I just uploaded one of the final chapters of The Beat Goes On (Wynter Wild Book 10), where Xay plays a concert in San Francisco. He’s supporting Destructex, a band of “aging rockers” whose heyday was the 80s although they retain a massive fan base, which of course can’t hurt Xay’s fledgling career when he opens for them.
Here are a few more details about the venue and the concert that essentially launches Xay’s career into the stratosphere.
I didn’t name the concert venue, but I often do have a real venue in mind for gigs detailed in the books. This time it’s the Shoreline Amphitheatre, about 20 miles south of San Francisco:
There’s seating close to the stage, plus a huge lawn behind that, for a total capacity of 22,500.
According to my timeline, Xay’s concert takes place on 26th May 2016. In real life it turns out that was the first show of the season and the band on the bill was not Destructex – but it was an 80s band: The Cure.
Here are a few stills to give you an idea of the ambience. The first one is before sunset, followed by some pretty lights and projection screens during the show.
I previously blogged a playlist for Xay. One song that defines his style and attitude is this Sia song Unstoppable performed by Red. Of course this band looks nothing like Xay and his band, but you get an idea of the energy. I also feel the lyrics match his mood on this particular night.
Destructex is fronted by Alec Sable, who is from Phoenix, but I was inspired in terms of his stage presence and history by Englishman David Coverdale from Whitesnake, of Here I Go Again fame – incidentally a song Xay would’ve sung when he was in the Rock of Ages production in Seattle. Anyway, here’s one of my favorite live songs from Whitesnake (a more recent song, not from the 80s) so you can visualize the performance that follows Xay’s.
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Sara Creasy 