Rise To Stardom - Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Dolled-up
SoFi stadium.

Situated in Inglewood, California, it was a 70,000+ seat, state-of-the-art stadium that had become well known for hosting some of the biggest events in sports and entertainment.

This was also the ideal venue where the very first concert for Carl’s mini tour was going to kick-off.

Honestly, for a mini-tour, this was overkill.

But then again, Carl Finch was an international superstar.

That alone, was enough justification to rent out such a spectacular venue.

Currently dressed in practice clothes though, Kyle, who was taking in the wide expanse of the empty stadium, had a strong belief, that far more than half of the tens of thousand empty seats he was gazing at, was already taken.

And that, was not even counting those whom would rather prefer to spend most of the event standing near the stage and open spaces of the stadium.

Casually standing in the middle of the unoccupied stage which had previously been set up two days ago by the production team, Kyle simply took in the sheer brilliance of the stadium’s architecture, the 4K, high-screen definition of the dual-sided videoboards included.

At the same time, the people of the production team who numbered in roughly twenty to thirty, moved a few things about here and there on the field of the stadium while others, with planners in their hands, went about ensuring everything was as it should be.

“We need to get the trusses up and locked in before sound check at 2pm. Also, double check the stage dimensions; we don’t want any issues with the pyrotechnics when Carl comes up on stage.” the Stage Manager gave out orders, his tone a mix of laid-back yet authoritative.

“Roger that. While we’re at that though, adjust the EQ on the subs. We need more bass on the front-house speakers.” one of the Sound Engineers commented, his words directed at a fellow colleague.

“We should probably move the main speakers forward a bit. Don’t want it interfering with the side monitors in that angle.” the Stagehands were already off to do their part of the job in maintaining the stage.

“We need to get these cables off the stage area. Don’t want Carl or Kyle tripping while they perform [Dancin’ On The Edge].” one of the Riggers pointed out to his mates.

“Lighting rig should be operational before noon so we can test ’em. Please, don’t forget that.” the Lighting Technician reminded the Event Coordinator who nodded in acknowledgement after which she then spoke audibly to everyone after starring it on her planner;

“You heard the man. Need the stage clear in an hour for a quick lighting test.”

Even as all the members of the production crew kept working in sync to ensure a smooth concert, Kyle was still taking in the sights of the stadium.

It was just that impressive, period.

Its striking elliptical roof and panels, one that allowed natural light to flood the stadium’s expanse during the day, was aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.

That said, from late evening into the night, which was when the mini-tour was going to kick-off proper, these panels would essentially function to light up every corner of said stadium with LED displays.

“It’s quite the marvel, isn’t it? I had the same gaze the very first time I stepped onto this stage for my very first tour.” Carl, dressed in his own practice clothes, walked up to Kyle who was still gazing in awe at the rows and rows of empty seats that populated the entire expanse of the stadium.

“It’s, brilliant…” Kyle quietly let out a few words, to which Carl questioned playfully;

“That you or The Curator speaking?”

“Who’s to say it isn’t both?” Kyle chuckled in response, simultaneously shielding his gaze from the refracting rays of the sun.

It was already late morning and yet, summer was doing its thing, ramping up the heat like no one’s business.

The weather was bright and sunny and the clouds, white as snow with their silver linings, slowly drifted across the unlimited expanse of the big, blue sky.

“C’mon. We’ve still got to go through the rehearsals. Sight-seeing can come later.” Carl, having taking another swig of water from his bottle, gestured sideways with his head.

“Alright.” Kyle nodded in agreement, both leaving the stage as the production team, went about setting up the rest of the venue.

…

…

…

In contrast to its deserted feel earlier in the day, the venue as of the moment, was bubbling with excitement.

The concert was yet to begin since it was still 4:30pm but that didn’t stop The Finches, Carl’s self-proclaimed fans, from populating the entire expanse of the outer stadium for pre-concert festivities.

From the premium dining and lounge areas, to the VIP suites, and even the open-air spaces, all of which had been evidently prepped to perfection by the production team to keep them busy before the start of the concert by 5:00pm, everywhere was packed, lively chatter filling up the venue.

As expected too, the ratio of females to males was completely skewed.

To put it into perspective, 75% of the individuals who attended the concert were ladies while the rest, were guys, most of whom either accompanied their partners or were dragged along by them.

Simply put, possibly only 5% of the guys who attended the concert, attended solely because they wanted to see Carl perform and not because they had any ulterior motives of their own.

As for those with ulterior motives… well, this was one of their central hubs.

One of such guys who came out here to fish hot chicks and land one night stands, was Tyler, a handsome dude who was more or less the leader of his clique even though it had never, explicitly been stated.

In all fairness, all four dudes noticeably stood out as they sat around an outdoor table and bench while conversing, laughing and exchanging banters, drawing many curious and interested gazes from the multitude of ladies passing by.

They were all very-good looking after all.

Considering they were all also wearing matching football jackets for a team in the lower divisions, it also added to their presence.

“On the phone?” Nick, downed an energy drink while questioning in disbelief.

“So? She was getting too clingy. Didn’t wanna deal with her in person.” the guy who was being questioned, Seth, casually replied, his expression nonchalant.

Yes, that Seth.

Also known by Kyle as, Shit Douchebag.

“Just be the right amount of toxic to these ladies and boom, you’re in their pants. Weird stuff honestly…” Troy added to their conversation with a light chuckle, a hint of mockery to his tone.

However, even as they all conversed, they soon noticed that Tyler, wasn’t paying any attention to what was being said and instead, had his gaze trained somewhere else.

Glancing over to check out the lady he was presumably checking out, Nick and Troy silently whistled in synchrony.

Currently, sitting on one of the outdoor benches while awaiting the rest of her friends, was a dolled-up Christina, her current aura a mix of innocent yet sexy.

Her make-up was light and yet, she still stood out even amongst the multitude of ladies around.

Dressing up with a blend of an edgy yet feminine feel that struck a balance between chic and rock-inspired flair, Christina wore a vibrant, green, knee-length dress, a black leather jacket and stretchy, thigh-high boots.

The lady’s currently straightened-blonde hair also fell gently over her shoulders as she seemed to be typing something on her smartphone while tucking her hair behind her hair.

“Oh she’s hot.” Nick commented, to which Troy then added;

“It’s my lucky day boys.”

“Back, off.” Tyler instantly countered authoritatively, not even sparing Troy a glance.

“Alright fine. She’s yours.” Troy willingly backed off.

Seth on the other hand, tilted his head a bit, finding the lady somewhat familiar.

“Hmmm…” he mused out loud, wondering where exactly he had seen that face.

However, before Tyler could even get up to make a move and the guys could ask Seth why he was pondering out loud, they watched as a bunch of fashionably dressed ladies, walked over to the lady who beamed at them with the warmest of smiles.

* * *

“You, look, gorgeous! Whose heart are you trying to steal?” Katie, currently holding Christina’s hands, complimented the lady’s chic yet rebellious attire, one to which Christina beamed even brighter in response, a light blush on her cheeks.

“Apologies Christina. Did you wait long?” Lily was the next to greet the lady whilst offering a hug with a warm smile.

In response, Christina simply shook her head in denial.

“Thank God. I was worried we’d have kept you waiting any longer with, you, taking forever to get out of your house.” Jasmine heaved an exasperated sigh of relief while similarly giving her her closest friend, Liz, the side eye.

Liz, due to having a role in a movie, currently lived at a nearby hotel in Inglewood, L.A and yet, she ended up being the tardiest.

“Babe! How was I supposed to know I’d sleep in?!” Liz defended to which Ellen, Hannah and Amy chuckled heartily.

As the ladies had their interactions, Tyler’s group watched on, unable to glean anything from their animated conversations from afar.

However, considering all seven had their backs turned to the guys from the angle they were viewing from, they could only watch as the blonde-haired beauty soon joined her clique of ladies, all of them heading towards the entrance to the stadium.

It was almost 5:00pm after all and the concert would soon start.

Yet, for all the guys, possibly due to the skill of discernment they had picked up over the years while picking up girls, they knew, immediately that the clique of ladies would be full of beauties.

Also, their side frames alone had been quite the eye-candy to say the least.

That was all the motivation each and every one in Tyler’s clique, needed to haul their asses off the bench.

They too were ready to move into the stadium and ‘enjoy’ the performance.