The Quiet Battles, the folk band on Team Dan, went before us with a song I didn’t know, and there were so many of them they barely fit on the stage. Did they even have enough instruments for all of them to play? I saw a harmonica, a violin, and a banjo, and one guy even “played” a plastic bag, if you could call it that. I’m not sure crinkling it in front of a microphone counted as playing, but I was trying hard not to judge. They also had two complete drum kits. Who needed two drum kits? If The White Stripes could be the loudest band ever with only two members, there was just no need for that.

Next it was our turn. Our equipment was already set up on the back of the revolving stage, and we quickly got in place and waited while The Quiet Battles got comments from the mentors. The thrill of going on stage made every nerve in my body tingle. I wasn’t scared this time; instead, I was anxious to get back out there and perform again. Playing on stage was my drug, and I was an addict now.

The stage began to revolve, and the crowd swelled in front of us. As red lights flashed behind us and smoke filled the air, the guys started playing. I waited, tapping my foot along with the beat, and then my fingers took off across my guitar with the eerie opening notes. Hector’s steady rhythm centered us and Kyle clapped along to get the audience going while Jared’s voice filled the theater. I nodded my head with the music and leaned into my mic to sing the backup chant at the end of each verse. The bass line Jared pulled off was almost hypnotic, and as his fingers moved up and down the fret board, I imagined those same fingers playing across my skin. I watched his lips caress the mic as he sang and pictured him doing the same to me. And as his voice rang out from the speakers, I wondered what it’d be like to hear him cry out my name instead.

Damn, I needed to get a grip. I stomped on my pedal to change the tone and forced myself to focus. Jared’s advice about playing like no one was watching came back to me, and I tried to let myself fall into the song. Dan and the guys had told me to move more, so I started walking across the stage toward Jared, as if his words were pulling me to him. But when I neared him, I tripped on a cord in my stupid tall heels. I tried to catch myself to prevent a complete face-plant but ended up stumbling off the edge of the stage, on top of a very large security guard.