"10 minutes till showtime guys!" one of the stage managers shouted at anyone listening. Adam was pulling on his purple jacket before looking over at Tommy. "You ready, man?" he asked. Tommy sat in a chair, his elbow resting on the makeup bench and his head resting on his hand. Even under all the black eye makeup, his eyes began to fade shut every now and again. He looked over at Adam, and managed a smile, before using all his strength to push himself up out of the chair and grab his bass from the corner of the room. "Yeah im ready" he replied. Adam brushed a last glittery brush of eyeshadow on his eyelid before smiling in the mirror, but glancing over at Tommy. "You sure you're ok? You look knackered" he asked, concerned. Tommy fitted his earpieces in and flicked his blonde hair out of his eyes. His fingers ran up and down the neck of his guitar. "Yeah just not enough sleep…i'll be ok once i get out there."
The tour had certainly taken its toll. For over 3months they had been on the road, with over 70 shows. A day off was rare, and in the last 24hrs they had flown 3 continents and performed a show in each. The lack of sleep, jetlag and time difference was fast setting in for all of the crew - but Tommy being the smallest in the band, and not used to this fast paced lifestyle was finding it the hardest.
Adam threw him a brief smile before walking over to him. He traced the neck of Tommy's guitar slowly. "just two more shows and then we get a break…you eaten something?" he asked. Tommy looked briefly at Adam before looking down. Adam looked at him knowingly giving him a 'you-have-to-eat' face before opening his mouth to say something. "Everyone to stage!" interrupted the stage manager. Adam's eyes were still fixed on Tommy, but he turned slowly, grabbed his hat from the bench and placed it on his head before making his way to stage.
The music began, the lights glared out and Adam launched into Voodoo. Tommy stood at the back of the stage, strumming his bass in the shadows. He wasn't even aware of the chords he was strumming, instinct took over and his fingers just seemed to find the right notes - even though tommy's eyes were looking around the stage. He just wasn't feeling it tonight.
Fever played and Tommy slowly moved to the centre of the stage for the act. He tried to toss his hair back a few times to try and look into the song, but deep down he felt lifeless like he was a puppet and someone was just tugging the strings above him, causing his fingers to move down the guitar. As Adam wrapped his arm around tommy's shoulders, Tommy rested his head under Adam's chin. "Would you be m m mine?" sung Adam. He placed a hand on Tommy's chin and pulled his face up to his and planted a delicate kiss on Tommy's lips. The crowd went wild. As Adam walked away, Tommy sunk back into his mindless playing. He watched Adam dancing on the other side of the stage and wondered where he found his energy. The colours and Adam's quick moves made Tommy dizzy, and he tried to focus his eyes back on the guitar. Was it heating up out here or was it just him? He stumbled slightly but found his feet, noticing Adam watching him out the corner of his eye. When the song stopped, Adam left the stage for a quickchange and Tommy followed to change his guitar. "Tommy" Adam called, as two people helped him remove his jacket and change into a vest. Tommy moved over to him. "You alright?" he asked. It seemed like the hundredth time Adam had asked him. Tommy pulled his guitar strap over his shoulder. "Im fine" he faked a small smile. Adam didn't look as convinced as he had hoped he would be. He reached out a hand and sat it on Tommy's shoulder. Tommy's gaze travelled to the floor. "Look at me" Adam told him softly, moving his thumb so that Tommy looked up. Tommy stared at him, his brown eyes tired under the black makeup. Adam stroked his thumb under tommy's eye softly. "Stage!" came the familiar call.
"ohhhh you make me wanna listen to music again" sung Adam. The bright lights fiery red and yellow. He looked to Tommy and Tommy began his solo. His hands sliding up and down the guitar. he bent his knees and flicked his hair around. He had to look awake. flick flick flick. he tossed his head around and felt his blonde hair fall repeatedly over his eyes. He could feel the beat of the drums under his feet, and he watched as the smoke machine in front of him puffed billows of smoke under him. His head began to ache. He could see Adam dancing on the other side of the stage watching him. Boom boom boom…the drum under his feet. He listened as his bass pumped out the noise he was so familiar with, he swished his head around fast, to see what Adam was doing. But black spots filled his vision. he blinked a few times, his head still swishing in time. More black spots. His world was turning black. His fingers stopped sliding and he felt his knees give out under him….and then the world was black.