Righteous Obsession (7 page)

“That’s okay, Steve, I have a large supply of
aspirin,” McGregor assured him and stuck out his hand to Colin.

Colin grinned at his reply and shook his hand.  This
guy was all right!

Jazz walked up to them.  “Hey, dude!  I’m starving! 
Care to do lunch?”

“I am hungry now that you mention it,” Colin replied.

“Yeah.  We could hear your stomach growling the entire
flight here,” Jazz grinned.

“Great!  I hope I don’t read that in your magazine!”

Jazz just laughed and motioned with his arm.  “Come
on.  We’re outta here!”

Mace, Jake, Liam, along with their bodyguards, decided
to take Jazz up on his invitation.

“God, we look like a fucking parade!”  Mace
complained.

“Where we eating?”  Jake asked.

“I thought we could head over to Underground Atlanta,”
Colin said.  “As I recall it’s about six blocks from here.”  As he walked out
of the hotel and into the bright sunlight, Colin slipped on his sunglasses.

The six blocks of Underground Atlanta proved to be a
thoroughly fascinating place.  It was like walking into the past with its
Victorian architecture and the original cobblestone streets.  They decided to
look around after they ate lunch.   They finished looking around, returned to
the street-level and found themselves quickly surrounded by fans.  The band
members spent some time talking with the kids and signing autographs.  Colin
shoved his sunglasses to the top of his head as he visited with the fans.  He’d
never liked rock stars that wore their shades when they were with their fans or
during a concert.  He thought it was incredibly rude behavior and swore he’d
never do it.

McGregor tapped Colin’s shoulder and when he turned,
he motioned to his watch.  Colin nodded reluctantly.  “Sorry, people, but the
guys have to get back to their hotel,” McGregor announced.  The fans greeted
his announcement with a chorus of disappointed groans.

“Hey!  In case you haven’t already heard, we’re doing
an in-store at the mid-town Blockbuster Music
™
from one until three,”
Colin explained.  “If you can’t make it then we’ll see you tonight for sure!”

They left and hurried back to the hotel to find Steve
waiting in the lobby.  Seeing Colin come in, the desk clerk motioned to him and
he went over to the desk.  “Mr. and Mrs. Matthews have arrived.  They’re room
number is 1226.”

“Thanks.”  He relayed the news to Liam then made a
quick call on the house phone and spoke briefly to his parents.  “Okay, I’ll
leave your names with the security at the Omni.”

“Mom and dad are coming to our sound check?”  Liam
asked.

“Yeah, so remind me to leave their names with
security, okay?”

“Will do.”

“Colin, Liam, come on!”  Steve called impatiently.

“Coming,” Colin called, hurrying after Steve.  He
skidded to a halt suddenly.  “Shit!  I don’t have my glasses with me!”  He was
severely far-sighted.  He didn’t need them to see, but he did need them
whenever he was doing any close work.

“I’ve got them,” Steve assured him.

It was a short ride from the hotel to the record
store.  The limousine pulled up to the delivery entrance where the store
manager was waiting to escort them inside.  “Glad to see you guys!  It looks
like it’s going to be a hot time for the next two hours if the kids waiting
outside are any indication.”  He led the band members through the store and got
them situated at a table in the front of the store then nodded at one of his
employees to unlock the front door.  Accompanied by a cacophony of shrieks,
squeals and screams, the kids poured into the store.  For two hours, the band
members chatted with their fans, signed copies of their CDs, posters, T-shirts,
arms, and in a few cases, chests and accepted kisses from the female fans.

At one point Colin glanced down at the end of the
table and saw Liam being monopolized by a very attractive young woman.  He
noted that she was tallish, probably around Alethea’s height, and like Liam,
she had light hair, fair skin and blue eyes.  She bent down and whispered
something to Liam whose face flushed noticeably.  Colin snickered, kicked Jake
and pointed to his brother.  “Wonder what she said to him?”

“I don’t know, but I wish she’d say it to me!”

Colin grinned at the effect his baby brother was
having on the female fans.

Jazz had come along too and he appeared thrilled when
some of the kids recognized him and asked him for his autograph.

When the last fan had departed, Colin sank back in his
chair and breathed a sigh of relief.  He glanced over at the store manager and
his employees, all who were in various states of collapse.

“How many kids do you think we had come through
here?”  Steve asked the manager.

He shook his head wearily.  “I don’t know.  I lost
count after three hundred and forty something!”

Colin whistled.  “I’d say we earned our pay today!”

While Steve tied up some loose ends, the band thanked
the staff for having them and left the store.  Steve hurried after them, making
sure nobody strayed.  On their way to the Omni Coliseum, Colin nudged Liam and
whispered, “So, what did she say?”

“What did who say?”  Liam said, pretending he had no
idea what Colin was talking about, but his flushing face gave him away.

Colin shrugged, amused.  “Okay, so you don’t kiss and
tell.”

“Her name’s Alison,” Liam said softly.

“Pretty name for a very pretty lady,” Colin replied.

Unforgiven arrived at the coliseum for their sound
check.  Colin walked in, looked around and whistled.  A shiver ran up his spine
when he remembered the show had sold out and thought about how many fans would
be seeing them tonight.

Peter and Amanda were backstage already with Russ
Taylor, Unforgiven’s tour manager.

“Mom, dad, how was your flight?”  Colin greeted them
with a hug and a kiss.

“We hit a patch of turbulence coming out of Denver,
but other than that it was fine.”  Peter said.

“How was the in-store?”  Amanda asked.  “How did Liam
do?”

Colin grinned.  “It was really amazing!  We must’ve
had close to five hundred kids and Liam was a major hit with the female fans.”

“Well, I noticed there were some guys openly lusting
after you, Colin,” Mace remarked.

“Hey!  Can I help it if I’m gorgeous?”  Colin joked. 
“Even Jazz got asked for his autograph.”  He glanced at his watch then said, “I
guess we’d better get our sound check done so Armageddon has enough time to do
one, too.”  He walked out on stage and took a turn around it in order to
familiarize himself with its layout.

“What are we going to do?”  Jake asked, picking up his
bass.

Colin took his guitar from his roadie, Clem, and put
the strap over his shoulder.  “How about Because The Night
©
?”

“Fine by me,” Mace said as he settled himself behind
his drum kit and picked up his sticks.

Liam ran his hand across his keyboards,
experimentally, causing an unearthly shriek that echoed through the coliseum. 
He grimaced.  “Sorry!”

Colin fitted his headset.  He preferred to use a
headset rather than a microphone because it allowed him to move freely about
the stage.  Because The Night
©
, a song written by Bruce Springsteen and
Patti Smith, was one of Colin’s all-time favorite songs.  Springsteen and Smith
had both recorded it and in recent years, Keel.  Colin harbored a secret wish
that Unforgiven could record it someday, too.

Unforgiven ran through the song, stopping several
times when one of the sound technicians had a suggestion or a request.   Everyone
finally felt satisfied with the sound levels.  Colin knew that they would need
some minor adjustments once the coliseum filled with warm bodies, but he had a
great deal of confidence in their crew and knew Unforgiven would sound great. 
He took off his headset and pulled his guitar over his head and handed them
both to Clem.  He walked back to where his parents were standing.  “Did we
sound okay?”

“You sounded fine to me,” Peter replied.  “I suppose
you’ll have to adjust the sound again after this place fills up?”

“Some, yeah.”

Russ hurried past Colin and called, “Twenty minutes,
Colin.”

“Okay, thanks,” Colin replied then turned back to his
parents.  “Jake and I have that radio interview to do.”

“How long will that be?”  Amanda asked.

“Not more than an hour, I’d guess.”

“How about we take you guys, Mace, Jake, and Steve out
for dinner?”  Peter asked.

“I’m up for it.  What time?”

“We have reservations for six.”

“Okay.  See you later.”

Colin and Jake arrived at the radio station.  The DJ
looked up from behind his glass booth and smiled as he saw them walk inside. 
They came inside and settled themselves behind a console across from him.

“As I announced earlier, Colin Matthews and Jake
Rousselle from Unforgiven are my guests this afternoon.  They’ll be playing at
the Omni Coliseum tonight starting at eight o’clock with Armageddon opening. 
We still have tickets for tonight’s concert to give away so listen up for your
chance to win.  I’ll be talking with Colin and Jake and we’ll be taking your
phone calls after these messages.”  The DJ flipped a switch then pulled off his
headset.  He leaned over his console to shake hands with Colin and Jake.  “You
guys ready to rock?”

“Whenever you are,” Colin replied.

The DJ put his headset back on, flipped another switch
and then spoke into his mouthpiece.  “Okay, this is “Mad” Mike Morrison on
Z-Rock 99.  My guests this afternoon are Colin Matthews and Jake Rousselle from
Unforgiven who’ll be playing tonight at the Omni Coliseum at eight o’clock with
Armageddon opening.  Remember to keep listening for your chance to win tickets
to see Unforgiven.”

“He’ll be giving a pair away shortly,” Colin added.

“This is Unforgiven’s first headlining tour.  Are you
guys worried about it going belly-up given the fact that concert receipts from
the previous two years have been way down?”

“No,” Colin shook his head.  “Some of the people at
Atlantic Records did suggest we wait and go out in the fall, but we decided we
were ready now.  I mean if you wait until everything’s perfect, you may as well
quit because things are never going to be absolutely perfect.”

“Anyway we thrive on a challenge!”  Jake declared. 
“And we’ve done some things that will give us an edge, too.”

“Such as?”

“We’ve put a cap on our ticket prices of $35 dollars. 
We’ve also designed our stage so it can be broken down to fit the smaller
venues in addition to the usual arena circuit.”

“Okay, but if I only have so much money, what would
make me choose your band?”

“Because we put on a damn good show and we leave the
bullshit at the stage door!”  Colin answered.

“Okay, now we’re going to let our listeners talk to
Colin and Jake.  If you have a question you’d like to ask, the number to call
is 741-Rock.”  Immediately the phone lines lit up and began blinking.

“Our first caller is Greg from Atlanta.  Go ahead,
Greg.”

“Yeah, I’d like to ask Colin and Jake what kind of
cars they drive and what they look for in a car?”

“Greg, I drive a Jeep Patriot Sport.  I look at gas
mileage and emission standards.  I also look for leg room because I have really
long legs so comfort is really essential to me.”

Jake spoke up, “I drive a Pontiac Solstice.  I look at
gas mileage and emission standards, too, but I also look for a great design.”

“A car that draws the girls in other words,” Colin
kidded.

“Our next caller is Darlene, from Atlanta also.”

“Hi, Colin and Jake!”

“Hi, Darlene!”  They both responded.

“Colin, I know you’re pro-choice, but I was really
surprised to see you at the Pro-choice Rally in Washington D.C. last month.  It
seems a lot of guys say they’re pro-choice, but it’s usually just lip service –
they never do anything to back up their claim.”

“I’m pro-choice because I believe that a woman needs
to hear all the options before she can make a decision that’s right for her.  I
don’t believe the government should force their choice on her.  I also
volunteer as an escort at some of the women’s clinics in the Bay Area.”

“You mean escorting the women past anti-abortion
protesters?” Morrison asked.

“Yes.  The clinic in the Bay Area, so far, haven’t had
a lot of trouble from these radical anti-abortion groups, but this being an
election year, we might see things change.”

“But why get involved in a women’s issue?”

“I don’t understand why so many men think it’s solely
a woman’s issue.  I mean we all have wives, sisters, and girlfriends.  How can
we think it doesn’t involve us?”

“Okay, fair enough.  Anne, from Kennesaw is our next
caller.”

“Hi!  I want to know what your favorite foods are.”

“Mine are my girlfriend’s Cajun spaghetti and my mom’s
chili,” Colin answered.

Jake laughed.  “You can strip paint with his mom’s
chili – it’s really hot!  My favorite food is steak and lobster.”

“Let’s take another call – Nicole from Forrest Hills.”

“Hi!  Would you guys like a girlfriend?”

“I’m involved with somebody, but Jake isn’t.”

“I’d love a girlfriend and you sound like just what I
had in mind!”

“Our next caller is Ted from Jonesboro.”

“Hi!  I like the video for Ruins of Love
a
lot!  How long did it take to shoot it and do you like making videos?”

“Glad you liked it.  It took sixteen hours to shoot
and I don’t like doing them,” Colin stated emphatically.  “It wouldn’t be so
bad if you didn’t have to fake playing and singing!”

“And you’ve got to watch out for directors who think
they’re the next Steven Spielberg,” Jake added.  “We lucked out with that video
and got a really good director who made shooting it easier than usual.”

“Stephanie from Decatur is next.”

“Colin, who has longer hair?  Kory Clarke or you?”

“I think his hair is longer because I had to shorten
mine a few years ago after it fell in love with my coffee grinder,” Colin
laughed.

 “Dan from Marietta has a question.”

“Who are you supporting for President?”

“I’m as you may have already guessed quite liberal so
I’m supporting the Democratic candidate.”

“I’m an independent because I like the idea of a third
party candidate. What’s really important, though, is that you vote,” Jake
added.  “It doesn’t matter how or who you vote for – just that you vote!”

“Right!”  Colin urged.  “Don’t ever let anybody tell
you that your vote doesn’t count!”

“We have time for a few more calls.  Trish from
Atlanta.”

“I saw you guys last year when you opened for Guns ‘N’
Roses.”

“That was one wild tour, Trish,” Colin remarked.

“How come you guys don’t wear fancy stage clothes?”

“Well, Colin doesn’t have the legs for a kilt!”  Jake
joked.

“I’m into comfort so I’ll take a pair of well-worn
jeans over leather any time!”  Colin declared.

“Mitch from Dalton is on the line.”

“Do you guys live in a house or an apartment?”

“I live in a small Queen Anne Victorian which was
built in 1900 and its best known for being a cathouse at one time.”  Colin
revealed.

“Do you also live in a former house of ill-repute,
Jake?”  Morrison questioned.

“Nah!  I live in an apartment.  I’m not into mowing
the lawn!”

“Our last caller is Tony from Macon.”

“What do you guys do to keep in shape for your tour?”

“I jog and I play racquetball,” Jake answered.

“I play some racquetball,” Colin began.

“He always looses to me!”  Jake snickered.

“I also roller blade and I hike too,” Colin
continued.  “Marin County has some great hiking trails.”

“Thanks for stopping by, Colin and Jake.  We’re all
looking forward to Unforgiven’s show tonight at the Omni Coliseum starting at
eight o’clock.”

“Thanks for having us,” Colin said.  “I’d like to tell
everybody it’s going to be a fantastic show!  We’ve got a great opening band in
Armageddon so be sure to get there early!”

“Okay!  Coming up, your chance to win a pair of
tickets to see Unforgiven at the Omni Coliseum tonight!”

As Colin and Jake walked out of the radio station and
got into the waiting limousine, Jake asked, “So, who’s this mysterious woman
you referred to?”

“I met her at when she was covering the Ozzfest last
summer for her magazine,” Colin replied evasively.

Jake glanced at Colin curiously.  Colin had always
been closemouthed about his relationships even with him and he considered
himself to be Colin’s best friend, but he’d never known him to be so reticent
before.  This woman, whoever she was must mean a great deal to him.

“My parents invited us all to dinner tonight.  Can you
make it?”  Colin asked, changing the subject.

“Damn!  Colin, I’d say yes …if I hadn’t already made
other plans.” He shrugged.

Colin grinned, wondering how Jake managed to pick up a
girl when they barely had a free moment since arriving in Atlanta!

 “Tell them thanks for thinking about me, though.”

“Will do.”

They arrived back at the hotel.  Colin entered his
room and his cell started buzzing.  It was Alethea.  They talked for a few
minutes before hanging up.  He smiled and then fell face first on his bed, his
head hanging over the edge with his long hair pooling on the rug beneath him. 
He was beat!  He glanced at his watch, groaned and pulled himself up again. 
After showering and drying his hair, he got dressed, wearing black jeans, a
long, silky green shirt and a black vest.  He tucked his room key into his
pocket and left.  He knocked on the door of Mace’s room.  “Yeah, come on in.”

Colin stuck his head in the door and invited Mace to
dinner with his family.

“Tell your parents thanks for me, Colin, but I’m going
over to the coliseum and get in some practice time.”

“Okay.”  He knew that Mace was a perfectionist when it
came to his drumming and was always looking for ways to improve it.