Rise To Stardom - Chapter 222

Chapter 222: Rain Harder
Rogers Center, Toronto.

Bell Center, Montreal.

Lumen Field, Seattle.

SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.

The O2 Arena, London.

Wembley Stadium, London.

Sydney Opera House, Sydney.

Tokyo Dome, Tokyo.

Saitama Super Arena, Saitama.

And rounding it all up, Madison Square Garden, New York City.

This made for a total of ten, massive stages, all set, booked and prepped for Kyle’s very first tour.

It hadn’t been easy getting access to some of these stages but Stuart, being the pro that he was, pulled it off with skilled expertise.

That said, one could argue that a total of only ten sites for Kyle’s tour, was definitely on the smaller end of the spectrum.

Added to that, his tour running from March 13th to June 12th, a total of just three months was also, very short.

But, when factoring into consideration that despite how immensely popular he was, he really was still an independent artist, the fact the he actually had such big stages booked down for his very first tour in that short time span, spoke volumes.

It was a huge feat, to say the least.

And if Kyle’s fans were being completely honest, which they were, they figured their favorite star would probably hit up a bunch of music festivals along the way to make up for those lesser numbers.

Also, with [Tech Wiz: Year One] announced to all and sundry, they also made an accurate guestimate that his tour been that short, probably had to do with the filming dates of the superhero movie, possibly beginning around late June.

In any case, the next few weeks passed by quickly and with multiple calendar dates circled for March 13th on so many of his fans’ calendars, the D-day, finally arrived.

* * *

Kyle was seated on a couch backstage, studying his panel.

Having worked up a sweat for the rehearsals involving tonight’s show, he and his backup performers were taking a well-deserved break.

___________________________

{Kyle Kestis} – Exp. Points (81,105)

⸶Skills⸷

| [Soulful Vocals (P)], [Growth Spurt (P)], [Appraisal(A)], [Resonance (P)] – {S}], [Charisma (P)], [Polyglot (P)], [Deep Dive (A) – {S}], [Recollection (P)], [Scene Stealer (A)], [Action & Stunt Mastery (P)], [Bleeding Effect (P)], [Detoxification (A)], [Peak Human Conditioning (P)], [Flow (P)], [Choreography Master (P)]…

* Exp. Points can be used to create skills.

⸶Levels⸷

| Singing › Level 16

| Acting › Level 14

| Composing › Level 16

| Dancing › Level 14

| Instrument Mastery (Piano/Guitar) › Level 13/13

* Levels will increase in accordance to your growth.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Although the young star found it a bit curious that he didn’t level up after the SuperBowl Halftime performance, at the same time, he wasn’t exactly surprised.

‘It did say it’d get exponentially harder…’

‘Though, I have hunch I’ll be leveling up after today’s concert…’

‘Might even snag two levels in both my Dancing and Instrumental Mastery stats if the exp. spills over…’ he mused to himself.

“Uh Kyle…” Stuart called out to the young man, prompting him to brush away the panel with a mental command.

Alongside him was Oliver, Owen, the Stage Manager and The Lead Event Coordinator, all of whom shared a slightly concerned gaze as they walked over to him.

“We may have a problem…” Stuart’s voice trailed off as he flipped his tab’s screen in Kyle’s direction.

‘Ah…’ Kyle arched his brow slightly in realization at the weather forecast as he remarked;

“Cloudy with a 99% chance of rainfall.”

And then, as if he couldn’t be bothered, the young star stretched lazily as he got off the couch;

“Well, you can’t beat mother nature…”

“Not that that’s going to stop me. We’ll stick to schedule.” he assured all five.

Already expecting that response from him, Oliver, Owen and Stuart, simply sighed in resignation.

As for the Stage Manager and The Event Coordinator, not particularly familiar with the fact that Kyle was a daredevil of his own in more ways than one, practically ran after him as they tried to convince him to at least stall the performance till the rain subsided a bit.

Unfortunately, their pleas, fell on deaf ears.

…

…

…

[5:55pm, Sunday, March 13th, 2022.]

The Rogers Centre in Toronto was packed to the brim with tens of thousands of eager fans!

And amongst these thousands of fans, was a bubbly Sabrina who stood at the forefront with a I ❤️ Kyle banner!

Despite being born with a silver spoon in her tongue from day one, Sabrina, for the very first time in her life in an outdoor environment, threw away all the etiquette her strict family had forced upon her all her life.

In fact, considering she could’ve easily booked one of the VIP sections but instead, purposely chose to join the plebs, fellow Kyle fans on the ground level like her without a care in the world, went to show just how much of a stan she was as she kept screaming at the top of her lungs.

That said, despite the chilly atmosphere though, the collective energy in the stadium was full of palpable excitement and anticipation, one that did a good job of electrifying the stadium despite the looming overcast sky above.

March after all, was quite the rainy month in Canada with a 45% chance of rain falling on an average day.

That said, the open retractable roof of the stadium remained ajar, exposing the pregnant clouds that hung heavy with the promise of a drizzle of rain at the very least, casting a moody, almost cinematic backdrop over the city skyline.

Similarly, a cool breeze also swept through the venue, rustling multiple banners and causing the massive LED screens to flicker slightly.

A spark of lightning and a distant rumble of thunder followed.

It all hinted towards not just a promise of drizzles of rain, but the full-blown thing.

And that was when it really began to creep in for a lot of the fans on ground that possibly, due to safety concerns, Kyle probably wouldn’t start the concert at 6:00pm as planned.

Performing in such a weather after all, especially with all the static electricity in the air, wasn’t exactly hazard-free–– what with all the wired cables and what nots attached to every gizmo in sight?

And yet, as Sabrina’s emotions, a palpable mix of fear and anticipation reached a fever pitch as the minutes ticked by, same as every other fan on ground, they watched as the stage, lit up in neon lights at exactly 6:00pm on the dot!

A roaring wave of stoked cheers, exploded across the stadium, each and every fan, suddenly gaining temporary lungs of steel!

Almost simultaneously, Kyle, walked onto the stage with a wireless mic in his hands, alongside an electric guitar slung over his shoulders which was hooked to the amps.

He was all full of smiles and dressed impeccably for his performance tonight.

Additionally, the session musicians were now in position, each ready to play their instruments without batting an eye at the gloomy weather and its potentially hazardous implications.

Respectively, they were Caleb, Maeve and Paul, all of whom, alongside a few other guest artists across the tour, would be performing as Kickback Radio a few times here and there.

Waving to the crowd whom were constantly cheering with a wave of deafening screams though, Kyle simply fitted the mic-stand before him with his mic, his movements relaxed as he proceeded to speak.

But just before he could, a powerful rumble of thunder, preceding a flashing bolt of lightning, roared across the overcast skies.

And then a drizzle of rain followed, seemingly trying to dampen the atmosphere.

Unbothered, Kyle glanced over to the sky, glazed his irises over its expanse like a disappointed father and then asked;

“Why are you the way that you are?”

The drizzle, seemingly got heavier in response.

“Honestly. Every time there’s fun to be had, you seem to have a penchant for making it, not, fun.” he deadpanned, his comedic timing absolutely perfect as the drizzle, literally transformed into a light shower of rain.

Literally every fan in the stadium, alongside an exuberant Sabrina, burst into a wave of immense laughter at Kyle’s pin-point comedic timing.

But as if he truly had a beef to settle with the weather, Kyle taunted with a noticeable smirk;

“Rain harder.”

No sooner had he stated that, the familiar pop-ballad tune of [Needs to Be Loved], graced everyone’s ears.

In response to that, the crowd cheered wildly, as Kyle’s vocals, sang the first verse, his fingers strumming the electric guitar.

🎸🎶

Broken heart with smudged up make-up,

Tears streaming down her pretty face,

Tired of having her heart played with,

So done with all the lies and games, hmmm~

🎸🎶

Vocals that were just as passionate as they’d remembered, yet far more refined, far more improved, so much better live, had every fan instantly feeling like the concert was absolutely worth it.

And like that, in the shower of the mild rain, Kyle kept singing, his female fans particularly, Sabrina included, screaming at the sight of a rain-soaked Kyle, completely in his element as he even modified the second verse of the song subtly to fit the current scenario;

🎹🎶🎼🎸🎤

I won’t mind spending every day,

Driving over to you in the pouring rain,

Come rain or shine love,

Ask for me and I’ll come running yeah~

🎹🎶🎼🎸🎤

The rain.

It should’ve been a dampener.

Yet, in the hands of an artist who just wanted for his fans, the very best performance he could deliver, it had the exact opposite effect.

At this point, Sabrina, just like so many other ladies, were practically watching their hearts skip while screaming their lungs out as their heartthrob, continued the resonating pop-ballad, the platinum strings of [Resonance], extending to every corner of the stadium.

…

…

…

It’s a hazy… night…

And I wonder if there’s more,

Am I, more than this, or is this, all it is?

Don’t have the answers, but I…

I’ll hold on…

I’ll hold on…

~🎸 🎼 🎻 🥁 🎶 🎸~

In a sing along moment with the crowd, Kyle rounded up a live performance of [Hazy Night], the night’s sky, ironically and completely clear after its little rampage of light showers.

Yet, it seemed as if the fans weren’t satisfied as one of them, a male to be specific, chanted out loud;

“Encore!!!”

“Benjamin for Christ’s sake! That’s the third time in a row we’re performing [Hazy Night]!!” Kyle matched his energy with a similar shout of his own as a ripple of laughter cascaded over the venue.

“No more encores for you Benjamin!” Kyle added definitively with a pointed finger, further bolstering the audience’s already hearty wave of laughter.

Yet, no sooner had Kyle said that, someone threw a smartphone in his direction!

Effortlessly grasping it mid-trajectory, one that had the crowd ‘oohing’ in amazement, Kyle sighed like a concerned parent as he stated;

“That’s your phone…”

“You’re gonna need that…”

“Sooorryy! Can you take a picture of yourself and toss it back over?!” the culprit shamelessly requested and Kyle face-palmed.

Another wave of laughter cascaded over the stadium at their interaction.

“You know what. I’m seizing this. It’s mine now.” Kyle soon replied to the teenage lady, his tone humorous, after which he then added;

“Better yet, I’m gonna call your Mother, Sabrina.” he casually commented as he scrolled through the lady’s contacts, having figured out her name from her own saved contact.

“You have such a nice name. Bad throwing habits though…” Kyle mused out loud as Sabrina the culprit screamed back in response;

“Thank you~!!!”

As all this happened, the crowd was already roaring hysterically once more as Kyle suddenly exclaimed, his sapphire irises glimmering with mischief;

“Haha! Found it! The Mothership!”

“No! Anything but the Mothership!!!” the culprit in question, suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, the desperation in her tone palpable.

Once again, the audience was floored with laughter as even Kyle himself, joined in.

Taking pity on her, Kyle then took a picture of himself and then, passed it to the nearest fan, politely requesting of her to pass it around till it reached its owner.

And when the lady finally had the phone returned to her, she beamed in excitement as she swiftly navigated over to Kyle’s fan group and posted;

Kyle’s Girlfriend: I can die happy now! [Photo.jpg]

As one would expect, it literally only took seconds before a slew of messages, piled right into the fan group in response to Sabrina’s messages.

…

…

…

The concert had been going on for a fairly long while now, just shy of two hours to be precise.

And that was why, as Kyle sang [Back to The Start]’s outro, everyone instinctively thought to themselves;

‘I wish this concert could last longer…’

🎸 🎵 🥁 🎶 🎸

So now we’re back,

Back to the very… start,

Oh it’s been really… hard.

🎸 🎵 🥁 🎶 🎸

With that, everyone expected of Kyle to give his thanks, take a bow, and end the concert.

And they too, were absolutely ready to shower him with cheers, whistles and applauds like there was no tomorrow.

But instead, they watched as the young star, cleared his throat and then, spoke into the mic once more, his sapphire irises gleaming with warmth;

“I have one more song I’d like to perform before we wrap up this concert.”