Ray Carter walked onto the stage, this time in a dark red suit, and it was time. “Now we have a battle between two bands on Angel’s team! First up, from Nebraska, The Static Klingons!” The band walked out from their side of the stage while the audience cheered. “Versus…Villain Complex, from right here in Los Angeles!”

We rushed out, smiling at the crowd of 7,500 before us—yes, last night I’d looked up how many people the Nokia Theatre held. It was hard to see anything with the bright lights blinding me, so I focused on getting to my spot without tripping. As I threw on my guitar strap, I caught Angel eyeing us from her chair with a smirk, no doubt plotting our demise.

Once both bands were in place, Ray continued. “They’re both performing ‘Somebody Told Me’ by The Killers, and now we’ll flip a coin to see who goes first.” He flicked it dramatically. “And the first one up is…The Static Klingons! Here we go!”

He hustled off the stage while the lights over us went out, leaving our band in darkness while The Static Klingons were illuminated. Sean gave the audience a boy-next-door smile before starting the opening guitar riff. As the band rocked out, we stood on the other side of the stage and watched, knowing we would be next, performing the same song for a mentor who hated us. And the worst part was…The Static Klingons were good. They’d barely tweaked the song at all, but it worked for them. Basically, we were screwed before we’d even started playing.

The song ended, and everyone cheered. I clapped along too because it seemed like the polite thing to do, and the other guys joined in with me. Sean gave a little bow, and from the center of the stage, Ray said, “And now, Villain Complex!”

The lights flashed over to us, and my heart pounded as I looked out into the theater, at all the faces staring at us. They’d already heard this song once, and it couldn’t possibly be as exciting to hear it a second time. Going first definitely would have been better.

Jared grabbed the mic, pulling it close as he surveyed the crowd, and the theater went quiet. “Somebody Told Me” had a killer opening with great build-up, and we nailed it. Our version was darker and edgier, and when Jared sang, he twisted the lyrics into something beautiful and tortured, full of longing and regret.