But he knows, these people gotta remember the Roadmasters as the dudes who you could rely on. As the dudes who saw to their business and didn’t disappoint.

Because you need everyone you can get to make it big.

You need everyone you can get to stay there.

And you need everyone to remember you in a good way when it’s time to coast.

But somehow with all this happening, and I know how, the shows don’t suffer.

And this is because the only fix we can get is our own adrenaline.

But also, Preacher’s got something to say to Lyla.

And he needs it bad that she hears it.

During our live shows, we do covers, always at least one cover.

And suddenly we’re doin’ shit like “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “Wild Horses,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.”

[Smiles reminiscently]

I don’t think she heard.

But we kicked the shit outta those songs.

And just to say, seein’ as we’re makin’ the record straight here with what we’re doin’, not like this isn’t known, but I don’t hear it either.

None of us did.

And what Preacher was doin’, he was screaming it in our faces.

Doing this by singing.

One night, we do “Lovesong” by The Cure.

Now, The Cure, this band…

This band is a damned fine band.

No one like them.

No one can be like them, that’s the genius of Robert Smith and The Cure.

I contend that to this day.

Robert Smith wrote songs like you’d never heard before, and you’ve never heard since.

Poppy-sounding, happy songs that make you bounce on your feet with lyrics that will shred your heart.

And the bass in those songs…

[Smiles ruefully]

Dave, Tim, they like The Cure.

Shawn, he gets The Cure, though he’s not what you’d call a fan.

That bass, obviously, I love them.

Preach…

Now if there’s a band Preach is a disciple of, it’s The Cure.

And I think it’s not hard for anyone to get why.

So, just sayin’, we know how to play Cure songs.

But doin’ one on the road?

[Shakes head]

Then Preach puts “Lovesong” on the setlist.

You know, after it all went down, for the rest of my life, I always tried to be sure I never got so deep up my own ass, I didn’t see. I didn’t hear. I didn’t listen.

Especially to the people I love.

We sang that song, and I was sure our audience, our fans were going to think nothin’ but “What the fuck?”

They didn’t.

A human swell.

You look out from the stage, that was what it was. Rolling this way and that, hanging on the sound of Preacher’s voice, drifting to the wave of music, the melancholy beauty of that song.