[Hyde POV]
"Here is the stage."
I led the two girls to the front of the stage.
The stage stretched wide across the edge of the field, a raised platform of dark wood and steel that stood higher than a man's chest.
Thick metal trusses framed it from the ground up, forming a rigid skeleton that held everything in place. Overhead, a horizontal grid of beams supported rows of lighting fixtures.
Black drapes hung behind the structure, absorbing the light and hiding the framework beyond, giving the stage a clean, solid backdrop.
"What's behind there?" Jackie asked as she looked toward the drapes.
"Equipment and some space for the staff to work," I said casually. "A bit deeper in, there's a waiting room for the band to get ready."
"Really?" Pam's eyes lit up. "Can we go and see it?"
"We can go, but it's going to be empty. They won't be here until around three."
"Oh," Pam said, disappointed.
Jackie grabbed my hand. "Hey, Steven. When they come, can I go backstage to meet them?"
I sighed. "Alright then. I guess I can bring you, since I'm already bringin' Big Red and Forman with me."
Jackie grumbled. "Why are they coming?"
"Because they asked?" I looked at her, confused.
Pam suddenly asked, "What's that?"
On either side, tall speaker stacks rose in vertical columns, layered and symmetrical, their fronts angled slightly downward toward the field.
Further out, additional speaker towers stood apart from the main structure, aligned in a straight line across the open space.
"Those are the speakers. Hopefully they'll be enough for fifteen thousand people." I looked at them with satisfaction.
I didn't even use Build Mode for the stage setup. I let Leslie handle everything and checked it all with Appraisal. Sincethere were clear instructions from the company I bought the stage from, the installation turned out pretty well.
I only helped with the sound tuning to make sure there was no lag or crackling in the speakers.
"This looks really professional," Pam said with a smile. "Can I test it out?"
"You want to sing?" I asked, surprised.
"No. Not sing." Pam laughed. "Just talk into the microphone a bit."
"Umm…" I hesitated. "Ask Leslie. She's in charge of the stage."
"Who's Leslie?" Jackie asked, slightly jealous.
I smirked. "The organizer."
"There's a guitar here. And a piano. Even drums. So the musicians don't need to bring their own equipment?" Jackie asked.
"They can. This was just for yesterday's sound setup. Technically… all of this is mine." I smirked.
At the rear of the platform, a raised riser held a full drum kit, centered and elevated above the rest.
In front of it, microphone stands were positioned along the front edge, evenly spaced. To one side, amplifiers were stacked neatly beside guitars resting upright on stands, their cables coiled tightly at their bases. On the opposite side, a keyboard setup sat on a double-tier stand, with a synthesizer mounted above it at a slight angle.
Cables ran along the floor in straight, deliberate lines, secured and guided toward the back of the stage, where a narrow access path led behind the drapes. A set of stairs on one side connected the platform to the ground, reinforced with metal railings.
As I walked to the front, there were numerous metal railings set up to ensure the crowd wouldn't storm the stage. Once the show started, a team of guards would stand in the gap to protect the artists.
"We should go back now," I told them.
"Come on. Just a little bit," Pam begged. "I just want to experience standing in front of the stage. Just… one song?"
"I can't—"
"I'll close my eyes whenever she tries to bring you back to our place after this," Pam said.
"MOM!" Jackie was embarrassed.
I sighed and turned to Jackie. She made a cute face and begged, "Please. For my mom? Just this once."
"Fine." I sighed. "I'll let you sing one song. What song do you want?"
"Oh. How about The Monkees—'I'm a Believer'?" Pam suggested excitedly.
"I'll see if they have the tape. Just stand at the mic."
Jackie pulled my sleeve before I could go. "Look, it's everyone."
Forman, Donna, Kelso, Fez, and Laurie were standing by the railing, watching us. I waved at them slightly.
"I'll watch it from down there," Jackie said casually and left the stage.
I walked to the control panel and took out my phone. "Thank God the AUX cord works here. Let's see… The Monkees… 'I'm a Believer' karaoke version. This should be good enough."
I didn't put the speakers at full volume—just enough for the people near the railing to hear it.
Pam grabbed the microphone excitedly. I gave her a thumbs-up, and she returned an "okay" sign.
Since the song had a quick start, Pam missed the first lyric. She rushed into it, but without any intonation, like she was speaking instead of singing.
"I thought love was only true in fairy tales. Meant for someone else, but not for me. Ah, love was out to get me. Um… that's the way it seemed. Disappointment haunted all my dreams… uh."
"Oh my God. She's bombing." Jackie covered her face in embarrassment.
Pam forced a smile and moved into the chorus. "Then I saw my face, now I'm a believer! Not a trace of doubt in my mind… I'm in love (mm, oh)... I'm a believer, I couldn't leave me if I tried."
"Huh?" I frowned and checked the lyrics again. It seemed like she had changed a few of the words.
Pam gave up and turned to me, asking me to stop the song.
I did and walked back to her. "Well, you gave it a shot."
"Um… the song's too difficult. Can I try something else?" Pam asked shyly.
"I don't think so. I still need to go check on the games and the—"
Kelso shouted from the ground. "Hyde! Let her sing another song!"
Fez shouted, "You come here!" Fez wanted me to stop interrupting Pam.
Pam turned to me excitedly. "Fine." I rolled my eyes. "What song do you want?"
"How about 'At Last' by Etta James?" she asked.
"Um… how about 'Dream a Little Dream of Me'? I don't have 'At Last.'"
"Sure. That's fine too," Pam agreed.
I set up my phone to play just one song and went down to the crowd with my friends.
Around a hundred people had gathered there, mostly men, which confused me.
"What is it?" I asked Kelso.
He grabbed me and turned me around immediately, whispering, "Feast your eyes on the wonders of Jackie's mom's boobs."
My eyes widened slightly as I saw Pam singing. The lights were hitting her blouse just right from behind, making it almost transparent.
Pam opened her hands wide, propping her chest up, closing her eyes as she sang.
"♫♪ Stars shining bright above you! Night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you"! Birds singin' in the sycamore tree! Dream a little dream of me..♫♪"
"This is amazing," Eric said with an intoxicated expression.
"Really? She's singing really badly." Donna looked at Eric in confusion.
Jackie stared intensely at me. "Steven. Do you want to walk around the festival together?"
"I—"
"You remember we had a deal? Have a magical summer together? We need to keep up appearances if I want to trick everyone."
I sighed. "Fine."
Jackie giggled and grabbed my arm giddily.
"♫♪ Say "nighty-night" and kiss me! Just hold me tight and tell me you'll miss me! While I'm alone, and blue as can be! Dream a little dream of me~♫♪"
"♫♪ Stars fading, but I linger on, dear! Still craving your kiss! I'm longing to linger 'til dawn, dear! Just saying this♫♪"
More and more people started coming to the stage. Mostly men. Some girls saw what the men saw and gasped. A lot of boyfriends and husband were taken away.
"♫♪Sweet dreams, 'til sunbeams find you! Sweet dreams, that leave all worries behind you! But in your dreams, whatever they be! Dream a little dream of me♫♪"
Pam finished singing and the crowd applauded her. She smiled in satisfaction and said, "Thank you! Thank you everyone! Do you want to hear another song?!"
"YES!" Kelso, Fez, Eric, and every man over there shouted their answer.
I grimaced as I walked to the stage again and pushed Pam away from the microphone.
I turned to the crowd and spoke into the microphone, "The concert isn't starting yet. So go back to the festival. Do check out the goodies section and the autoshow at 3."
People exclaimed in disappointment.
I added, "We have food from all over the world, so check that out too. Enjoy the festival. Have a good day everyone."
After waving at them, I rejoined my friend group.
Pam was annoyed at me. "I'm no longer going to be gracing this place with my presence."
"There's a photo studio here we hadn't checked out yet mom." Jackie placated Pam.
"Okay. Let's go take some pictures." Pam laughed and her mood brightened up instantly.
…
Everyone went together to the photo studio. I had set up a few backdrops for people to choose from.
The festival name and a really wild Mustang car next to it, the concert stage, and the picture of the Point Place town.
"Damn. 5 dollars for one picture. This is a scam." Fez said angrily as he saw the price tag.
"You can get it within 10 minutes, and it's very high quality." I told Fez.
Linda walked towards us with a huge smile on her face. She saw me and said, "Steven! You're here! I've been waiting for you all morning."
Jackie got jealous again.
"Wait. Linda from the concert?" Eric was surprised when he saw her. Donna greeted Linda happily with a hug. "It's so nice to see you again."
Jackie grabbed my arm and hugged it tightly. "Steven, why don't we take a picture first? Just the two of us."
"Then, a group picture." Fez said quickly.
"Wait. Where's Laurie?" Kelso finally realized his girlfriend was gone.
"Who cares!?" Eric exclaimed.
We took several pictures together. Donna and Eric holding hands together. Kelso and Fez aiming their imaginary gun. Jackie and I with a peace sign on Jackie's ear.
Then, a group picture where everyone was trying to prank each other. The boys only picture. And finally, the girls only picture.
"This is amazing." Jackie stared at the picture intently. "I'm definitely framing this."
Linda called me secretly and asked, "Steven. Can I have a picture with you too?"
"Sure." I agreed easily.
"No you cannot!" Jackie pulled my hand and said, "He's my boyfriend today!"
Donna snorted and said, "Still aren't giving up huh?"
"Shut up. I know that girlfriend is fake." Jackie said seriously.
"Oh damn it. Who told you?" I asked and looked at the group.
Eric and Fez flinched slightly.
"It's the two of you huh?" I narrowed my eyes on them.
"I- It's Fez." Eric pointed at Fez instantly. "I tried to stop him."
"What can I do? Jackie was being nice to me. It just came out." Fez whimpered slightly.
"Simp!" I scolded him.
Jackie laughed and said, "Steven. You're really working too hard to avoid facing your feelings. I know you really do like me."
My walkie-talkie crackled at the time. "Command to Eagle 1. Come in Eagle 1."
I picked it up and said, "Eagle 1 here, over."
"Councilman Bruce from Kenosha is here. And also, there's another person who wants to meet you-- over."
"I'll be right there-- over."
After talking on the walkie, I turned to my friends and said, "Got to go."
"Wait. Steven. Can I come with you?" Jackie asked.
"Do whatever you want." I said with defeat.
Jackie squealed and turned to Donna. "This is amazing."
…
I showed Bruce and his wife the festival.
"You've built something special here." Mrs. Rockwell complimented me. "My husband never did something like this when he was councilman."
"Honey. I'm busy with council work. I don't have any free time like he does." Bruce whined slightly.
"You have too much free time. You even went to California to invest in movies." Mrs Rockwell pinched his waist, causing him to yelp in pain.
Jackie giggled slightly and turned to me. "Steven, where did you get the stage?" She asked.
"Oh yeah. I'm curious about that too." Bruce turned to me instantly.
Realizing Jackie had guided the conversation towards me, I took the chance and said, "It's my stage. I bought it and will be renting it out for festivals. Well, when I'm not having festivals around here."
"You're doing more of these?" Mrs Rockwell was surprised.
"Sure. It'd be a waste of summer and fall if I don't." I smirked slightly.
Bruce exclaimed in admiration. Mrs Rockwell whispered something to him.
Jackie was satisfied and she looked at me intently, as if asking, 'Did I do good?'
"You know what? I'll sponsor one of the concerts myself." Bruce said excitedly. "We can make money if we sell the concert footage, right?"
"Well. You'll have to collaborate with the bands themselves. Yes, you can make money from it. But there's some research you'd need to do first."
Bruce grimaced and said, "Why are you using 'you', when I'm clearly using 'we'?"
I chuckled and said, "I'm not going to let myself get trapped by you. I'm busy enough already."
Both of us burst into laughter. Mrs Rockwell giggled and said, "But as the co-owner of the–"
I cupped Jackie's ear immediately and shook my head intensely at Mrs. Rockwell.
Both her and Bruce were taken aback.
"What– Co-owner of what?" Jackie asked.
"No-nothing." Mrs Rockwell caught my hint and said, "I'm just joking around."
Jackie grumbled slightly. Bruce laughed dryly and said, "So, we're going to see the dunk tank now."
"Do try the games here too. Also, make sure you spend as much as you can." I made a money gesture.
He grimaced slightly while his wife laughed.
I waved Bruce goodbye as he and his wife went to check out the festival.
Jackie asked me, "Who is the next guest?"
"You know who she is." I said playfully as I walked backstage. "She's a very famous singer."
"Who?" Jackie was confused. "It's not someone from ABBA is it?"
"Hell no. I have no money to call ABBA here." I scoffed slightly. As we walked past the curtain, the guest was already there, standing beside Leslie.
Jackie widened her eyes as she saw the guest.
"Teacher Gloria."
"Jackie Burkhart! It's so nice to see you again."
The African-American singer hugged Jackie tightly. She has an afro, a thick body and she wore a golden bracelet on her hand.
Gloria Gaynor. The singer who wrote and sang the famous songs, "I Will Survive", and "Can't Take My Eyes Off You".
She's an icon in the 70s, and canonically she's a teacher in That 70s Show universe.
"And Steven Hyde. I really didn't expect you to change so much." The English teacher hugged me slightly too.
"You too Miss Gaynor." I said cheekily. "You surely have more blings now."
She laughed and shook her bangle slightly.
"Why are you here, Teach?" Jackie asked curiously. "Are you going to sing at the concert?"
"I just found out about the concert yesterday." Miss Gaynor glared at me slightly.
"Don't look at me like that. I did contact your agent. He said no." I quickly defended myself.
"He did?" Gloria was taken aback.
Leslie nodded and said, "Yes. You're the top of the list when he asked me to find artists for the show. I called your agents seven times. He rejected me every time."
"What– why?" Gloria was angry.
"I guess he thought this town was beneath you." Jackie said casually.
"Compared to other big cities, it's just really small."
"I agree with Jackie," I said, nodding slightly. "I mean, it's hard for us to find anyone, actually." I laughed self-deprecatingly.
Gloria's eyes flickered slightly. "So, do you still want me to get on stage?" She asked.
My eyes lit up immediately. "I do, but will you be okay? Shouldn't you have your bandmates here with you?"
"It's fine. They are all here too." Miss Gaynor said casually. "I really didn't expect my agent to do this. This is my hometown. But he's trying to keep me away from it."
Leslie interjected and said, "If you're doing it, we need to sign some contracts and move things around. I can let you go after Van Halen, before the headliner– Blue Oyster Cult."
"So she'd be like a co-headliner." Jackie was excited.
"No. Put her as the closer." I interjected. "That way, we can close tonight in a fun way."
Miss Gloria pointed at me and said, "I love that."
"Ah, I'm also going to pay you the same rate as the Blue Oyster Cult guys. So you can use that if your agent got mad–"
"No!" Miss Gloria interjected angrily. "I'm not going to charge you anything for this. How can a teacher charge her students if they want to see her perform?"
"I like your style, Teach. But I'm still going to pay you. I'm the head of the festival. I'm not going to take advantage of the artist performing here."
I laughed and joked, "Besides, I can't not pay the only female, also African American artist who's on the roster tonight. How would that make me look?"
Miss Gloria finally gave up and said, "You have really grown up Steven Hyde. To think that you used to put fart pouches underneath Coach Jefferson's chair."
She touched my face slightly and said, "I'm so proud of you."
Her compliment made me feel quite warm inside. She was our teacher
for over two years.
From my freshman year, to my sophomore year, she's one of the teachers who always remembered who her students were and cared deeply for them. So I have a lot of respect for her.
"Miss Gaynor. The auto show is about to start. Do you want to go and watch it?" Jackie asked her excitedly. She followed Leslie and Miss Gaynor along to sign the contract.
Jackie asked, "Also, you can give me your autograph, right? Do you know ABBA?"
"This is really unexpected." I smiled in satisfaction. "Now, I just need to wait for the concert to begin."
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