{"id":1720,"date":"2024-10-09T01:03:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T06:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=1720"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:22:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:22:33","slug":"smoke-static-and-shamrocks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/smoke-static-and-shamrocks\/","title":{"rendered":"Smoke, Static, and Shamrocks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The roar of the crowd was still reverberating in their chests as the pack and crew ducked behind the heavy stage curtain, trailing sweat and adrenaline like storm clouds. Gabriel was vibrating \u2014 tail flicking wildly, breathing hard, a manic grin carved across his muzzle as he practically skipped<\/em> backward off the final riser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIreland, man! Ireland!!<\/em>\u201d he howled, nearly colliding with Jonah and Rico, who were both trying to catch their breath against a stack of amp cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark, already halfway out of his headset rig, leaned against the lighting console with a rare smirk. \u201cWe may have just committed lighting-based emotional terrorism,\u201d he muttered. \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane was still running on mission mode, coiling cables with expert speed, though the sheen of pride on his face couldn\u2019t be missed. \u201cAll wireless packs are accounted for, no one tripped over pyro lines, and<\/em> no one died. I call that a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were gonna say \u2018again,\u2019 weren\u2019t you?\u201d Cassie chimed in as she threw her towel over her shoulder, grinning ear to ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c…No comment,\u201d Thane muttered, as Gabriel slid dramatically across the floor on his knees, still playing air bass, and crashed gently into Thane\u2019s shins with a theatrical flop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI give tonight\u2019s show a 13 out of 10!\u201d Gabriel gasped from the floor. \u201cAlso, I might pass out, but it\u2019ll be with style!<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily popped her head into the green room doorway, eyes wide. \u201cUh\u2026 we might have a situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside, in the narrow hallway that led to the back lot, came a sudden chorus of frantic voices \u2014 some shouting, some shrieking, one<\/em> clearly giggling uncontrollably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel was already on his feet. \u201cOh gods, it\u2019s fans again, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope,\u201d Emily said, grinning. \u201cWorse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before she could explain, the door burst open fully \u2014 and in rolled a three-tiered cake the size of a Smart Car.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico blinked. \u201cAre we under attack by pastry?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two venue staffers followed behind it, both beet red and laughing nervously. One of them held up a shaky hand. \u201cIt\u2019s from the mayor.<\/em> Of the town. They saw the set. Said it was the best live show ever performed on Irish soil and wanted to thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel\u2019s ears perked. \u201cWait. Like\u2026 actually?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark gave the cake a long, slow look. \u201cHow the hell did they get this made during the show?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie had already pulled out her phone, recording. \u201cThey probably started when we hit soundcheck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cake was decorated in emerald green, gold piping, and edible sugar-sculpted werewolves playing instruments \u2014 each one uncannily accurate. Thane\u2019s sugar wolf had the most serious scowl ever created in fondant. Gabriel\u2019s was mid-leap, claws and tail in the air, holding a tiny red bass guitar. Even Mark\u2019s looked gruff and annoyed in edible grayscale fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s way<\/em> too much detail,\u201d Maya whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane raised an eyebrow. \u201cPlease tell me there\u2019s no one in<\/em> the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before anyone could test that theory, the hallway erupted again \u2014 this time with flashes of camera lights. A television crew<\/em> had shown up, along with several more dignitaries from the mayor\u2019s office, all asking for photos, sound bites, and impromptu interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t keep living like this,\u201d Mark muttered under his breath as someone handed him a child\u2019s drawing of a werewolf with sparkles glued to its fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel, now being hugged by an elderly woman in a \u201cWOLVES DO IT BETTER\u201d t-shirt, looked over and beamed. \u201cCorrection \u2014 yes we can.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until the chaos died down a little that the real surprise hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico wandered into the side lounge, where a local guitar tech had left a neatly labeled box on a table. Curious, he cracked it open \u2014 and his jaw dropped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside was a pristine, vintage 1976 Irish-built Avalon acoustic-electric guitar\u2026 signed by every member of Thin Lizzy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh my gods<\/em>,\u201d Rico breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The note inside, scrawled in careful script, read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cTo the next generation of chaos-makers. Ireland\u2019s proud to host you. Keep raising hell.<\/em>
\u2013 A friend in the industry.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He slowly carried the guitar out into the green room, and the moment he held it up, everyone went still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie covered her mouth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya let out a slow, stunned whistle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Gabriel stopped mid-sentence. \u201c…Is that real?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooks like it,\u201d Rico said. \u201cAnd whoever left it knew what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mood shifted from electric to reverent. For a full minute, no one spoke. Then Jonah clapped Rico on the back with a wide grin. \u201cWell? You gonna play<\/em> that thing, or just stare at it all night?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

As the night wore on, the green room glowed with soft conversation, leftover cake crumbs, and the warm acoustic strum of that vintage guitar. Outside, the venue slowly emptied, though a small crowd still lingered in the back lot, singing Eclipse lyrics and refusing to leave until security literally<\/em> herded them out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel flopped sideways into Thane\u2019s lap on the couch, looking up at his bandmate with that familiar, wild sparkle in his eyes. \u201cBest. Show. Ever.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane just chuckled softly and scratched behind Gabriel\u2019s ear. \u201cYou say that every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. And one day I\u2019ll be right forever.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The roar of the crowd was still reverberating in their chests as the pack and crew ducked behind the heavy stage curtain, trailing sweat and adrenaline like storm clouds. Gabriel was vibrating \u2014 tail flicking wildly, breathing hard, a manic grin carved across his muzzle as he practically skipped backward off the final riser. \u201cIreland, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1720","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1720"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2998,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1720\/revisions\/2998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}