{"id":643,"date":"2024-02-14T01:04:23","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T07:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=643"},"modified":"2024-02-14T13:17:16","modified_gmt":"2024-02-14T19:17:16","slug":"from-fans-to-fanatics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/from-fans-to-fanatics\/","title":{"rendered":"From Fans to Fanatics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Spokane show had barely ended before chaos descended at the back gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Security was baffled. Meet-and-greet passes hadn\u2019t even been issued for this leg of the tour\u2014but <em>that<\/em> didn\u2019t seem to matter to the mob of former Vandal Saints fans now waving homemade signs, elaborate costumes, and\u2014unfortunately\u2014at least one actual fog machine outside the venue fence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It started with a chant:<br><strong>\u201cLet us meet the wolves! Let us meet the wolves!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One poor security guard just blinked. \u201cDid\u2026 did that guy bring a full couch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had. It was set ablaze (safely\u2026-ish) in a barrel off to the side with a sign that read:<br><strong>\u201cWE BURN FOR YOU, THANE.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inside the venue, Thane was finishing teardown, calmly coiling a final cable when Emily ran in, out of breath and barely able to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2026 need to see this,\u201d she wheezed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane gave her a quizzical look, then followed her up to the back gate. Gabriel, Cassie, Jonah, and Maya were already crowded around the security monitor, <em>howling<\/em> with laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On screen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A group of fans wearing homemade wolf ears and black hoodies scrawled with <em>\u201cSaints Who Saw the Light.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A girl with glitter face paint holding a handmade sign: <strong>\u201cI WAS WRONG ABOUT BRET. FORGIVE ME, OH FERAL ONES.\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A guy with a bass guitar painted red and labeled <em>&#8220;GABRIEL 2.0&#8221;<\/em> kneeling dramatically in front of the barricade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Another fan in a fog machine costume, complete with blinking LEDs and a sad face drawn on the front.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And one guy, proudly holding up an entire hand-crocheted <strong>Thane body pillow<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel clapped his paws together, cackling. \u201cTHAT\u2019S IT. They\u2019ve <em>ascended.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maya squinted at the pillow. \u201cThat\u2019s\u2026 actually terrifying. And kinda flattering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark, peering over the top of a lighting case, added dryly, \u201cI bet they have fog PTSD.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cassie just leaned on Thane\u2019s shoulder, wheezing. \u201cThey have no shame. <em>None.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane blinked slowly at the screen. \u201cI didn\u2019t even authorize merch pillows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily, fighting back giggles, asked, \u201cShould we let any of them in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel grinned wickedly. \u201cI vote yes. Let the glitter one in. And fog machine guy. And\u2014<em>only if he swears to behave<\/em> \u2014 Pillow Dude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Fifteen Minutes Later \u2013 Backstage Lounge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The chosen few sat nervously on the worn velvet couch, clutching VIP lanyards that had been hastily assembled from spare laminate stock and gaffer tape. The couch-burner guy was still slightly singed, but beaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Glitter Girl, a former Saints superfan named Kaylee, sniffled as she looked around the lounge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is just\u2026 I never thought I\u2019d actually be <em>here.<\/em> You guys\u2014your music <em>changed<\/em> me. Like, Bret was cool and all, but\u2026 this is real.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jonah leaned back in a beanbag chair, holding a soda. \u201cBret was cool in the way parking cones are cool\u2014until you trip over one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kaylee laughed through her tears. \u201cYou\u2019re all so <em>nice<\/em> too. Even Thane!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane, standing nearby with crossed arms, arched an eyebrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She quickly added, \u201cIn a \u2018stern guardian of the sound realm\u2019 way! Like\u2026 intimidating but noble.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAcceptable,\u201d he rumbled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fog Machine Guy, whose real name turned out to be Nate, carefully set down his costume head and looked starstruck. \u201cI just wanted to say thanks for not laughing at us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou set a couch on fire,\u201d Mark said without looking up from his tablet. \u201cWe\u2019re <em>required<\/em> to laugh. But\u2026 you\u2019re still welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then there was Pillow Guy\u2014Ben. He nervously held the handmade plush version of Thane with the exaggerated claws and glowing eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI, uh\u2026 I meant it as a tribute,\u201d he said, visibly sweating. \u201cNot like\u2026 a weird thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane just stared at the pillow. Then blinked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFlattering,\u201d he finally said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ben nearly fainted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Later That Night \u2013 On the Bus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel flopped into a lounge seat, scrolling through the hundreds of photos taken during the impromptu fan hangout. \u201cThey\u2019re totally in. Converted. Redeemed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cassie added, \u201cThey went from Saint worshippers to couch-burning disciples of the pack. We need a loyalty pin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily chuckled. \u201cI already designed one. It\u2019s a little flaming couch with a fog machine crossed out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane looked up from his laptop and said dryly, \u201cWe\u2019ll need extras.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Diesel, kicking back near the front of the bus, chuckled into his mug. \u201cWhole tour\u2019s gone feral.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel grinned. \u201cDamn right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And outside the bus, long after the show had ended, a fog machine costume lay folded gently beside the stage gate\u2026 waiting for next time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Spokane show had barely ended before chaos descended at the back gates. Security was baffled. Meet-and-greet passes hadn\u2019t even been issued for this leg of the tour\u2014but that didn\u2019t seem to matter to the mob of former Vandal Saints fans now waving homemade signs, elaborate costumes, and\u2014unfortunately\u2014at least one actual fog machine outside the [&hellip;]<\/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-643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643","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=643"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3127,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/643\/revisions\/3127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=643"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=643"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=643"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}