noveldrama
Chapter 224: Performing on Stage
Chapter 224: Performing on Stage
Chapter 224: Performing on Stage
Radio City Music Hall is the world’s largest indoor theater and one of the world’s renowned art venues.
Since its establishment in 1932, it has hosted symphony, singing, dance, and variety shows, as well as hundreds of movie premiere ceremonies.
The theater has 6,200 seats upholstered in purple-red velvet, stretching 50 meters from the back of the auditorium to the stage, with a ceiling height of 25 meters. The walls and ceiling are lined with rows of streamlined arches from the outside in.
From the entrance, the interior looks like a space full of dazzling, curved lights.
Because the venue is quite luxurious, the performances held here require a very high standard.
After receiving invitations to perform, Link and Wiz Khalifa rehearsed here twice to prevent any stage accidents.
Also, since Link needed to play the piano on stage, he practiced the piano for over three hours each day during this period, relentlessly tapping the keys until his fingers were nearly numb each day. Fortunately, his recovery ability was strong, and he could continue practicing the next day.
Under his intense practice regime, his playing skills had noticeably improved, avoiding a repeat of his near disaster at a country music festival.
"Mr. Link Baker, are you ready?"
"Ready!""OK! Start!"
Upon hearing the director’s voice in his earpiece, Link took a deep breath—it was time for the performance to begin.
He sat up straight, positioned at the Steinway piano, his hands resting on the black and white keys. Gently pressing down, a string of melodious piano sounds flowed from his fingertips, the intro to "See You Again."
Ding ding dong dong!
As the piano sounded, the purple-red velvet curtains around the circular stage slowly rose, eliminating the barrier between the stage and the audience.
The previously concealed Link was now exposed in front of thousands of spectators.
"Link! Link!"
Whoo Whoo Whoo!
The audience erupted into waves of applause and cheers from all directions, a scene he hadn’t experienced during rehearsals.
The setting now more closely resembled a boxing ring.
He was in the ring, with the audience all around him.
The difference was that previously he had to defeat his opponents, now he just had to conquer his own fear and insecurity, bringing out his best performance.
This was the scene of the 26th MTV Music Video Awards ceremony.
As one of the key segments of the ceremony was to honor the recently deceased Michael Jackson, and "See You Again" was considered the ’most sincere’ song of remembrance for MJ,
Thus Link and Wiz Khalifa were invited to be the opening act of the ceremony.
Being invited to perform was expected by Link.
However, being invited as the opening act was unexpected.
In a major show, the opening and closing are the most crucial, also known as ’the grand openings and closings,’ and nothing could go wrong.
Hearing the applause rise and fall like the tide, Link felt even more calm inside, his playing more skillful—capabilities and mental strength honed from hundreds of boxing matches.
He continued playing the piano, his lips approaching the microphone on the piano lid, softly singing:
It’s been a long day without you my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again....
"Wow! That was amazing!"
"Link! Link! Link!"
The fans below cheered and applauded loudly as he began to sing.
"Link! You’re the best!"
Taylor, sitting in the second row, hands cupped around her mouth shouting towards him, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
"This is too cool!"
"He can box, swim, sing, play the piano, and he’s so handsome—he should be my boyfriend."
"Don’t forget to mention his strong physique, that’s the most important thing."
The female singers in the audience couldn’t help but cheer loudly and whisper among themselves as they saw Link at the piano.
"Link is the coolest guy I’ve seen in a suit. If I were his girlfriend, I would want him to wear a suit every day, even during intimate moments."
Katy Perry clapped her hands, speaking to Lady Gaga beside her.
"Keep it down, Taylor is right behind you."
Lady Gaga spoke with a hand puppet.
"I’m just praising Link, it’s fine if Taylor hears it."
Katy Perry replied nonchalantly.
Although Taylor hadn’t heard Katy’s words, she did hear other female singers’ praises and couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips. She knew she should have made Link wear a trash bag—that would have kept other women from ogling him.
She suddenly realized that being too handsome was not necessarily a good thing.
"F***! Why did they let that bastard Link be the opening act? This year’s MTV is held in New York, it should have been us New York singers opening."
In the third row of the audience, 50 Cent grumbled unhappily.
"Because ’See You Again’ is his work. All of you claim to be MJ’s die-hard fans, treating him as a spiritual idol, then why can’t any of you come up with a decent song after he passed away?"
Eminem teased as he clapped his hands.
50 Cent, Lil Wayne, T.I., and Drake had nothing to say in response.
Kanye also looked toward the stage with a stern face, internally frustrated, wondering why Link was able to write such a song, and he could not.
"Alright, I get it—you all are fake MJ fans."
Eminem smirked.
Beyonce, sitting in the front row, turned around and laughed, "Em, you’re MJ’s anti-fan, being here at the MJ memorial, doesn’t that feel awkward?"
Eminem’s smile froze. Back in 2003, he had written a rap song "Just Lose It," mocking MJ for child molestation, getting burned and turning white during a Pepsi commercial shoot, and having plastic surgery on his nose.
Michael publicly expressed that he was hurt and even borrowed a friend’s words to call Eminem a piece of shit.
This incident was also one of the hot news in the entertainment industry in 2003, and Eminem was forced to apologize in a radio interview, admitting he was also a fan of MJ.
But MJ’s fans did not forgive him, and he was also considered the leader of MJ’s haters.
"Hey, Em, do you feel embarrassed?"
Lil Wayne and others laughed as they looked towards Eminem.
"I won’t!"
Eminem put on his hood, crossed his arms, and leaned back in his chair, ignoring them.
We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again
In the middle of the stage, Link played the piano and sang, and as he finished the first verse, a lascivious and salacious voice came from the speakers.
Damn, who knew all the planes we flew
Good things we’ve been through
That I’ll be standing right here
Wiz Khalifa, dressed in a white suit, took the mic and walked up the stage through the center aisle, rapping as he walked, his arms keeping the rhythm, and his braids swinging wildly.
The atmosphere of the place was instantly elevated by him.
The audience swayed their arms to the rhythm.
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Fireworks also sprayed around the stage, making it more dazzling, and the atmosphere was ignited.
It’s been a long day without you my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
After Wiz Khalifa finished, Link’s voice followed, one lascivious and one serious, making a very smooth collaboration.
Link sat at the piano singing, Wiz walked around the stage’s elongated pathway, constantly waving his arms, stirring up the crowd.
Because the song was so popular, during the repeat of the chorus the second time, many audience members sang along with Link.
Buzzing, buzzing, buzzing!
A flurry of chaotic lights flashed, and gradually, an image of MJ appeared in full form above the stage.
The image, over three meters tall, depicted MJ performing on stage, dressed in a sequin suit, his mouth moving as if he was singing.
This was created by Hollywood special effects staff using 3D holographic projection technology, invited by the MTV Awards organizers.
In 2009, 3D holographic projection technology was still a very cutting-edge image technology, not as common as ten years later.
After the MJ image appeared, an excited shout rose from the venue, many fans looked up at the sky image, loudly singing "See you again".
When I see you again
When I see you again, see you again
When I see you again
Clap, clap, clap!
After singing it twice, amid the applause of several thousand spectators, the curtain slowly fell, and the opening performance ended.
Link still sat at the piano, playing the accompaniment as the stage slowly descended, and seconds later, he and Wiz came to the underground lift.
This was a hydraulically powered lift mechanism, capable of rapid scene changes and special stage effects.
Clap, clap, clap!
"Link, well done!"
As the two arrived below, Ms. Mandy and several workers clapped and cheered, along with the nearby Madonna, who was preparing to go on stage.
Link and Wiz hugged each other.
It was Wiz’s first time performing on such a large stage, and he was somewhat nervous after going up.
"Hey, Link, you’re cool. If I were ten years younger, I’d definitely ask you out," Madonna joked after sizing him up.
"Thank you! Westacott, madam, you also look very young now," Link responded.
Grandma Madonna, though 51 this year, maintained herself well and still had a charming vibe, although back in her day she was quite the flower of the entertainment circle.
"Oh, Link, do you mean to say if I asked you out, you would agree?" Madonna smiled.
"Of course, I’m your fan. It would be an honor to go out with you,"
Link shrugged, knowing she was joking and played along easily.
"You’ve said it now, wait for my call."
Madonna patted his shoulder, smiling radiantly as she stepped onto the lift.
She was about to go on stage to give a eulogy for MJ. As the lift rose, her smile gradually faded, turning into a sombre and mournful expression, matching her black dress, looking like a widow who had lost her husband.
Link shook his head, thinking how these celebrities, who had reached such heights, were no simple characters.
"Hey, Link, if Madonna really asked you out, would you actually agree?" Wiz Khalifa nudged him and asked.
"Maybe!"
Link smiled lightly, walking with Wiz through the underground passage to the front audience seats, waiting for the award ceremony to begin.