Why are a guitarist's instruments so expensive? One reason is that every guitar produces a unique sound, but it is also because cheap instruments frequently shatter under the sheer pressure of a professional's technique.
In particular, techniques like 'whammy bar dives'—adjusting the height of the bridge to oscillate the pitch—grind away at a guitar's durability. I was currently utilizing that very technique during the guitar solo of the rearranged version of 'Billie Jean.'
The instrument I held was a Fender crafted in the 1950s. It produced that legendary sound lost after the company's decline in the 70s—the same resonance that birthed countless legends in my previous life.
One might call it a mere 'delusion' regarding a bygone era, but even in my past life, I was strictly 'Old School.' And in this world, I am the 'New School.'
Zzzzzzt!
A raw, unrefined, and jagged sound—the true essence of a guitar—began to echo through the venue. Using hammer-ons and pull-offs, I laid the groundwork for Michael Jackson to tear the stage apart.
Though the track was pop, a coarse, viscous sound—the kind that birthed the genre of Rock in my previous life—enveloped Michael Jackson. I might have been an E-rank session musician before, but right now, I was channeling Jimi Hendrix.
He is the man every guitarist yearns for and idolizes. Through this performance, I intended to convince the public of the sheer sexiness of the 'Rock' genre.
Usually, I couldn't play with such abandon because I had to provide vocals, but today was different.
As Michael Jackson dominated the stage with his iconic moonwalk, I collapsed as if falling, dropping to my knees to execute a heavy string bend. Simultaneously, pillars of fire erupted in front of me.
I could hear the roar of the crowd. I was a guitarist in my past life, for God's sake. I wouldn't make a mistake with a performance of this caliber.
Cheers flooded the stage. As the show progressed, the United Center transformed into utter pandemonium. Several fans had fainted and collapsed, while others, overcome with excitement, stood atop their chairs, dancing frantically.
The roar of a crowd always gave me a hit of dopamine—enough to make me feel as if I were floating. This was exactly what I had craved since my previous life.
'Doom-du, Doom-du'
The lyrics ended, and Michael Jackson's solo dance began. We were merely there to support his movements with a harmony of instruments. Seeing the Emperor perform after five years of seclusion, the audience began to weep.
Fans of Enfants Terribles were stripping off their shirts and dancing on chairs, while Michael Jackson's fans were clapping through their tears.
For a musician, this was the ultimate reaction.
As the song ended, Michael Jackson gave us a thumbs-up. We responded to the gesture by removing our fedoras and giving a slight, respectful bow.
The crowd went even wilder at the sight of the Legend of Pop and the Progenitor of Rock showing such mutual respect.
The legendary performance occurring in America was being broadcast live all the way to Japan across the Pacific.
Because Michael Jackson had returned after five years to share a stage with the rising stars, Enfants Terribles, media outlets worldwide were broadcasting the event in real-time.
"Heh... so they've made it that far, have they?"
A man with hair more vibrantly yellow than Hide's—and eyes possessing stars filled with deep darkness—spoke. This was a man who had been abandoned by his family since birth and sexually exploited by adults, losing his dreams against his will.
At the same time, he was a man who filled his own emptiness by extinguishing the lives of shining stars. Though he had not yet put it into practice, murdering stars with his own hands had become his new dream.
When a person is at their happiest... wouldn't stealing that happiness away also be a form of killing them? How would that man on stage, the one with yellow hair like his own, react when his happiness was ripped away?
The man who had been wandering aimlessly after losing his dreams now had a new goal in life.
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"A-choo!!! Did I eat too much Häagen-Dazs?"
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