Title: Juke Box Heroes
Author: unrequited1984
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Bones, I don't own Foreigner either or any of their songs. I do however own myself, and well I'm happy with that.
Summary: That one guitar made their whole life change…
Juke Box Heroes by unrequited1984
Chapter 1: Roar of the Crowd
Looking around me I decided that while going to see a band perform whose height of popularity peaked twenty years ago wasn't exactly cool; and going to see that band with your mother definitely wasn't cool, that when that band was Foreigner it really didn't matter. I was having a blast, jumping up and down whilst surrounded by ageing rocker chicks in jeans and tops that were definitely too tight for their age. The smell of a doobie, no doubt coming from the hippie with they graying pony-tail from two rows back wafting up to reach my nose. My mother beside me giving the band the double horn salute, the international sign for good rock. It would probably go down in my own personal history as one of the best concerts ever, I mean it's Foreigner man. One of the greatest rock bands to come out of the 80's, they just don't make music like this anymore!
But every couple of minutes my eyes were drawn from the stage to the couple sitting in the row in front of me. He was wearing a tight fitting AC/DC shirt and jeans, and had quite a nice butt. I certainly wasn't complaining about the view as he seemed to bounce in place playing the air guitar. She stood out, and not just because she was wearing normal clothes, unlike the woman next to her in the Union Jack Tube Top. No she stood out because I could tell she wasn't really comfortable. She didn't jump up and down or shout out the words to any of the songs. She just stood there, a smile on her face, but it was a timid one. As if she wasn't really sure she was allowed to be happy where she was. And when Mr. Handsome was paying particular attention to the fellows on stage she would gaze at him as if he had given her some wonderful gift, one that she couldn't decide if she wanted to open.
During a lull between song sets I heard him yell over the crowd, "You having fun Bones?"
Of course I thought it an odd nickname, but as I was eavesdropping I didn't ask questions.
She smiled, "Of course I am. I'm just not use to this kind of social interaction. I think it's an interesting mix of social and economical classes, all being brought together by their love of this music. We've seen people ranging from 12 years of age to folks in their 60s. I never would have guessed it."
He smiled and rolled his eyes, as if this kind of soliloquy was normal from her, "Have you even heard one note of the music being played up there?"
She nodded, "Yes, they still know how to make great music, even after all this time. But will they sing it?"
I, of course had no clue which song "It" was, but he seemed to, "I'm sure they will Bones. It's a big crowd pleaser so they'll probably leave it for last."
He put his arm around her shoulder, a questioning look in his eyes. I somehow got the feeling that I was witnessing history in the making but I didn't know why.
The band came back on and proceeded to launch into Cold as Ice, prompting the man to slide his hand down from her shoulder to take her hand. She looked down at their entwined hands and looked at him. He just laughed and brought their combined hands up to join the rest of the crowds pumping fists in the air.
My attention turned back to the band and I got lost in the music, the energy of the crowd, and the way I felt being surrounded by the throbbing beat from the drum and the roar of the crowd around me.
As a finale the band thanked us for being a great crowd, assured us they would be back next year and asked that we keep ourselves hot. With that they played the starting notes to the song that I hadn't realized that I had been waiting for, Hot Blooded. My eyes happened to go to the couple in front of me whose eyes had left the stage and had turned to each other. If her smile had been timid before, it was radiant now. He just mouthed "I told you so." She finally let loose, bouncing, playing air guitar and even doing a somewhat gangly kick. I couldn't help but laugh as the woman seemed to loose about 10 years. The man reached down into her purse and pulled out a camera, turning her spotted me. I hoped that he hadn't noticed me watching them, I mean everybody people watches at concerts but you hope not to get caught. Luckily for me he just held out the camera, "Will you take a picture of us?"
I nodded and he put the arm back around her shoulder and she snuggled right up to him. I zoomed in a bit to get their face and the bands logo that was projected up on the big screen behind them. As I snapped the picture I couldn't help but hope that next time I went to a concert that it wouldn't be with my mother, but with somebody who meant as much to me as these two obviously meant to each other.
AN: Yes this concert actually happened, though it wasn't just Foreigner playing. It was Foreigner, Styx and Def Leppard. I can honestly say it was one of the best concerts ever! Foreigner can still rock the house and leave you screaming for more. I did indeed wait the whole time for them to play 'Hot Blooded', though I didn't try to do a kick a'la Bones. It was amazing, and the best show closer number. No, I didn't see our fave couple or even David and Emily, but I did end up taking a picture of the couple in front of me! And the woman in the Union Jack Tube Top also exists, she was about 45 years old and really didn't have the body anymore. But someone was impressed with her as they kept showing her on the screen during Def Leppard's 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. So yes, this is another one of those annoying stories told from the authors POV but I couldn't help myself!