Chapter 92 - I'm Going To See A Million Faces

They were in their room no longer than 15 minutes before the phone rang.  The whole team was in the band room going over strategy and plans, getting ready to do two nights in Miami.  Jon leans over and grabs the receiver, "County Morgue."

There was silence on the other end for a few moments, and then he hears, "It's Doc.  Can I come up?"

Jon, shocked by the call asks Doc, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here looking at the band that's opening for you.  I might sign them."

"What do you want with me?" Jon questions, knowing that Doc's motives are never innocent.  They are never what he says that they are.  Jon doesn't really want to deal with him, his anxiety mounting because Doc interrupted a meeting that is important for the success of the show.  Jon makes a face at Monica and uses his hands to tell her that the jerk on the other end just keeps talking and talking.  Monica laughs. 

"I want you to reconsider signing with me." meekly, he tells Jon the reason for the call.  "I think I can get you farther than you can."

"Bullshit.  We're kicking ass and taking names, Doc.  You have nothing to offer us, there is nothing you can do for us."

"I can get your videos made, from a real videographer."

"Did you see the last one that we released?  It was phenomenal and it happens to be #1 on the video charts."

"It was amateur, at best." Doc replies, with a hint of sarcasm, "The cut job was bad."

"Ok Doc, this conversation is over.  Please don't call back.  You have nothing to offer us and we don't want anything to do with you."

"You'll be back."

Jon hung up on him, rather pissed off.  With a few deep breaths to calm down, he was then able to tell the guys what that phone call was about.  When Tico heard, he told Jon, "Maybe we should warn the guys in Cinderella about what Doc is capable of doing."

Dave jumps in, "That's a great idea.  They are good guys and should be made aware of the potential fucking they could get."

Jon nods, "I'll tell them before the show tonight.  Let's get back to business."  Jon takes his seat on the bed next to Monica and squeezes her knee cap, "Where did we leave off?"

Monica looks at her notepad, "We were discussing the set list and where you want to quick change.  And what the cues are."

"Right, right."  Jon look over at Richie, "I think we should start with Runaway, what do you think?"

"Honestly, I think we need to mix it up."

"Ok, suggestions."  he leans back with his hands behind his head, "Maybe we could do In and Out of Love since the newest video in rotation."

Dave says, "That's a good idea, but what about stuff that's not been released - let's do Love Lies, Tokyo Road.......the rocking stuff."

Jon nods, "Who remembers Tokyo Road?"

All the guys nod and guess that they remember it, "Let's give it a shot at sound check, if we can do it - we'll add it.  What else?"  Jon asks, always looking for input from the band, his brothers. 

Richie, laying across the foot of the bed that Jon and Monica are on looks up at Monica, "Are you making any videos?"

"I plan to record some of each show, I'd like to make a live video, but I haven't talked to Jon about it."  She looks at Jon and smiles, and Jon smiles back.

"That's a great idea.  Footage from each show?" Richie says, "Did you save the footage from the last leg?"

She nods her head, "I have everything I've ever shot."

"A live video would be a good idea, do you think it would sell?"  Tico questions, tapping drum sticks on the ottoman that's in front of the couch.

"It would sell like crazy."  Says the CEO of the brand, Jon.  "The fans would eat it up."

"I want to get some backstage footage that shows what you guys do and what you go through for a show."

"I don't know about that babe, we have some crazy shit go on backstage that the fans might not want to see."  Jon tells her, "You've seen it.  Plus, we have our good luck rituals that we don't want to share."

Monica gets off the bed and walks to the mini fridge and grabs a can of Tab, as she pulls the tab off she says to Jon, "I won't release anything without the approval from all of you, not just you Jon."

Behind her she could hear Boz say, "Oooohhh, she told you Jon."  And she laughed at that.

"I want to see video of me before it goes public, specially if it's back stage.  I run around in my underwear a lot."  Alec says, with a Marlboro hanging from his mouth.  "My fans don't need to see that."  He winks at Monica and she slightly shutters.

"I just want it to be a band video.  If I get footage of one of them and they don't like it, I don't want to put it in a video." Monica explains to Boz, "Cause the  video would be released and footage that they don't like is out there forever, for the world to see."

"Shoot what you want and when it comes time to put it together, we can all go to the studio and help you."  Richie adds, loving the idea of the backstage footage.

There's a knock at the door, David yells, "COME IN IF YOU DARE!"

The door slowly open and in a few seconds, Obie pops his head in, "The vans are here.  Are you ready to go?"  He scans the room and can see that they aren't, he can see that they are in the middle of something.  "It's time for sound check, pick this up later."  And he leaves.

Everyone disperses from the band room and retreat to their own, to grab what they need for sound check.  In just a matter of minutes, the whole band is in the lobby piling into rented vans to be driven to the arena.  Monica, Jon and Richie are in one.  Dave, Tico, Alec and staff are in the other.