Somebody to Love - A Joe Mazzello FanFiction

Chapter 34 - Live Aid

I bided my time and waited by the ramp leading up to the stage until the coast was clear. Once it was, I snuck up the ramp as fast and as quietly as possible before I stopped at the slightly sheer gray curtain. I pulled it back and looked at the piano, so beautiful and shiny. I heard a noise as if someone was walking up the ramp and I ducked into the curtain to hide, for fear of getting caught. But, now, I was on the stage. No one on the concrete anymore and no one to see me. The Pepsi and beer cups were cleared away for the day. That was the only change to the set.

I walked over to the piano. I glided my finger across the top of the keys and just stared at it. It called me to play it, but U knew I wasn't supposed to. I scoped out the area. There was no one in sight. I pressed down on one key very gently to test if the piano was hooked up to a sound system. It was difficult to tell if it was over the playback. It wasn't. I looked around again and I pulled the bench out from underneath and sat on it. It took me so long to bring myself to play the keys. It was like sacred ground even though it was probably just a rented piano that no one famous had played on. Because of the set behind me, it felt like sacred ground.

I took a bunch of deep breaths. I wanted to give myself time to talk myself out of it. A voice in my head was screaming to not play it. Then multiple voices. Then, so many voices that it was deafeningly loud in my head until my fingers made the decision for me. They found their ways to the opening notes of Bohemian Rhapsody. Before I could stop myself, I was playing. Not softly, but like I was at one of my concerts. Like I was the reason this stage was set up. And then, just to defy my own mind even more, I began singing.

Mama,

Just killed a man,

Put a gun against his head,

Pulled my trigger now he's dead.

Mama,

Life had just begun,

But, now I've gone and thrown it all away,

I began to get more and more into the singing and playing, just like Freddie would. Every note and words coming from deeper within my soul than ever before. Like this was the last time I would ever play the piano or sing.

Mama, ooh,

Didn't mean to make you cry,

If I'm not back again this time tomorrow,

Carry on, Carry on,

As if nothing really matters.

I kept singing. I forgot about the fact that I could be caught at any minute and thrown off set. I forgot how carefully I crept up here just to take a look. And I forgot that two of the members of Queen were still here. I heard clapping when I finished. Slow claps, but definitely only one person. I gasped as my heart began to race. Every wrong thing I did racing to my head. The voices telling me that I was going to get kicked off the set. Before seeing who it was that was clapping, I rose to my feet almost knocking the bench over in the process.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I kept repeating. Still not knowing who was behind me.

"That's alright," A familiar voice said. I turned around to see Brian May stand by the drum risers. Apparently, he had been watching my 'performance' the whole time. He had snuck up here just like I had. Only, he was meant to be up here. I wasn't.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm not supposed to be up here and it was wrong of me to start playing. I'm so sorry," My mind was racing a mile a minute, especially because my mind realized that one of my idols had just heard me sing. I began to walk towards the curtain, to leave as fast as possible, but Brian stopped me.

"You're very good," he spoke. His soft voice echoing in my ears and making me stop dead in my tracks. "Very good." He repeated. "Are you sure you don't write your own songs?" he asked. I turned to face him. My shoulders and body still tense like a child caught in a lie. I didn't know if this was a trap into some consequences, but I engaged anyway.

"I don't have the mind for it." I don't know why I opened up to him, but it was very easy to do. "Plus, the music industry only likes beautiful people because beautiful people sell records now. Not like when you guys were famous. That's why music was better back then." It was the truth. Although there were some good songs now, the majority of amazing songs were in the classic rock genre.

"Well, I think we can agree with that," he gave me a small smile. "Your name's Julie, correct?" I nodded. "I can see why Joe likes you." I gave him a smile and relaxed. He wasn't mad at me. He was just shocked by what he heard. "Now, you better get going before someone else finds you up here," I smiled.

"Thank you, Brian. Hopefully, you won't tell anyone that I was up here?" He gave me a small laugh.

"No, I won't. It was a nice treat actually." I smiled again and made my way through the gray curtain. I jogged down the ramp and made it back over by Joe's trailer and waited for him to come out. After about 15 minutes, Joe emerged dressed in his street clothes and baseball cap again.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's go home," I replied.