08-23-2014, 04:02 PM
After they got checked into their rooms they had a bit of fun playing before showering and getting ready for the Thai restaurant. They both decided on casual dress up clothes for the dinner and concert. Connor wore a pair of tan khakis, brown shoes, a blue button down shirt, thin black sweater, and brown hound’s tooth blazer. Ayden went with a tight open v-neck dark gray sweater, cream scarf, gray pants with knitted belt, gray knitted cap, gray heeled boots, and tan overcoat. The restaurant was nice and the food was great and they enjoyed a bottle of wine with it.
Afterward, they took a cab to the Ice Stadium. The wait was long as the tickets had sold out. Connor looked around and saw mostly people his own age or a bit older, though scattered among them were a few younger folk as well. He laughed to himself. He wasn’t the only one here to say good-bye to an era. There was a lot of nostalgia here- happiness and wistfulness all mixed into one. He leaned in to whisper to Ayden, ”Hehe…Bet you more than a few little blue pills get taken tonight. And hangover meds too.”
Once they got inside the stadium they found their seats. The place was crowded. He estimated maybe 9000 people. And this was just St Petersberg. There were other CCD dominances and cities in the tour, not to mention the final US leg of the tour. But when you thought about it, it made sense. The music trend that Foo Fighters had been part of, alternative and post alternative, had come to Russia and the ASU in the early to mid-2010's. That coupled with the 90's renaissance of the 2020's ensured that there were a lot of people who'd turned out to see their farewell.
They sat down and he looked at Ayden. ”I know this is probably not your thing, but thank you for coming with me. It means a lot to me. I promise, after this, the rest of the weekend is yours. Anything you want.”
He kissed her and then smiled. ”I'll even go to a ballet or the opera.”
He winked.
She laughed. "I'm sure I could think of a few things you could do with me."
After a little while the lights got low and the stage was lighted up. There was an excitement in his chest. This was it. He looked over at Ayden and then back to the stage. He was still curious about the other bands. The idea of a cover band left a distaste in his mouth, especially with them playing with an original band. But there really wasn't much they could do. It was what it was, a music festival. He'd been to a few in his youth. Lollapalooza 2021 had been the 30th anniversary and he'd gone with a bunch of buddies when he was 22. It had been pure awesome. He'd loved every minute of it- the music, the people, the atmosphere, the girls- everything. Of course a lot of the people who'd gone to the original festivals 30 years earlier had decried it as a cynical capitalization of the name Lollapalooza and what it had meant originally or whatever. He hadn't cared. It was just a lot of fun. Bunch of pretentious old blowhards always tried to ruin things. Heh...like me and these cover bands? He resolved not to be that old guy at the concert- though truthfully he was solidly in the middle of this crowd, age-wise.
As if that had been the cue, the lights came up on the stage to the opening bars of “Walk”, slow at first, and then building and building until the guitar riffs kicked off. The lights switched on high and there they were. It was glorious and beautiful and painful. Dave stood there, long hair and goatee streaked with white visible from where they were sitting. His voice wasn't as powerful as it used to be, of course, but they still killed it, Taylor attacking the drums like a wild man despite being in his 70s. From there they went into “Hero”, “Everlong”, “Run to me”, and “Take it down”. Connor's heart soared at the music, the guitar and bass echoing through him.
After those songs Dave addressed the crowd, welcoming them, the joy and energy palpable in his words and the mood of the crowd. “You all have no idea what this means to us, to you see you here tonight. No one could ask for a better goodbye than this.”
He raised his drink into the air and looked back at the rest of the band. ”Right guys?”
The rest of the band cheered and Taylor yelled into his mic ”We love you guys!”
”Yeah we do! We wanted to make this special for you. This is our goodbye. But we were never alone in what we did. We've had so many friends over the years. Nearly all of them are gone.”
He raised his voice. ”But dammit we are not fucking going out like this! We will not go out silent, the last of our generation. Am I right!!!!”
Connor found himself wildly cheering with the rest of the crowd. He had no idea what they were going to do but he was excited. ”We are going to play with them tonight. We're bringing them back!!! Fuck yeah!!!”
The audience went wild and cheered and the lights went out.
Connor looked at Ayden and hugged her to him. ”Hahaha! This is awesome right? I feel like I'm 20 again!. God I wish my dad was here to see this.”
The lights started to swirl around the stage and the crowd grew hushed.
A familiar baseline and riff started playing. “How long, how long will I slide, Separate my side I don't, I don't believe it's bad, Slit my throat, It's all I ever...” The lights came up and there they were. Somehow the Red Hot Chili Peppers were there playing “Otherside”. It wasn't a cover band at all. They were AI holo-artists! Connor was smiling like an idot and looked at Ayden- ”Can you believe it?!?!”
he yelled- and then back at the band. It was amazing. From there they launched into staples of their career. “Scar Tissue”, “Soul to Squeeze”, “Danni California”, “Give it away now” and “Under the bridge”. It was more than he had expected.
Now that he knew, he wasn't surprised at the other bands that Dave introduced. He didn't feel ripped off in the slightest. This was more than just about the Foo Fighters. This was the entire music of that specific era making one last appearance. One by one, bands made their appearance to play as holo-artists, the best of their live performances recreated in full 3-dimensional detail. Garbage was there, which surprised him until he remembered that Butch Vig was behind the band and he'd produced Nirvana's Nevermind as well as Foo Fighters' Wasting Light. He wasn't a big fan though “Stupid girl”, “Queer” and “Special” were good. Veruca Salt came on and he wondered what the connection was until Dave mentioned one of the girls-Louise, he thought it was- as being an old flame. He seemed somewhat wistful about her, like he had been such a fool when a youth. Connor knew the feeling. When they launched into “Seether” and “Volcano girls” he remembered them. God they had rocked.
When the Beastie Boys came on he shook his head sadly. This end had started early on. They were the first to hang it up after MCA died when he was just a teenager. His dad had taken it pretty hard, that. They played “To the five boroughs”, “Intergalactic”, “Sabotage”, “Pass the mic”, and “So what'cha want”.
He was surprised to hear Soungarden and “Burden in my hand”, “Fell on Black Days”. “Black hole sun”. They were going back in time. The whole night continued with Pearl Jam and Jane's Addiction, along with Smashing Pumpkins singing “Disarm”, “Tonight Tonight”, and “Eva Adore”. They were hitting all of it. The holo-bands had each been lovingly introduced and talked to as if they were really there and Dave was acknowledging them, their influences, and saying goodbye. It was a long glorious night.
The Foo Fighters remounted the stage and Connor watched how Dave walked. He was in his mid 70's and while he was still energetic, age was age. The holo-bands had also given them an opportunity to rest too. He didn't begrudge them that. It made him feel sad, though, an ache of nostalgia spreading across his chest. He looked at Ayden. He was starting a new life with her. He didn't know what that meant. Would they have kids? Would he be a dad again? Those thoughts played through his mind as they went through another set of songs.
Finally Dave said, voice somber, ”Now I want to take this moment and bring back three friends.”
The crowd started to cheer and he raised his hands for silence. ”Please! Please. Hold on. These were my friends. Kurt left us a long time ago. It seems like a lifetime ago, really. He was my friend and we loved him. But he was also tortured and wouldn't let anyone help him. I miss him.”
He stopped, clearly saddened more than anything at the colossal waste that Kurt's death had been. ”And Krist Novacelic, my friend. We had so many good times, even after Kurt was gone. Most of all, though, my brother Pat. Pat Smear.”
A cheer rose in the air and Connor felt choked for a moment. This was going back to the beginning. ”Pat was one of the first to join me in the Foo Fighters. And even when he left, he was part of it. He couldn't stay away from us.”
He laughed, as did the audience. ”I miss him a lot.”
Taylor added, ”I do too, man. God I miss him.”
Dave went on. ”Well I want to bring them all back for tonight. Nirvana!”
On the stage three stools appeared in front of Taylor's drums. On the back left in a green-gray shirt with button collar was Krist sitting on his stool, while on the back right in a purple shirt dark pants, plain white socks, and red-white-and blue guitar was Pat Smear. And sitting in the front, vintage light green sweater, shoulder length dirty blonde hair and scruffy face was Kurt Cobain. Dave walked over to the drums and sat down. Everyone's breath caught at the iconic image they were beholding.
A familiar echoing riff began and Kurt began to wail “Come as you are”. Shivers ran up his spine. Dave played simply and subdued in the background, seeming to enjoy jamming with his friends, softly singing backup. After than they launched into “The man who ruled the world”. When they were done they faded off the scene except for Pat. Dave got up and picked up his guitar and Taylor took his place at the drums. Two other now dead members appeared- Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett. It was the band from his youth, the band he saw at the festival in 2021. ”But these guys here, this is the Foo Fighters we forged. We went through a lot together. They are and will always remain my brothers.”
He raised his beer bottle in a toast. ”Thank you all for coming out to see us, for sharing this moment with us. We hope that it meant as much to as it did to us!”
They launched into “Best of you” and “Times like these.” Then “heart attacks” and “2033 is the end”. They played out the evening, the band that he remembered. Memories of his dad and his friends and his youth and Hayden and everything about his life flooded him. It was his life, this era, and it was coming to an end. He was saying goodbye too.
It was beautiful and glorious and powerful and he felt emotionally spent when the lights came up. He wasn't the only one. People stood around seeming to wonder where to go from here. He didn't know. How do you move on?
Ayden took his hand and pulled him closed and kissed him softly. "Now you are mine."
He looked at her smiling face. He couldn't live the past. She was his future. She was his life.
”You ready to leave this place?”
At her nod they made their way through the still standing crowd to the outside. Frozen snow covered everything and it was cold. He pulled her to him and they walked. Silver clouds limned the floating moon. After the heat of the concert, it was refreshing to be outside in the air.
They walked along the sidewalk, shoes crunching the ice. ”Well, the rest of the weekend is yours. What do you want to do babe?”
Afterward, they took a cab to the Ice Stadium. The wait was long as the tickets had sold out. Connor looked around and saw mostly people his own age or a bit older, though scattered among them were a few younger folk as well. He laughed to himself. He wasn’t the only one here to say good-bye to an era. There was a lot of nostalgia here- happiness and wistfulness all mixed into one. He leaned in to whisper to Ayden, ”Hehe…Bet you more than a few little blue pills get taken tonight. And hangover meds too.”
Once they got inside the stadium they found their seats. The place was crowded. He estimated maybe 9000 people. And this was just St Petersberg. There were other CCD dominances and cities in the tour, not to mention the final US leg of the tour. But when you thought about it, it made sense. The music trend that Foo Fighters had been part of, alternative and post alternative, had come to Russia and the ASU in the early to mid-2010's. That coupled with the 90's renaissance of the 2020's ensured that there were a lot of people who'd turned out to see their farewell.
They sat down and he looked at Ayden. ”I know this is probably not your thing, but thank you for coming with me. It means a lot to me. I promise, after this, the rest of the weekend is yours. Anything you want.”
He kissed her and then smiled. ”I'll even go to a ballet or the opera.”
He winked.
She laughed. "I'm sure I could think of a few things you could do with me."
After a little while the lights got low and the stage was lighted up. There was an excitement in his chest. This was it. He looked over at Ayden and then back to the stage. He was still curious about the other bands. The idea of a cover band left a distaste in his mouth, especially with them playing with an original band. But there really wasn't much they could do. It was what it was, a music festival. He'd been to a few in his youth. Lollapalooza 2021 had been the 30th anniversary and he'd gone with a bunch of buddies when he was 22. It had been pure awesome. He'd loved every minute of it- the music, the people, the atmosphere, the girls- everything. Of course a lot of the people who'd gone to the original festivals 30 years earlier had decried it as a cynical capitalization of the name Lollapalooza and what it had meant originally or whatever. He hadn't cared. It was just a lot of fun. Bunch of pretentious old blowhards always tried to ruin things. Heh...like me and these cover bands? He resolved not to be that old guy at the concert- though truthfully he was solidly in the middle of this crowd, age-wise.
As if that had been the cue, the lights came up on the stage to the opening bars of “Walk”, slow at first, and then building and building until the guitar riffs kicked off. The lights switched on high and there they were. It was glorious and beautiful and painful. Dave stood there, long hair and goatee streaked with white visible from where they were sitting. His voice wasn't as powerful as it used to be, of course, but they still killed it, Taylor attacking the drums like a wild man despite being in his 70s. From there they went into “Hero”, “Everlong”, “Run to me”, and “Take it down”. Connor's heart soared at the music, the guitar and bass echoing through him.
After those songs Dave addressed the crowd, welcoming them, the joy and energy palpable in his words and the mood of the crowd. “You all have no idea what this means to us, to you see you here tonight. No one could ask for a better goodbye than this.”
He raised his drink into the air and looked back at the rest of the band. ”Right guys?”
The rest of the band cheered and Taylor yelled into his mic ”We love you guys!”
”Yeah we do! We wanted to make this special for you. This is our goodbye. But we were never alone in what we did. We've had so many friends over the years. Nearly all of them are gone.”
He raised his voice. ”But dammit we are not fucking going out like this! We will not go out silent, the last of our generation. Am I right!!!!”
Connor found himself wildly cheering with the rest of the crowd. He had no idea what they were going to do but he was excited. ”We are going to play with them tonight. We're bringing them back!!! Fuck yeah!!!”
The audience went wild and cheered and the lights went out.
Connor looked at Ayden and hugged her to him. ”Hahaha! This is awesome right? I feel like I'm 20 again!. God I wish my dad was here to see this.”
The lights started to swirl around the stage and the crowd grew hushed.
A familiar baseline and riff started playing. “How long, how long will I slide, Separate my side I don't, I don't believe it's bad, Slit my throat, It's all I ever...” The lights came up and there they were. Somehow the Red Hot Chili Peppers were there playing “Otherside”. It wasn't a cover band at all. They were AI holo-artists! Connor was smiling like an idot and looked at Ayden- ”Can you believe it?!?!”
he yelled- and then back at the band. It was amazing. From there they launched into staples of their career. “Scar Tissue”, “Soul to Squeeze”, “Danni California”, “Give it away now” and “Under the bridge”. It was more than he had expected.
Now that he knew, he wasn't surprised at the other bands that Dave introduced. He didn't feel ripped off in the slightest. This was more than just about the Foo Fighters. This was the entire music of that specific era making one last appearance. One by one, bands made their appearance to play as holo-artists, the best of their live performances recreated in full 3-dimensional detail. Garbage was there, which surprised him until he remembered that Butch Vig was behind the band and he'd produced Nirvana's Nevermind as well as Foo Fighters' Wasting Light. He wasn't a big fan though “Stupid girl”, “Queer” and “Special” were good. Veruca Salt came on and he wondered what the connection was until Dave mentioned one of the girls-Louise, he thought it was- as being an old flame. He seemed somewhat wistful about her, like he had been such a fool when a youth. Connor knew the feeling. When they launched into “Seether” and “Volcano girls” he remembered them. God they had rocked.
When the Beastie Boys came on he shook his head sadly. This end had started early on. They were the first to hang it up after MCA died when he was just a teenager. His dad had taken it pretty hard, that. They played “To the five boroughs”, “Intergalactic”, “Sabotage”, “Pass the mic”, and “So what'cha want”.
He was surprised to hear Soungarden and “Burden in my hand”, “Fell on Black Days”. “Black hole sun”. They were going back in time. The whole night continued with Pearl Jam and Jane's Addiction, along with Smashing Pumpkins singing “Disarm”, “Tonight Tonight”, and “Eva Adore”. They were hitting all of it. The holo-bands had each been lovingly introduced and talked to as if they were really there and Dave was acknowledging them, their influences, and saying goodbye. It was a long glorious night.
The Foo Fighters remounted the stage and Connor watched how Dave walked. He was in his mid 70's and while he was still energetic, age was age. The holo-bands had also given them an opportunity to rest too. He didn't begrudge them that. It made him feel sad, though, an ache of nostalgia spreading across his chest. He looked at Ayden. He was starting a new life with her. He didn't know what that meant. Would they have kids? Would he be a dad again? Those thoughts played through his mind as they went through another set of songs.
Finally Dave said, voice somber, ”Now I want to take this moment and bring back three friends.”
The crowd started to cheer and he raised his hands for silence. ”Please! Please. Hold on. These were my friends. Kurt left us a long time ago. It seems like a lifetime ago, really. He was my friend and we loved him. But he was also tortured and wouldn't let anyone help him. I miss him.”
He stopped, clearly saddened more than anything at the colossal waste that Kurt's death had been. ”And Krist Novacelic, my friend. We had so many good times, even after Kurt was gone. Most of all, though, my brother Pat. Pat Smear.”
A cheer rose in the air and Connor felt choked for a moment. This was going back to the beginning. ”Pat was one of the first to join me in the Foo Fighters. And even when he left, he was part of it. He couldn't stay away from us.”
He laughed, as did the audience. ”I miss him a lot.”
Taylor added, ”I do too, man. God I miss him.”
Dave went on. ”Well I want to bring them all back for tonight. Nirvana!”
On the stage three stools appeared in front of Taylor's drums. On the back left in a green-gray shirt with button collar was Krist sitting on his stool, while on the back right in a purple shirt dark pants, plain white socks, and red-white-and blue guitar was Pat Smear. And sitting in the front, vintage light green sweater, shoulder length dirty blonde hair and scruffy face was Kurt Cobain. Dave walked over to the drums and sat down. Everyone's breath caught at the iconic image they were beholding.
A familiar echoing riff began and Kurt began to wail “Come as you are”. Shivers ran up his spine. Dave played simply and subdued in the background, seeming to enjoy jamming with his friends, softly singing backup. After than they launched into “The man who ruled the world”. When they were done they faded off the scene except for Pat. Dave got up and picked up his guitar and Taylor took his place at the drums. Two other now dead members appeared- Nate Mendel and Chris Shiflett. It was the band from his youth, the band he saw at the festival in 2021. ”But these guys here, this is the Foo Fighters we forged. We went through a lot together. They are and will always remain my brothers.”
He raised his beer bottle in a toast. ”Thank you all for coming out to see us, for sharing this moment with us. We hope that it meant as much to as it did to us!”
They launched into “Best of you” and “Times like these.” Then “heart attacks” and “2033 is the end”. They played out the evening, the band that he remembered. Memories of his dad and his friends and his youth and Hayden and everything about his life flooded him. It was his life, this era, and it was coming to an end. He was saying goodbye too.
It was beautiful and glorious and powerful and he felt emotionally spent when the lights came up. He wasn't the only one. People stood around seeming to wonder where to go from here. He didn't know. How do you move on?
Ayden took his hand and pulled him closed and kissed him softly. "Now you are mine."
He looked at her smiling face. He couldn't live the past. She was his future. She was his life.
”You ready to leave this place?”
At her nod they made their way through the still standing crowd to the outside. Frozen snow covered everything and it was cold. He pulled her to him and they walked. Silver clouds limned the floating moon. After the heat of the concert, it was refreshing to be outside in the air.
They walked along the sidewalk, shoes crunching the ice. ”Well, the rest of the weekend is yours. What do you want to do babe?”