Play On

[celebrity_commentator]

Who: Risette, all the people who signed up to help or sing, and EVERYONE!
Where: 0048 Stage! With a brief bit back at Junes.
Summary: Big benefit concert by the Visitors!
Warnings: Video-heavy, Gas Chamber is terrible

Surprising no one, everything had come down to the wire. After barely two weeks of preparation, a concert thought up by a 16 year old semi-retired idol singer was being put on in a theater that had magically appeared last night.

Some days, Rise really effing loved this town.

In the afternoon, Rise was in front of Junes, dodging the crowds of people outside her demographic talking about their books to put up flyers and occasionally do her megaphone thing to let everyone know about the change in plans:

"Attention everyone! Tonight's Benefit Concert featuring our Visitor musicians has been MOVED! It'll be taking place at the brand-new 0048 Stage in the Aries District! It's the big sparkly tower theater, you can't miss it!"

Just in case, she handed out quickly printed flyers with directions to the theater to anyone who didn't immediately shove their hands in their pockets, with a smile and a "See you there!" or a "Please come by and see! Free admission!" delivered individually depending on the potential audience member's mood.

---

The hours to the concert ticked down to minutes, Rise doing everything in her power to make sure everything and everyone was set up for a 7:00 start while preparing to get out on stage again herself. She hadn't done anything like this in months, or anything this serious in longer, and she was running entirely on bottled water and adrenaline at this point.

People - visitor and native alike, whoever she could get to volunteer or accept pay out of donations ("It's a benefit concert, after all!") scrambled to make sure the stage was hooked up, safe, and ready for performances, to make sure guests were seated, and to make sure the performers were ready. Rise was one of the ones scrambling, manically (but happily) doing her own job of remembering lyrics and not throwing up along with her old manager's job of supervising.

"Okay, everyone ready? Oh! We better be, show starts in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes, guys!"

Yeah she really needed to hire a new manager.

When the time came, the house was full, and they were ready to start. Rise took a deep breath and headed out to kick things off.

((Alright! This post is going to have several subthreads/prompts with instructions in each, but in general, mingle and have fun!))

((Comments are open, tag away!!))

Comments

Pre-Concert - Backstage

[celebrity_commentator]

[Anyone who volunteered to help out with backstage things like lightning, the sound system, or constructing the stage was told to come here early this morning, moved from the probably-doomed attempt at a makeshift stage in front of Junes to the 0048's theater. Anyone helping out would be here, and anyone planning to perform would be doing dress rehearsals earlier in the day, or in the dressing rooms preparing for curtain later on.]

Dress Rehearsal - onstage, let's play with floating platforms!

[seasidecherry]

"I can't believe this is actually happening!" Nagisa was in a rush, making sure that there was electricity where needed. One thing that needed to be checked was on the stage itself. One of the quirks of it was that it had floating platforms that a performer could use. Fly above the audience, float if you needed to, that kind of thing. Nagisa had trained on them, so she was perfectly fine, but now, her job was twofold: first, to make sure that the floating platforms were actually working, and second, to make sure that anyone who might need or want to use a floating platform would get a crash course in how to do it.

...she hoped the term "crash course" wouldn't be literal.

[pastalishe]

Cloche, who has arrived at the theater early to help Rise with set-up, watches Nagisa as she tests the stage. She's particularly fascinated by the floating platform component, although she's not sure she trusts herself to keep balanced while performing.

"It is amazing how much a dedicated group of people can accomplish in a short amount of time."

[seasidecherry]

"It really is," Nagisa says, with a bright nod. "And I couldn't be happier that the theater itself is here. I'm a little bit nervous, but this place is a piece of my home. I'm so glad I can share the joy of being on this stage with everyone!"

She hummed to herself, stepping on the spot that was supposed to activate one of the stage's floating platforms. "Now if I can only get this thing to come up when it's supposed to. I'm not too worried about it working once it's in the air - the way it was explained to me is that it has some kind of stabilizing things on it, so you're not supposed to be able to fall off - but if it doesn't come up when it's supposed to, or worse, comes up when it's not supposed to, that's a bigger problem."

[pastalishe]

"My, is it? In that case, I have to thank you to opening it for us to perform in."

Cloche watches curiously as Nagisa experiments with the stage, one hand on her hip.

"That is concerning. How is it supposed to be activated?"

[seasidecherry]

"There isn't any need to thank me. I'm thrilled that I'm able to share this special place with everyone. The group I'm with, AKB0048 - this is our theater. Our mission is to bring music to everyone, no matter where they are, and to do it with a happy heart. This theater is as much about sharing music and the happiness it brings with others as it is anything else, and as far as I'm concerned, the doors are always open for anyone who wants to do that."

Nagisa smiled, bowing her head a little. She wasn't one of the managers, not even one of the proper successors, but she thought - no. She knew they would understand, and want to do the same thing.

"Hm. Normally, you'd get into position and - do you see the button here?" She pointed down, at a white spot on the stage. "Normally, stepping on the button would launch the platform. I need to put some tape around them and a sign backstage letting people know not to step on them if they don't want to use them, but that's if they work. I'm not sure why it's not working now, though."

[pastalishe]

"I see," Cloche says, a look of admiration on her face. "The mission of your group is quite noble. I'm sure that, if your companions were here, they would be proud of what you have chosen to do with the theater." She nods respectfully to Nagisa. "I can only hope that that the performances tonight will reflect the mission and goals of the AKB0048."

Cloche leans in, peering at the spot on the floor where Nagisa is pointing.

"Perhaps the mechanism is jammed, somehow? It would be awful if someone went flying when they didn't expect to."

Electronics testing

[second_destiny]

Asem was darting back and forth, making sure everything was in working order. He was the reason why there was the occasional flashing light, buzzing speaker, and a voice saying "Testing, testing" audible on the microphone.

[celebrity_commentator]

He was every bit the technical expert he'd mentioned being, and Rise felt proud to have recruited him.

Maybe a little less proud of using her normal guy-friend tactics on him than a simple appeal to justice and mercy, perhaps, but the point was he was here and he was saving the backstage portion of the show.

"Everything still alright back here, Captain?" she asked, offering him an unopened bottle of water. "Sorry for the sudden venue change and all..."

[second_destiny]

Asem gladly accepted the water. "Thanks a lot. Don't worry about the change. I've got everything under control. Just rushing a bit, no big deal."

[celebrity_commentator]

"Wow, so professional! I guess that's the army training talking," she said. "Thanks so much for doing this for us."

[second_destiny]

"Marines, but nah, not really. Just experience." Asem unscrewed the bottlecap and took a swig. "No problem. That's what friends are for, right?"

[celebrity_commentator]

"Well, it means a lot to me," she said.

"I'm gonna go check on everyone else, but thanks again, and I hope you enjoy the show!"

Dress Rehearsal

[thelordsage]

Sephiran spent quite a while trying to get used to the stage and the acoustics of the auditorium. He just stood on the stage for a time, getting used to the atmosphere, before he practiced singing. He started with some vocal warmups before transitioning to the actual song. This was easy enough without all the people, but who knew what would happen when people actually arrived?

[pastalishe]

Cloche is used to stages, but none like the 0048 Stage. The atmosphere is completely unfamiliar. So, like Sephiran, she's taking time to get used to the stage. She quietly listens to his practice; when he's finished, she'll approach him.

"That was beautiful. Is that the piece you will be performing tonight?"

[thelordsage]

Sephiran cleared his throat before he turned to Cloche- a way of shaking everything back into place. "Yes, that's right. This is the piece I'll be performing tonight. It might not fit in with the others, but I hope that people like it just the same."

[pastalishe]

"I don't think there's any need for you to be concerned," Cloche says, shaking her head. "But... I can understand your concern. The way I am used to performing is very different from how I've seen the others practicing as well."

Case in point: the microphone. Cloche knows that, if she can catch Asem, she'll have to remind him that it would be for the best if he disabled the sound system during her performance. If all went well, she would be able to project her performance throughout the theater.

[thelordsage]

"Oh? How are you used to performing?" Sephiran was legitimately curious. If their performance styles were similar, then there might be some common ground between the pieces. It would be nice for Sephiran to not be alone in having a more traditional piece. "Some of the pieces I've seen the others perform... they're different from anything I heard back at home. I've never even heard some of these instruments they're using."

before heading on stage!

[doesasordered]

[Nikolai could hardly believe he was doing this. The most he's ever played for was groups of friends, or small clubs and lounges. Never on a stage like this, in front of such a crowd. And he's nervous.

He's nervous. He's never nervous about anything in his life, ever, but he is about this. He doesn't like it.

Backstage, Nik will be found tuning his guitar, going over the chords of Rise's playlist, and furiously smoking cigarette after cigarette.]

[celebrity_commentator]

Rise's glad she didn't grab him as a backup singer. She braves the cloud of second-hand smoke to give him a reassuring smile.

"Feeling alright, Nik-san?" she asked. It was probably time to reassure him, given that she'd roped him into this in the first place...

[doesasordered]

In her defense, he did volunteer! He stamps out his cigarette when she approaches, and fights off the urge to light up a new one.

"Ah... Yes, I'm just..." Well he couldn't brush it off easily, but he'll try. He nods to her. "I'll be fine. Are you all ready?"

[celebrity_commentator]

"I haven't sang in a real concert hall in over a year, but it's like riding a bike," she said.

Suddenly feeling the urge to talk, she adds, "I actually quit pretty suddenly, back home. My friends helped me get over the stress I was under, even do a small show, but this is the first time I've felt like I was back in the business. It's kind of nerve-wracking."

[doesasordered]

"So you've done big shows like this before. That's admirable, especially at your age. When I was your age I was playing in friends' garages, thinking we were in a band." He smirked slightly. "But I'm sure you'll do fine out there. I remind myself that it's for a good cause. It helps."

[celebrity_commentator]

"Heh, I actually started back in middle school," she admitted. "Idol singers start really young most of the time. I think it's a Japanese thing."

"Being for a good cause really does help, though. I think I would have bailed right off if someone hadn't brought up the idea of how it could help people," she said.

Early stage preparations

[genkibot]

[Tachikoma has shown up nice and early at the new stage to see what she can do to help. At the moment, she looks a little lost as she's not sure who she report to or where to start, but at least she seems full of enthusiasm.]

...Um, so where do I start first?