I had a dream last night. It escaped my memory until just now standing here on the stage. Dressed the same as I am now with Dronjak; my trusted axe of choice we tagged along a few paces behind our fearless leader Lois. I could hear the fans scream in excitement and chant Watchtower like it was some kind of mantra. We were the opening band for Hammerfall’s North American tour. When we walked out on stage the cheers exploded so loudly they could rival the cry of any Valkyrie. The smell of smoke and alcohol wafted through the large auditorium so thick that a second-hand buzz was guaranteed by the end of the night.
Lois made the introductions and provided some small talk but all I could think about was how amazing it was to be in front of such a large audience. It was a dream come true. Watching Lois she put her right hand in her back right pocket which was the signal to start playing. I started picking away at the strings making metal out of metal. The light display was mesmerizing like the many 4th of July nights during my childhood. If there was only one person in the crowd whose pain was washed away by the music created by my sweat then everything it took to get us here was worth it. After all a band without fans is like a bird without wings. Most of the songs were written by me and it is nice to know that I can help someone with what I’ve been through myself. We played a full set and the whole crowd was standing, pumping their fist, and begging for an encore. To my surprise Hammerfall agreed to allow an encore! We walked back out onto the stage joined by Joacim and Oscar. That was when I woke up.
Although a piece of plywood in a backyard is about as close to a large auditorium as the Earth is to the size of the Sun it was still nice to be able to express ourselves in whatever venue was available. Breathing life into a dying soul with the purification power of metal is always rewarding.
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