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Behind The Spotlight Chapter 175
The bar was so high, perhaps people were so high from the overwhelming mix of alcohol, sweat, adrenaline, and drugs... Collin and Arnold looked around and found people going crazy, bobbing their heads, head-banging like they didn't care about their necks.
Collin and Arnold had different tastes in music, but they surely didn't hate heavy rock. They just preferred to sit in a high-class bar that played jazz music instead of attending disco bars where young people danced around and went crazy.
Well, neither of them attended college as they started pursuing their careers right after high school. Collin started modeling while Arnold applied for a job at ANT, and both of them believed they made the right choice. I mean, they were millionaires now.
To make it clear, they didn't like this kind of bar, where people partied all night and forgot about everything else, going crazy.
Furthermore, this bar was a rock-and-roll type of bar where different bands performed one after another. Some genre was not their taste.
As of now, the band performing was screaming like a madman. The vocalist was growling like a beast while the audience was banging their heads in a frenzy that felt almost ritualistic.
The surroundings were dark, with only the spotlight pointing at the stage. Still, the audience was crazy, as if the darkness made them even wilder.
"... Collin, are you sure about this?" Arnold looked at the audience, who were so into the music. Perhaps his taste in music was different because he didn't appreciate screamo.
"What? You're going to leave? Well, I will take Mikael then. I have ways to make him famous."
"Do I look mad? I'm already here, I might as well watch it till the end." Arnold had already talked to his wife and said he was going to be late. He explained that he wanted to sign a new client. Jolyne asked if it was a woman, which Arnold immediately denied. He explained that it was a man.
When the bridge of the song with heavy metal slapping started, the vocalist of the band jumped into the crowd with zero hesitation, trusting strangers with his life.
Arnold almost had a heart attack, he thought the vocalist would hit the concrete floor. Fortunately, the vocalist was caught by the crowd, who lifted him like an offering.
Just like Arnold, Collin was also not used to this kind of event. Still, he was interested in seeing what a "Vocalist of a Band" really meant.
When the band's performance ended, the next group showed up, which was Mikael and the others.
Mikael stepped onto the stage and held the mic. He was nervous, but he was used to it. This was not his first time leading a band. Some of the audience thought Pulse Static would invite a singer from the crowd, but it seemed they had already invited one. Their whole gimmick was inviting someone to sing with them.
"Let's see if this guy can sing."
"Dude, that's also what I thought. Last week, the guy they invited was tone deaf, and the whole performance was so bad that I threw a bottle at the singer out of pure frustration."
"That's why this band is unique. I only buy tickets whenever they perform because their gimmick is interesting. I feel like I'm playing the lottery."
The audience started murmuring.
"We are Pulse Static! Are you guys ready!?" Mikael had a gritty voice that suited the rock band surprisingly well.
Both Arnold and Collin raised their brows because Mikael's singing voice was a huge contrast to his talking voice. His talking voice was low but calm, with no hint of roughness, almost soothing, in fact.
The guitarist started the performance and the whole band played a song. Mikael banged his head because the first song was heavy metal, and the audience followed suit like a synchronized wave of chaos.
The lights went on and off in different rhythms, and the whole crowd joined the flow.
When Mikael sang the first line, his voice captured the attention of the crowd and they cheered.
Even the two agents "woohoo!" and jumped. They didn't realize they got caught up in the atmosphere. Despite wearing tuxedos, they didn't care about their movements or the fact that they stood out in the crowd.
When the chorus arrived, Mikael hit all of the notes perfectly with a gritty voice. Even the drummer, guitarist, and bassist were so into the music that they played as if this was the most important night of their lives.
"Thank you so much! Now for our second song!"
This time, the song they chose was an Emo Punk Rock with a bit of screamo. It wasn't reliant on screamo but on the lyrics instead. The lyrics were depressing, but they were drowned by the rock music. Mikael Wagner also forgot about the fact that he was meant to show an executive his talent. He got caught up in the moment, letting the emotions guide him.
He recalled how fun it was to perform on stage and sing with his best. The crowd also loved their performance. It was amazing, and he felt the same spark he used to feel years ago.
He thought he should have pursued music instead of acting. He was hesitant between the two and decided to enroll in a film school instead, a choice he sometimes questioned.
With sweat and a wide smile on his face, Mikael and Pulse Static played the 3rd and last song with energy that surpassed the first two.
That night, Pulse Static performed three kinds of rock, showcasing their abilities to adjust. The first song was heavy metal, the second was emo punk, and the third was hard rock.
Of course, the two agents had no idea what the differences were between the three. They just thought Mikael's singing voice was unique and his performance was outstanding.
"This is completely different than earlier," Arnold muttered while wiping his face. He was also sweaty after all that jumping and headbanging, which he didn't expect to enjoy.
"Then that shows that Mikael is fit to be in a band."
"Phew," Arnold took a deep breath, still catching his breath.
"Alright, since I'm here anyway, I might as well sign him." Arnold made his decision.
"Him? Why don't you sign him and the band members? That way, it will be easier."
"You think so?"
"It depends. I think he's fit to be a vocalist of a band instead of going solo. But of course, you have to make sure the three band members are clean." Collin added.
"Then I need you for that. You're the one who's good at determining people's behavior." Arnold thought about it seriously and found Collin's opinion valid. Indeed, Mikael was meant to be in a band instead of going solo, based on what they experienced today.