REFLECTIONS

Chapter 1

An insanely long line wraps around the Salt Shed's box office. Due to the event taking place in September, the Illinois weather is still warm but hits the middle 50s at night. Although, the venue provides several heat lamps.

In the general admission line, stands a tall female. She stands in the middle of the line with her group of friends. The line only inching closer to the checkpoint every ten seconds. Then after several hours of standing, she finally reaches the security checkpoint. She shows the security guard her phone which displays a QR code of a ticket. He scans it and lets her through. Her friends followed after her.

The long wait seems worth it as everyone makes it to the floor. The girl and her group head to the mainstage, waiting for one of many music legends. The Concrete Forever Tour in Chicago features a large space with tons of LED panels. Some panels were scattered throughout the crowd. Multiple lasers and lights line the front of the dark stage.

The wait only makes the gray eyed girl more eager; her hands, becoming more tense as each minute passes. She wants nothing more than for it to be perfect. For the bass to rumble the stereos and the crowd in the right way. The lasers line up in the correct direction and the strobe lights come on at the exact moment.

She stands in the middle of a large crowd of music hungry people. All cheering and waiting for one of the most ethereal moments in their lives. They spend this single day in September to celebrate the sounds of music. To listen to the most iconic melodies. The experience will be memorable and possibly live changing. The event is heavenly and almost like a dream.

Colors of blue radiate from the front of the stage. The blue light fades closer to the middle of the dance floor, where the young female stands. Only the shape of the middle row's faces could be made out from the stage. The darkness crept out of the corners, engulfing the people. The noise from the crowd was energetic unlike the lighting of the room. Screaming and chanting from every direction of the enclosed room. The crowd was large, possibly hundreds of fans all waiting for the band they came here for, Bad Omens.

Bad Omens started on the metal scene in the year 2015, releasing songs that became heavy hitters for years to follow. Bad Omens was rising in the limelight and that wouldn't slow down, especially at the release of The Death of Peace of Mind.

Music is meant to build you up from the tension the track provides. Your mind floods with many emotions while your heart beats to the rhythm. The song now has complete control over you. You feel things you've never experienced before. Your senses are heightened, and you can finally see the true beauty of the world. Every single thing it has to offer you. At that very moment, you enter pure bliss.

Tonight, the band legend is bringing their true sound to the scene. The band's hard work paid off as the new generation of metalcore lovers embraced the tracks. People were ready and excited to hear what they had in store. Still nervous, they know the crowd was ready as they shouted, "Bad Omens! Bad Omens! Bad Omens!" The twenty something gray eyed female with chestnut brown pixie cut hair joins in with the rest. She even clinches the hand of her friend. Her heart pounding with anticipation.

A tall man walks out to the dark stage, without being seen. His legs were shacking, and his breathing picks up as he realizes that everything was leading up to this moment. The future of the band and his career could be in jeopardy. When he reaches the middle of the stage, he grabs the microphone and takes a deep breath.

"Everything from here on out, is going to be bigger than the last." He thinks to himself.

One simple tap of a drum starts the loud bass followed by keyboard rhythms. The lights begin to join in with the beats, matching up perfectly. The man sees the crowd dance along with the intro and his breathing slows. Putting the microphone near his mouth, "Are you reeeaadyy?!" He screams, popping one of his eardrums in the process. The crowd screams back, "Yeeess?!" He gains more energy thanks to the crowd and the first song runs smoothly.