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“Yes, Mommy,” I snapped, pulling my hand away from my mouth, inspecting the damage I’d done. If I bit them any more, they were going to bleed.
“It’s starting!” Wendy pointed.
“Here’s another group—they hail from Iselin, New Jersey.” The emcee’s voice was loud over the speakers. “They call themselves Black Diamond!”
The noise level swelled and it reminded me of a smaller version of the Tyler Vincent concert. The lights went dark, all of them, and then began pulsing with the beat of the song. And there was Dale, standing in front of the microphone, head slightly belt, listening for his cue. His leg moved slightly to the beat, one hand on the mic, the other on his guitar.
When he lifted his head and began to sing, looking out into the audience, the spotlight focused on him and him alone, it was immediately clear this man was a star. Every girl in the place jumped to her feet, unable to contain the feelings he elicited. There was something about him that forced a woman to respond. I felt it too, my body rising without thought, screaming along with the rest of the crowd.
His voice was hypnotic and it drew everyone. The song was a Bon Jovi cover—another New Jersey band who’d made it to the big time. I knew Dale was on his way. Wendy reached over, grabbing my hand, squealing, “Come on!” Carrie was on the other side of her and had her hand, pulling her toward the stage. Aimee made up the last of our all girl train as we threaded our way through the crowd.
There was just no staying still when Dale was on stage. A crowd had already gathered at the front, pushing in, so there was no room for us. We got as close as we could, like everyone else, swept away by the music and the magic of his voice, the way he moved the energy through the room. He shared it, rather than hoarding it, like I’d seen so many bands tonight do. Too many of them had been like some self-contained unit, in a little bubble, performing not for the crowd but for themselves.
Dale knew how to perform, not just for a crowd, but with them. You felt engaged by him, like it was personal. You felt as if he was singing just to you and he meant every single word. I don’t know how he did it. I don’t think it was a trick, or a gimmick. I think it was just Dale. It was just who he was, and he came across on stage like he was the center of the universe, the source of all gravity, pulling us in, pulling us toward him.
I was enthralled. They all were. I glanced at the MTV cameraman and he was working hard to keep up. They had another camera on the other side of the stage that had been off previously, but it was manned now, filming Black Diamond. As the song came to a close, the crowd cheered more loudly than I’d heard yet. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment all night. Maybe longer than that. And this was just their first song. They had one more to go.
My eyes were glued on Dale, his dark beauty coming so electrically alive I couldn’t look away. The applause was deafening. I was so proud I could barely speak. Dale was sweating and smiling. His happiness was infectious. Their second song was a slow one, something he had written himself. They had to do at least one cover song, but they were allowed to do one original if they wanted to. Most of them had just done two cover songs.
“This one is for my girl, Sara,” Dale said into the microphone. “She’s out there tonight and she’ll know what I mean.”
Aimee looked at me. I saw Matt had joined her, standing behind with his arms wrapped around her waist. She gave me a thumbs up and I smiled back. Every girl in that place wanted to be “Sara” in that moment. But I was Sara. I was his Sara. On stage, he belonged to everyone. But when he stepped off it, he was mine.
My heart was full to bursting.
When the music started, it wasn’t the song they’d practiced, the one I’d heard him do in the academy auditorium. It was a song I’d never heard before. Aimee grinned at me, applauding with everyone else. He changed the mood swiftly and easily with the quality of his voice:
“My heart is strong, its beat goes on
Nothing can stop me now until I have won
If I can’t love my own freedom and truth
Why would you trust me when I say I love you…”
He’d found me in the crowd. I don’t know how, under all those lights, but he’d found me and was looking right at me. The energy between us was electrifying. I felt it surging through me, making my toes curl and the hair at the back of my neck stand on end.
“I’ll take you places, baby, you never could
Don’t make me hurt you, baby, for your own good
I’ll be your lover, I’ll be your man
Just never ask me not to be what I am
These hands that work, fight and play hard at night
These hands you trust, girl, everyday to treat you right
Don’t you forget, girl, that they are led by my heart
They’ll always put first what I’ve loved from the start…”
The song ended and the lights went dark again.
The crowd went absolutely wild. So many people rushed the stage we were being crushed. I could barely breathe. The crowd chanted, “Black Diamond, Black Diamond, Black Diamond.” The cameras were still rolling and Dale stood at the microphone, head down. I saw his chest rising and falling with his breath, even in the dim haze. The emcee came onto the stage, leaning over to say something to Dale, into his ear, behind his hand. Then Dale handed the microphone over.
The spotlight went on, illuminating the emcee and Dale beside him.
