During Bruno's concert, Ronan didn't introduce the band members individually. This was a decision they'd made together.
Even though they could have still taken the time to introduce each member at the end of their opening set, their band name wasn't yet widely known. They figured it was more important to get the name "King for a Day" out there to as many people as possible, rather than focusing on individual names just yet.
You could see it from the Twitter hashtags. It was all about "Bruno's opening act." Most of the comments accurately mentioned "King for a Day," but you hardly ever saw the individual band members' names, unless people went digging for their videos on YouTube.
This was exactly what Maxim was complaining about. He'd thought that after the Twitter buzz, people would naturally flock to YouTube to find out more about the band.
Of course, that wasn't a wrong assumption, just a little too eager.
The Twitter hype had only just started today. If they gave it some more time, or after their opening gigs in Philadelphia and Boston, as long as the band maintained the same quality and standard as their Washington performance and continued to win over fans, the subsequent impact would slowly build and spread, creating a real buzz. Then, more people would gradually head to YouTube to dig up their past.
It just needed time.
Faced with Maxim's confident and self-assured attitude, the other band members were all thinking, "Don't act like we're old friends!" But Maxim remained unfazed, sticking to his guns and acknowledging his earlier statement.
This allowed Wyatt to smoothly shift the focus. The question he had initially directed at Ronan was now thrown back to Maxim: about the opening mistake.
"That's all Cliff and Ollie's fault," Maxim immediately deflected. "Cliff completely forgot to bring his in-ears, and Ollie only had one in. Then, standing on a stage like the one at the Verizon Center, we weren't used to it, and the whole rhythm was clearly off. It was all their fault."
"Hey! Don't act like you weren't wrong too," Cliff immediately protested. This was the band's first time appearing in a magazine, and he definitely didn't want his mistakes recorded in print. But the mistake was undeniable, so at least he should drag a few others down with him.
Maxim straightened his back, leaning over Cliff to exert some physical pressure. "My in-ears were perfectly fine."
"But your timing was off too! I was wrong, Ollie was wrong, and you were wrong. You don't believe me? Ask Ronan!" Cliff blurted out everything at once, like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
Maxim was so agitated that he stood up slightly, his butt hovering just above the sofa. His face flushed as he expressed his frustration. "That's because you... it was you! It was clearly you..." He should have argued logically, but his head was spinning, and he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out, turning into a "damsel in distress" kind of complaint.
Ronan sighed and rubbed his forehead.
Clearly, facing an interview with "Rolling Stone" magazine, the band members were all acting a little... dramatic, slightly more intense and obvious than usual. They were putting on a bit of a show, not like their stage performances, but more like acting in front of a reporter, trying to present their best side. They hadn't expected that all their emotions would also be amplified, eventually going off the rails and becoming more exaggerated than usual.
Wyatt watched this lively scene unfold before turning to Ronan. "Aren't you going to stop them?"
"I don't think we can hide it anymore," Ronan replied. "Maybe your interview title could be something like, 'King for a Day: A Band Plagued by Internal Conflicts Before Achieving Success, Destined to Fail on the Road to Stardom'." Ronan not only didn't stop them but also earnestly discussed article-writing techniques with Wyatt.
"Ronan Cooper!"
Maxim and Cliff's simultaneous shout showed the powerful coordination of a men's doubles ping-pong team, their voices exploding right next to his ears.
Ronan raised his right hand and repeatedly pressed it down. "Quiet, quiet. We're in a public place. What if we scare the plants?" Then, ignoring Maxim and Cliff's frustrated expressions, he turned to Wyatt with a smile. "You can always see their teamwork at times like this."
"Haha." Wyatt finally couldn't help but burst into laughter. "So, is that how you resolved the opening mistake on the night of the tour as well?"
"Something like that." The question ultimately came back to Ronan. "Actually, our lack of performance experience didn't offer many solutions. At the time, my mind went completely blank. I didn't know what to do, but I always believed that the show should go on, it couldn't stop."
"The greatest charm of a concert is that it provides a platform for performers and the audience to communicate face-to-face. It's a two-way response."
"If a singer stands on stage and completely ignores the audience, lost in their own world, then why shouldn't the audience just listen to the album at home? Conversely, if the audience is physically present but their minds are elsewhere, giving no response, then why don't they just stay home and rest?"
As he spoke, Wyatt once again caught that pure excitement and passion in Ronan's eyes. The genuine sincerity made his eyes sparkle, as if the whole world had suddenly lit up. It made Wyatt feel uplifted too, and he started to miss going to concerts.
This wasn't easy for him to admit.
Because of his work, Wyatt had seen far too many concerts. Gradually, he had lost that excitement of being present at a live show. Everything had become routine, and once the passion faded, he couldn't feel that inner warmth anymore.
But now?
"I realized that we weren't alone on stage. We could invite the audience to join in the performance, correct our mistakes, and then all get caught up in the excitement of the concert together. I couldn't predict exactly what I would face, but at the time, that's what I did."
Watching Ronan get excited again, unable to contain his enthusiasm, Wyatt also became curious about what the atmosphere had been like that night.
"You succeeded," Wyatt concluded.
Ronan laughed heartily. "A reporter from 'Rolling Stone' magazine showed up in front of us, so I guess our performance that night must have been pretty good."
Faced with praise and affirmation, Ronan was slowly learning to accept it calmly. Although he still couldn't respond with complete confidence, he was getting there.
Just then, the hotel lobby suddenly brightened. The dark clouds above the city slowly dispersed, and a beam of sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the front of the lobby. It landed right in the area where the King for a Day band members and Wyatt were sitting, like a spotlight.
Wyatt could immediately see Ronan's eyes sparkling in the golden sunlight. His clear pupils reflected the swaying golden light, and his whole face seemed to illuminate, making the sunlight pale in comparison. That inner vitality, like flower buds embracing spring, proudly bloomed.