"Holy shit, man!"
"We're fucked man, we're totally fucked."
"We're doomed!" Kaz cried out dramatically, running a hand anxiously through his hair as he stared wide-eyed at the ground. He began to mutter something that sounded vaguely like panicked cursing in German while Michael looked like he was about to faint. Alex and Atticus exchanged mutual looks of mortification and concern as they looked down at the paper again.
"Okay, okay, calm down. We got this. We practiced a bunch before the festival, guys, and we all know the songs by heart. Let's just get a little practice in before we're on, okay?" Alex pleaded. Kaz nodded, taking a deep breath before looking over at Michael, who looked like he was on the verge of passing out. "Let's just set up and practice on stage, they don't let anyone see while we practice, so we can get our shit together before we're on. Deal?" The others collectively nodded, and Alex cracked a grin. "Alright, let's show these guys what Blackout's all about!" he said excitedly. At that the band scrambled to take apart and move their things, nearly tripping over themselves in their nervousness-fueled haste.
Ten minutes later they had dragged their equipment on stage, and Alex was running around making sure everything was in its proper place before grabbing his guitar. "Okay, guys. We'll just start practicing in order until whoever shows up to tell us we're on," he said, the other boys nodding in agreement as they got into position. Kaz walked over to the microphone a few feet to the side of Alex, and Michael slid into his spot off to the right behind Alex while Atticus stood behind his soundboard to the left behind Kaz. Alex turned to look at them all, holding a hand above his head as he counted on his fingers. "Seven Nation Army, on three! One, two, three!" he shouted with a grin before they all began to play.
An hour later an irritated-looking man in a Lost Light Music Festival t-shirt walked up to the stage. He squinted up at them, the song they were playing slowing to a stop as he checked his clipboard. "Are you...Blackout?" he asked in a tired, unamused voice. Alex nodded.
"Yep, that's us. You the five minute warning?" he asked, and the man nodded.
"You got five minutes before you gotta start playing. You're on for an hour, and you have twenty minutes to get your stuff off the stage before the next band comes on," he droned before turning and walking off. The group exchanged anxious glances, and the collective nervousness only increased as they watched people beginning to file into the seats in the audience.
"Look like you're doing something," Alex hissed quietly, and the group jumped to make themselves busy. Alex and Kaz walked over to the amps, fumbling with meticulously set knobs and already plugged in cords. Michael just sat and checked his phone while Atticus messed with the various knobs and dials on his soundboard. Before they knew it, the five minutes was up, and the man from before was gesturing for them to start as he stood just off stage. Kaz took a deep breath, anxiety curling in his chest as he looked out across the crowd. He barely heard Alex introducing the band, could barely gesture when he was introduced. The world around him felt dull and numb for a long moment, his body frozen in the moment. And with a single chord he felt everything crash into focus as they finally began to play.
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