Standing beside the stairs, Ronan lightly clenched and unclenched his fist, attempting to calm his racing heart.
However, it proved futile. His heart didn't just maintain its rapid thumping; it seemed to accelerate, making him doubt the earlier statement:
Could a heart truly be so hard to burst?
The intense emotions overwhelmed him, making it difficult to breathe. His racing pulse felt like it might burst any moment.
Nervousness and excitement occupied his mind to such an extent that when Cathy exited the stage, Ronan had no recollection of it. He only recalled a quick nod as they passed each other.
Initially, Ronan had wanted to commend Cathy's performance in person, encouraging her to persist.
However, his chaotic mind led him to forget this intention.
Instead, he followed Ollie's lead step by step, ascending the stairs to the stage.
Exhaling slowly, as his feet touched the stage, he felt the wooden floor beneath him, worn down by countless shoes, boots, and sneakers.
He could hear the creaking of the wooden boards beneath his weight. Ronan felt a soothing sensation as if the stage had the power to heal him, miraculously calming his anxiety and unease. Even his mind cleared.
Creak.
With slight pressure from his soles, the slightly dented wooden boards conveyed a sense of stability, and Ronan couldn't help but smile.
"Good evening, Old Blacksmith Pub. We are Kings for a Day."
Ronan spoke loudly and confidently into the microphone, projecting an energetic energy from the depths of his throat.
Ronan's vitality and flamboyance on stage contrasted greatly with his usual self.
The image captured by Alice through the camera revealed a hint of surprise and awe in her eyes.
Then, Alice noticed a gleam in Ronan's eyes—a fleeting glimmer that illuminated the entire stage.
"First and foremost, let's applaud Kacey Musgraves. I loved her performance. You could feel the depth of her soul in her singing and melody. This is why we're enchanted by music and why we're here tonight. We're all groping our way through the darkness, waiting for a glimmer of sunshine to appear."
Cathy, who had been about to leave, couldn't help but pause and turn her gaze towards the stage.
While it was customary for performers to thank their predecessors, the sincerity in Ronan's voice and the weight of his concise words lingered in Cathy's heart, lightly but significantly.
She simply stood there, looking towards the stage, feeling a sense of anticipation, ready to see what kind of band was about to perform.
The guy on stage didn't disappoint.
"Secondly, before you curiously inquire about the unknown faces on this stage and contemplate leaving without caring, let's dive into the show now. Let's communicate through music and release some more energy. It's already 5 o'clock in the morning, and if you hang in there, dawn will arrive. Perhaps the sunshine we've been waiting for will finally come."
Hehe.
Laughter filled the Old Blacksmith Pub because Ronan had indeed voiced what many were thinking.
When the One Day Kings Band took the stage, some in the audience were bewildered. Moreover, it was 5 o'clock in the morning, and their energy and stamina had started to wane.
Initially, they were ready to leave in confusion, light up a cigarette, or take a break and return later. In short, they were prepared to take a breather.
Ronan's words, however, caught them off guard, causing them to hesitate in their steps. Eventually, their reactions turned into laughter.
Cathy also noticed how Ronan's words formed a clever intertext, linking reality to the stage.
In just a few words, he successfully encapsulated the narrative of the Old Blacksmith Pub's demise. Yet, he maintained a party atmosphere that never completely dissipated.
Cathy's eyes flickered with curiosity.
During this brief pause and adjustment, Ollie's drumbeat kicked in, officially starting the One Day King's performance.
Bang, bang!
Two drumbeats signaled the start, followed by the piercing electric guitar, unleashing a classic retro strumming melody from the 1980s.
The rhythm wasn't fast; it was a mid-tempo groove. The audience, fatigued as they were, might have expressed dissatisfaction with such a pace under normal circumstances.
However, at 5 o'clock in the morning, they were just beginning to relax. They swayed gently to the middle tempo rhythm, moving to the beat.
Bang, bang, snap.
Bang, bang, snap.
The straightforward four beats allowed every member of the audience to follow along easily.
As they exchanged glances, they could sense the band's clever arrangements, subtly capturing the audience's psychological state.
The unhurried retro style felt familiar, making it easy for people to immerse themselves.
Simultaneously, all four band members hummed in unison:
"Hey... Hey... Hey... Hey..."
With no lyrics, just onomatopoeic humming, they swayed with the melody and rhythm.
The lead singer, positioned center stage, extended the microphone forward, stepped onto the lightbox, and gazed directly at the audience.
Their tall figure carried an air of authority, capturing everyone's attention. Yet, there was a warm and sunny smile on their face, resembling a ray of light that scattered the surrounding emerald stage lights, guiding the audience forward in the darkness.
There were no actions, calls, or directives, yet the lead singer's every movement exuded unparalleled warmth.
Soon, the audience began humming along to the band's rhythm and melody.
"Hey... Hey... Hey... Hey..."
The chords were incredibly basic, with no complexity. However, their catchiness exceeded expectations.
The soft melody produced by the electric guitar and drum set enveloped the audience, drawing them in. Unconsciously, their feet remained planted, and they continued to gaze at the stage.
They stayed put, choosing to wait and see.
Pop rock was often dubbed "saliva songs" by some, but this label didn't signify low quality. Saliva songs were typically popular and catchy, easily drawing audiences in and encouraging them to sing along. Truly excellent saliva songs could even become classics.
The challenge, however, lay in creating such a great saliva song.
At this moment, the One Day Kings band had successfully embedded the scene's atmosphere into their rhythm using the simplest, most basic chords. Ronan had played a significant role in this.
From the stage's beginning to the performance's start, the entire process had been under Ronan's control.