Soundtracks of a Life (8 page)

Chapter 12

The next three weeks we spend putting together what would be our first world tour. The tour is starting with cities across the USA and Canada and later moving on to Europe and Asia. As Susan rightly predicted we were booking the big venues like hockey and basketball stadiums and to our surprise our tickets were selling out in just a couple of hours on the big capitals of America.

Our days are now filled with rehearsals and working with the show’s crew and engineers setting up the lights and
video background for each song. I’m really enjoying creating the visual feel that will go along with each song. There is going to be lights everywhere and a massive screen behind us, it looks awesome and we are all really excited. You definitely get the idea of how big this whole thing is going to be as there is already about 50 people involved in the making of this tour and by the time we start the tour there would be about 150 people involved overall.

“Hey Lorelai,”
Susan calls me at the end of the rehearsal. “I have a question for you. I got a call from Fender, they are making that custom Strat you ordered and they offered you that guitar and, well actually, any guitar you want for free if you just play Fenders.”

“Oh no way, I’m not a one guitar woman…. I need my freedom to explore other guitars
,” I say mockingly, “ this whole monogamous relationship is not for me, there are too many beautiful Gibsons, Suhr Strats and don’t even get me started with a PRS…” the guys are laughing now.

“Yeah I’ve seen your guitar collection, I didn’t think you were going to go for it but it’s my job to pass it on to you.”

“Ain’t that the pits?” Ted says. “Remember James, when you saved up for a year for that $1,600 dollars Bass?”

“Oh yeah, such a splurge,”
James says reminiscing.

“Yeah exactly.”
Ted continues. “Now that we finally have money they offer us all these stuff for free! And don’t even get me started with bars. I haven’t paid for a drink in months now!”

We all l
augh. “Welcome to stardom guys,” Susan says laughing before she walks off.

In spite our tou
gh schedule, Chris and I manage to keep our romance going in secret. We developed a routine as we are now stationed in LA for the rehearsals.  After we were done, he would come over, late at night, to the apartment I had rented back when we were recording the album and stay with me until early morning when he would go back to his own place. It wasn’t the most restful of schedules but we were running on a whole different kind of energy as of late.

To keep any suspicions away from us, I
had devised a symbiotic relationship with the press. They wanted to use me to sell magazines and I used them to create a fake romance for myself. It was very simple actually, all I had to do was attend some celebrity filled affair, which here in LA I got invited by the boat loads, and then find some hot bachelor of the hour and strike up a conversation, be seen being overly friendly with him, some pictures are snapped and voila, next day I got a new boyfriend in the latest issue of the tabloids. Chris sometimes would get a bit jealous but it was more of an instinct reaction than any real feelings, mostly we would just make fun of my latest choice. “Really this is the guy you picked?” Chris says to me. “That guy is a douche!”

I laugh. “Oh men! A huge douche! But he is a very famous douche and therefore an incredibly easy target.”

Chris, in the other hand, had a much easier time casting the light in the other direction. With his womanizer reputation and the fact that he was often surrounded by girls… no one doubted his alibi.

While we were very careful at first, the longer we were together, the more passionate we felt and the more stupid we got. We started sneaking off during rehearsals exploring every nook and cranny of that stage. It didn’t surprise me anymore, if when I was walking, suddenly out of some corner, I would be pulled into the dark for some make out time. “I really hope it’s you and not some creepy roadie” I
joke and he just laughs. “You do know how incredibly stupid this is right?” I would reason, but we didn’t care enough to make it stop. We were being careless like only love can make you be. Looking back, I’m amazed we didn’t get caught at any given time.

When everything is finally ready we get a few days off b
efore we start the tour. Chris decides to go visit his family as he wouldn’t be seeing them for a while once the tour got going and I joined him. Luckily everyone knew I was close to his family and sometimes joined him on his visits so that didn’t seem weird to anyone. His family knew we were dating. His mom was delighted about it and was very warm to me. They all made me feel part of their family, which was very nice. It was good to be together with Chris freely and for once not afraid of being caught or having to hide our affection. His family was also quite aware that it was supposed to be a secret. I had to tell his mom of the little bait and switch I had going on with the press so she wouldn’t think I was cheating on her son every time she went to the supermarket.

**************

Th
e tour starts out with our first show in LA at the Hollywood Bowl and from there we start to hop from place to place all over the country. It was a tough schedule with lots of concerts per week. Before the tour started, everyone got from our Tour Manager, Kevin Leland, a Tour Guide. In it, we have outlined everything concerning the tour, the route we are going to take, how long it will take to get to each location, all the times we need to be ready to go, rehearsal times, sound check times, hotels we will be staying, check in information, check out information and where we are going next. As the tour gets going that last part is very important as you do lose track of where you are! If we weren’t on the stage doing a concert, then we were in the tour bus going to the next location. There are many nights that we have to sleep in the Tour Bus while going to the next location. The tour Bus is not exactly a bus, as much as it is, a tricked out, huge motorhome. There are bunk beds three high, a bathroom with shower, a kitchen and a lounge, and a whole lot of flat screen TV’s. Our tour caravan consisted of three busses, one for us, the band, and other two with all the crew and equipment. The crew is huge with stage builders, roadies, sound engineer, video and lights engineer, technical director, guitar technician, Tour Manager, Caterers that provide food to everyone, a doctor… and that’s just what I can remember from the top of my head. When we get to a city, the crew goes off to build the stage and set everything up and we usually take on media engagements, then off to the venue for either rehearsals and/or sound check. After that, we get a little rest and down time at our dressing room before the concert in the evening.

On a few lucky occasions when we have days between shows, we got
a good night of sleep on a hotel and got to do a little touring and a little parting before heading off to the next location.

When you spend this much time in a bus with the other people of the band you start experiencing the kind of intimacy with
them that can only be found in a marriage.  Very soon none of the guys cared about letting out gas or a big loud burp in front of me or telling some crude joke or talking about their sexual escapes…
Should have created an all-girls band
, I would think to myself sometimes, but I eventually got used to it all. Very few things shock me now.

Another thing happens when you spend that much time together everywhere. One
, there is no such thing as privacy anymore and second, there is definitely, no such thing as keeping a secret…

My time with Chris was now extremely limited, the less time we had the more we stretched our luck trying to be together so it was a matter of time until Ted and James caught on to what was going on. One morning
we are all together on the bus heading to the next town somewhere in the middle of the USA, I’m sitting comfortably in a chair reading a book, when James approaches me.

“Can we talk?”
he asks and in this moment Ted joins him.

“Sure, what’s the matter?”
I say putting the book down and looking at the two of them.

“Well… Ted and I were wondering what is going on?”

I’m afraid I know what this is all about but I look at him like I don’t understand. Chris joins us now.

“C’mon Lori. Don’t make me have to spell it out for you,” he says. “Are you two together? Like… romantically.”

I don’t say anything. I just put my hand in my head and rub my eyes. He continues.

“Look we just want to know the truth, we are a band and this, whatever it is, will affect all of us so we would like to know.”

“Yes we are together.” Chris finally says. There is a silence between us for a moment.  James looks at Chris, giving him a face of ‘I don’t like this’.

“It’s not like that.” Chris says directly to James. “It’s serious. I’m in love with her.”
Hearing him say it like that with so much confidence made me almost lose my breath.

“Wow, that’s heavy dude…” Ted says
surprised.

“Sorry we hid it from you guys,”
I say at last.

“Well… It’s not like it is completely unexpected.” James smiles at me. “We’ve been watching you two like an episode out of a soap opera since college.”

“But dude…” Ted says to Chris. “Aren’t you afraid? Didn’t Susan say she was going to cut our balls off or something if we got near Lor?”

I roll my eyes at him and laugh. “She said she was going to kick the guy out of the band. It just sounded like I’ll cut your balls off.” We all laugh.

“Yeah but still, having you kicked out of the band would suck men.” James says.

“It’s a risk we are taking and I’m sorry it would affect you two. But it’s not a choice anymore, we tried staying away…” I say.

“Look Lor, we’ve been best friends for years now and I never seen you this happy, calm and composed and generally, this in peace with yourself, as I have these past months. If this is the reason of all that then you’ve got my support. Your secret is safe with me.” James says and gives me a hug. I have some tears in my eyes now. Ted now joins in the hug. “Same here Lor, you have my word.”

“Thanks men,” Chris says to James giving him a handshake. James looks him in the eyes and says, “If you hurt her… I’ll cut your balls off…” Ted joins in, “yeah good thing you got two because I’ll help.”

“Alright, alright, that’s enough of that. Cut it out” I say.

James laughs, “You’re giving us mixed messages now Lor.”

We all burst laughing on my unintended double entendre. “You two are impossible!” I say jokingly punching James in the arm.

Turned out having the guys find out was a blessing in disguise. With them in the secret, Chris and I had a bit more freedom while on tour.
Now when it was just the band on the bus we could be together without having to hide our affection. Also, Chris started joining me in my hotel room, as we no longer cared if one of the guys would see him leaving it.

We still couldn’t have a normal couple life outside the realm of our tour bus and hotel rooms but Chris always would invent a way to make it up for that.

We had arrived in Denver where we would be playing the amazing Red Rocks Amphitheater and we would get a rare day off since our concert was only scheduled for the following day. The guys and I had all gone touring during the day taking a very cool helicopter ride to the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park. When we got back later that afternoon I had a car waiting for me at the hotel to take me to a local radio station to give an interview. I’m finally returning to my hotel room and I open the door to find Chris all nicely dressed and smelling good holding some flowers that he hands me as I walk in the door and gives me a kiss.

“Well since I can never take you out on a romantic dinner I thought I would b
ring the romantic dinner to us,” he says happily. Out in the corner of the room, by the window, he has set up a table with candlelight’s and a bottle of champagne is chilling on an ice bucket next to a bowl of strawberries.

I smile at him a bit dazzled by all the trouble he went thr
ough to make all this. It is incredibly sweet and romantic. He approaches the table now and pulls the cover from one of the plates.

“T
onight’s menu is featuring the best of room service.”

I laugh. “Smells good,”
I say. “Looks good too, thanks… this is very sweet of you.” He gives me a cute smile obviously proud of himself. It’s irresistible. We take our seats at the table and start eating our meal.

“S
o we have half a day off tomorrow,” he says. “If you could do anything what would it be?”

“Hmmm… I think I would love to go to the movies. I love going to the movies, I used to go all the time but now I haven’t been to one in ages.”

“Really? That’s your choice? Ok, well we could do that. We can go to the first showing of the day, there will be no one there, maybe a senior or two… but they won’t know who we are anyways.”

I laugh. “I suppose so.”

“How boring and cliché of us, dinner and a movie.” He mocks me as he pours some more champagne in my glass. I pick a strawberry and take a bite looking at Chris longingly.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks me smiling.