’s fairly obvious that this won’t be the main number to be played while Eric is on stage. But, as an introduction of sorts, it works beautifully.



Shades of Grey

Eric plays the chords to ‘Pigs on the Wing’ for several more seconds, using them as a transition into the next song. As the chords morph into the ones from ‘Dogs’, those in the crowd familiar with Pink Floyd wonder, for one stunned moment, if they’re about to witness an entire interpretation of the Animals album. But, alas, it was only a tease. After the band plays up to the atmosphere a tad bit longer, the opening notes to ‘Shades of Grey’ ring out. As this is one of Infinite’s more straightforward, and perhaps universal, tunes, practically every single member in the audience cries out in recognition. Once self-conscious about the song, viewing it as a clichéd ballad, the response gives Eric the confidence to belt out the tune second only to ‘Problems with Pluto’ and ‘Supernova’ in terms of popularity.

“Monday changes to Friday, all in a day
But why should anyone care when they’re preoccupied with shades of grey?
Tracing many circles to see if there’s still a line
Although the edges are jagged, there’s nothing left to refine”

And now, finally, the rest of the band begins to play, kicking the performance into full swing. But the instrumentals are done with reserve and care, ensuring that the tune won’t lose any of its intimacy. Before the second verse, Eric says his first, brief, words to the audience;

“You’ll have to excuse me if my voice falters, but this is like being on the same stage as John Lennon. Still, I’m trying to keep my act together for you lovely folks. Let’s hear it for the fucking phenomenal Troy Mascenon; hopefully your cheers will cover up my appalling lyrics.”





Pigs on the Wings 2 (Pink Floyd Cover)

In a curious reversal to the shift from ‘Pigs on the Wing 1’ to ‘Shades of Grey’, the acoustic chords to the latter song now morph back to the former. As the other musicians drop out of the performance, Eric’s melancholy, soulful voice shines through once again. Although the song, in its original incarnation, was dripped with cynicism on the topics of love and the relationships between humans, Eric sings it as an indirect message to Troy, with the first two lines ringing especially true; the ‘weight of the stone’ refers to both celebrity and the recent drug scandals in Eric’s life during his time on the Big Brother show.



After the song’s closure, Eric throws his acoustic guitar into the audience (hoping someone will catch it, but the instrument inevitably smashes when it crashes to the ground) and hops over to Troy for a brotherly embrace. Before he walks offstage, he says one final thing to the audience;

“Cynics don’t typically have dreams, but I’ve always had one; to play with Troy Mascenon for a few precious moments. Thank you, everyone, from the talented guys onstage to you amazing, amazing people watching, for giving me that.”

Troy looks at Eric and smiles at the young lad, he starts having flashbacks about the Wembley concert Reckoner had with the young Infinite as a supporting act, Eric has grown tremendously. He was thinking of playing his newly written song tonight, but it didn't fit in the mood right now. Eric had gone acoustic and the crowd was really pumped up for an epic finale, no more acoustic stuff for the kids, it's time to get banging. Troy gave Eric his signature Martin acoustic guitar to replace the one that just got smashed into pieces.

"Keep this, you deserve it, and you're really gonna need it now."

Pumped Up Kicks (Foster The People cover, Troy Mascenon version)

All the other kids with the Pumped Up Kicks
You better run better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the Pumped Up Kicks
You better run better run, faster than my bullet

The chorus's haunting yet very catchy chorus echoed throughout the venue as Troy and Eric sang the chorus in a Capella. The crowd sang along and clapped their hands to form the song's beat. It wasn't as gloomy as the original song, Troy's version was much more fun and energetic. Everybody started clapping their hands as Liam imitated the hand claps and transposed them to drum beats, Jensen improvised some bass notes to form this wicked bass line and Troy went to the keyboard to start the song's verse. Eric knew the song and sang along with Troy during the choruses, the only thing Troy feared right now was if someone took the song seriously and started shooting at the people. But Troy's fears were washed away after seeing everybody having fun at his show. Nobody would seriously ruin this great night.

"Eric, stop playing that guitar and do what you do best, STAGE DIVE!"

At Troy's request, Eric dropped the guitar and stage dived into the waiting crowd. Unlike his guitar, Eric was safe and unharmed, the people were able to catch him and he was bouncing up and down as Troy and the band finished the song. After hitting the last few notes of the song, Troy said a few more words before jumping in the crowd.

"Thank you for tonight, we hope to see you all again soon!"

Troy, Jensen, and Liam bowed down to thousands of screaming fans and jumped for their lives, to Jensen and Liam, it was an amazing night, their first big time gig and their first meeting with Eric Quillington, to Eric, this was also a great night, he got to sang with Troy, he stage dived, he broke his guitar (totally rockstar!), but to Troy, this was everything, the fans, the friends, the music, that was all that really mattered.

OOC: Thank you to everyone who had the patience to read through everything..:)