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We push our way in the club and are immediately overwhelmed by the atmosphere. I smile happily as I sink into it, letting it wash over me. The noise, the smells, the sights, the sounds—it’s all exactly as I remember it. The piano bar is one huge open space. In the center of the room, there’s a small, elevated platform, where someone is currently playing a rousing version ofHit The Road, Jack. Clustered around the piano, people are standing, laughing, dancing, smoking, drinking, kissing… Anything and everything goes in this place. I grin at the unleashed mood. This is the perfect spot to get lost in for a few hours.
“How about a drink?” Lacy calls out to me over the din of the crowd, motioning to the far side of the room, where there’s a long bar with throngs of people lined up.
“Yeah, hang on just one second,” I reply. I’ve seen someone I need to say hi to, a record label manager. He’s there with one of his up-and-coming artists, someone who could be great to collaborate with. I hustle over to them and say a quick hello, before turning back to Lacy, who is giving me a confused look.
“They’re in the business,” I explain to her. “A lot of music industry people come here.”
“Got it,” she replies with a tight smile.
I then glance over her shoulder and see the Elektra Team, the songwriting duo of the moment. They’re penning all the number one hits and are impossible to book these days, unless you’ve got a personal connection.
“Oh shit! I should go say hi to them,” I say to Lacy, gesturing in their direction. “They’re songwriting geniuses.”
After I say hello to the Elektra Team, I spy a guitar player I used to jam with, a guy who got famous on TikTok and landed a recording deal off of it. Then I see my ex-manager. The guy is kind of a dick, but in this town, I’ve learned not to burn bridges. I make a point of saying hello to him and being as friendly as possible. That’s the joy of this place. Everyone from the biz passes through here.
“So, how about that drink now?” Lacy reminds me with a gentle tap on the arm after I’ve chatted to yet another songwriter.
“Yes! What do you want?”
“Vodka soda?”
“Sounds good.”
I steer us to the bar and order a vodka soda for Lacy and a whiskey, neat, for myself. The bartender doesn’t even ask which whiskey I want or whether I take it neat or with ice. She already knows my order and her hand reaches for the bottle instinctively as soon as she sees me.
“So what do you think of this place?” I ask Lacy as I hand her the drink. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Prettywild, that’s for sure,” Lacy replies with a bemused expression as she surveys the room. “And it seems like everybody knows each other. Or at least, it seems like they all know you,” she adds pointedly as I raise my glass to a drummer I know.
“Yeah, like I said, a lot of music industry people come through here. It’s a good place to make connections,” I reply with a shrug.
“You mean to schmooze people,” Lacy says teasingly.
“Call it what you will. And speaking of…” My voice trails off as I make eye contact with an agent across the room.
“Another person to say hello to?” Lacy asks.
Is it just me or am I detecting a slight edge in her voice?
“Yeah, that agent over there is kind of a big deal. Let’s go,” I say eagerly as I start shoving through the bustling crowd.
After quickly introducing Lacy, I end up chatting with the agent for a good ten minutes. At some point, Lacy steps back from us, removing herself discretely from the conversation. The agent doesn’t even notice. After he buzzes off, I turn around and find that Lacy has already finished her vodka soda. She’s scanning the room, looking bored.
“All good?” I ask as I turn to her.
“Uh, yeah. That guy over there said he wants to talk to you,” Lacy replies, gesturing to a sound engineer I used to work with. “I think he thinks I’m your assistant or something,” she adds, sounding slightly annoyed.
“Did you correct him?”
“No. I didn’t know what to say.”
Again, I can hear that weird icy edge in her voice.
Is she not having a good time?
I love this place so much. I want Lacy to love it as much as I do. I can’t imagine anybody not having fun here. The piano player is now playing a medley of Britney Spears songs and everyone in the place is singing along at top volume. Some people are dancing. It’s a wild ride.
“I’ll just go say hey to him and then we should go up by the piano and dance,” I shout to Lacy over the noise. “It’ll be fun!” I add. I want Lacy to like this place as much as I do.
