Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 164



Only Noblemtl

Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 164

164. Moon Bow

“Tch. The weather is totally SHIT.”

Michael, a Chicago resident who has been attending the Lollapalooza festival for several years, clicked his tongue as rain pounded against the windshield from inside his car.

During the festivals he’s attended, it’s rained many times, and every time, Michael has been cooped up in his car like today.

Some might shout, “How can you come to a music festival and give up on enjoying it just because of rain?”

There are all kinds of people in the world, and among them, Michael? He was a man who hated getting rained on so badly.

On days when it’s chilly and humid, and his delicate scalp gets contaminated by acid rain, he might end up with a shiny bald head like his father.

That much is something I would rather die for.

“Besides, on days like this, if you try to listen to a live performance, the sound will be buried in the rain and it’ll be a total mess.”

So, I thought that the current escape was a rational and strategic one, a step back for two steps forward, and as always, I was justifying it in my own way.

It was time to relax with the seat pushed back, arms folded, and the noise outside as background music.

-Wow!

The cheers coming from the main stage have been unusual for a while now.

And what’s more? Even with the rain pouring down so heavily, the artist’s singing voice can be heard clearly.

He’s been stuck in his car for quite some time now, and many artists have walked the stage, but none of them have given him such a clear voice.

No matter how powerful the sound equipment is, voices tend to disperse when they reach the street and the parking lot.

It was only natural since it was raining.

So who is the artist on stage now?

He was a singer with monstrous vocalization and delivery skills, capable of making it through heavy rain and even reaching the parking lot.

And he was the headliner today, the second day of the festival.

“It was Sungjun, right? He had a fight with Johnson.”

The incident where the two teams battled for the Billboard chart spot was so famous that it was impossible not to know about it even if you wanted to.

Because the news and YouTube have been talking about it every day.

In addition, Sungjun appeared on ‘The Tonight Show’, the best talk show in the United States.

Thanks to this, Michael first learned about the Asian singer named Sungjun.

And, leaving aside the controversy over whether Sungjun’s new single is noise marketing, by his standards, it was a song worthy of reaching number one on Billboard.

Although he is always out of breath when it rains, he still loves music so much that he goes to the music festival every year.

It was a small pleasure of mine to keep an eye on the new artists that appeared every year and compare their music with their actual live performances.

So, I had great expectations and excitement about being able to hear the live performance of the all-time supernova who simultaneously took first place on Billboard and headlined Lollapalooza during their US debut today.

“But why the heavy rain? The heavens are so heartless.”

Even though I let out a sigh? In fact, I was worried inside.

I wonder if I’ll be able to meet the singer Sungjun again at Lollapalooza if I miss today.

Rain vs Sungjun’s live stage that I hate so much

This was when the fierce weighing continued in Michael’s head.

Brrrrrr-

The cell phone that was thrown on the passenger seat rang.

The caller? A festival friend who became close while working at Lollapalooza like me.

– Hey, where are you now, bro?

He also knows that on rainy days, you should take a break in the car.

And every year he would constantly persuade himself to have the courage to enjoy the rain at least once.

I answered leisurely, thinking that today would be another day of persuasion like always.

“You know, it’s always in my suite.”

– Now is not the time, you have to come to the main stage quickly! Otherwise, you might not have a seat!

But today, his voice is different than before. It’s urgent.

‘There will be no place for me?’

Michael let out a snicker.

Is it possible that the main stage will be fully occupied in this heavy rain?

Every year, the methods used to seduce you become more diverse.

I was about to answer, ‘Your acting has increased quite a bit.’

“hmm?”

Suddenly, a procession appeared outside the car window.

Those who, like him, were waiting in their cars to take shelter from the rain.

One by one, they were getting out of the car and heading back to the festival site.

‘What the heck, what’s going on?’

Could it be that you were drawn to the voices on the main stage?

Crowd psychology is when people in a similar group all behave in the same way and they feel they must follow suit.

While I was shaking, my friend delivered the finishing blow.

– I’ll hold your spot for now, but I can’t stay for long. Just five minutes!

Michael’s body moved as the time limit was reached.

I put on the raincoat I had thrown on the passenger seat and opened the car door as if in a trance.

As soon as he stepped outside, raindrops began to hit Michael’s head.

But the rain had long since disappeared from Michael’s mind.

My friend and other people too.

What on earth makes them head to the main stage?

It’s because curiosity dominates my thinking.

His steps became quicker and his strides became longer, and before he knew it, he was running towards the main stage.

After showing my re-entry bracelet to the staff at the entrance, I ran a little further and arrived at the main stage.

A startling exclamation came before the gasp of breath.

“What?”

Even in this heavy rain, the audience was full.

And they all looked like they were dying of joy!

Michael was born with the risk of inheriting his father’s baldness gene, but at the same time, he was blessed with a slightly taller stature than other children.

I lifted my chin and checked the main stage and the scoreboard.

The timing was perfect, as Sungjun’s next song was about to start.

He came to enjoy a performance in the rain for the first time since he was born.

It was a time when I earnestly hoped that Sungjun’s live would be worth the price of breaking the taboos I had kept.

“···uh?”

A thin ray of light descended across Michael’s face.

*

It wasn’t a mistake.

As I cast my gaze far away towards the entrance, I saw that more and more audience members were really coming in.

‘Why?’

Isn’t it normal to leave the concert hall once the performance has progressed to a certain point?

But now it’s the opposite.

There are 30 minutes left until the show and people are starting to arrive.

‘You’re listening to my song?’

If that’s the case, it couldn’t help but be exciting.

Because we won the competition against bad weather.

‘In the end, the weather doll was a dead end.’

At that time, I felt a greater sense of accomplishment from the sight I had created with my own efforts.

Flash-

The weather doll floating upside down in the air began to glow.

As Sungjun’s eyes turned to the sky, the audience’s gaze also turned to the same place.

The long, raindrops gradually became thinner and thinner like threads, and soon the rain stopped.

Then, a ray of moonlight began to shine through the gray clouds that covered the sky.

The dazzling moonlight that drove away all the shadows in the sky? It combined with the water droplets that filled the air right after the heavy rain, creating a beautiful natural phenomenon.

Up on the main stage,

A giant seven-colored rainbow arch was hung.

“Wow… It’s Moonbow.”

The audience is left in awe at the magical atmosphere created by the rainbow moon bow that appears at night, which is rare to see even once in a lifetime.

And the audience under the rainbow-colored night sky? It was already packed just like last night when American top star Ariel Grande filled the stage.

Thump thump thump?

My heart races at the sight.

I feel a similar vibe to the regular album showcase a while ago.

It’s clear.

The emotions of the many people gathered here are boiling and building up a sacred energy.

Could it be because the rain that had been pouring down all day purified the murky air?

Stars twinkle in the Chicago sky along with a bright moon.

And the next song that Sungjun was going to sing was ‘Star’.

Is this a coincidence…?

Or fate…?

I don’t know.

I just wanted to express my boiling emotions right now through my voice.

Unlike other recently released songs, Star is a song with lyrics written entirely in Korean.

So, I wanted to display the lyrics translated into English on the stage screen and just convey the energy through the song.

however.

“From today onwards, I am your star.”

All foreigners sing along to the song written in Korean.

With an awkward pronunciation but an excited face.

They didn’t have the cheering sticks in their hands like they did during the showcase, but

The sight of the hands in the white raincoat swaying up and down like reeds resembled a meteor shower racing across the dark night sky.

At that moment,

“Shine on me brighter than the moon.

Share your light with me.

From today onwards, you are my star.”

As the chorus lyrics say, fans became Sungjun’s stars.

And conversely,

“From today onwards, I am your star.”

Sungjun, who shined brightly on stage, was a shining star, a ‘star’ in the eyes of fans.

As if responding to the last melody that Sungjun and the fans created together, a system message appeared.

[Energy for opening the non-passenger gate? Accumulated]

*

In fact, no one, not even the Korea Meteorological Administration, expected the heavy rain to stop like this.

However, the rainbow created by the heavy rain became a special stage decoration never seen before at Lollapalooza.

At the same time, the water bomb atmosphere is a bonus.?

“The rain wasn’t a problem at all. Just being able to watch Sungjun’s performance was enough.”

A fan who had been attending Lollapalooza for years and found the stage after being stuck in his car in the pouring rain that day told reporters:

Sungjun’s last 30 minutes after the rain cleared were amazing.

Even though it had been over an hour, both the artists and the audience were in high spirits as if they had just started their first song.

As the rain completely stopped, the crowds that had taken refuge in various places all gathered at the main stage.

It was literally a sea of ​​people.

“Is it similar to the number of spectators when Ariel performed on stage?”

Someone was comparing it to the crowds of the top American stars yesterday.

Even a tiger will come if I call it.

Ariel, the top star he had mentioned earlier and the headliner for the first day, appeared on Sungjun’s stage.

He was a surprise guest.

As she had ‘subtly’ promised the day before? She came to sing ‘Destiny’ with Sungjun.

She, too, was standing backstage, watching the miracle of Sungjun and the fans’ voices pushing away the dark clouds, so her heart was pounding with excitement.

“This is the last song today. Fate. It seems like you and I were destined to meet here today.”

“And that clear blue sky too.”

Thunderous cheers erupt at Sungjun and Ariel’s comments.

Then the two people started singing.

“We’re meant to be love.”

“Yeah, it’s destiny.”

Since it was a number one song on Billboard and was in English, this time everyone sang along as one.

Immediately after the performance, a post was uploaded on Sungjun’s Instagram.

Instead of a beer mug, he pointed to a rainbow in the sky with a large audience.

+

It was the best weather.

#Rain #Rainyday?#Rainbow?#Lollapalooza

+

And just a little later.

A post was silently removed from the Johnson brothers’ Instagram.

*

Naturally, Sungjun’s performance at Lollapalooza spread across the Internet.

– Is this a real singer!? This is a real patriot.

– It’s a live performance in the rain, but it’s incredibly stable. No, it’s even more dynamic than usual!

– Sungjun alone grabbed K-pop’s pride by the scruff of the neck and carried it.

– It seems a bit much to confine Sungjun to the K-pop genre.

Recently, the reputation of K-pop has been declining among fans due to the disappointing live performances of several idol groups at music festivals such as Coachella.

Sungjun’s live performance at Lollapalooza, which was beyond perfection, was a performance that was in stark contrast to his.

In addition, a video uploaded by a fan who was filming Sungjun’s performance became a hot topic.

Suddenly, during the performance? The dark clouds parted, a ray of light appeared, and as if by magic, the sky cleared.

And a rainbow appeared behind Sungjun’s stage.

The scene where the screen, which was black and white when it rained, regained its colors to match the rainbow colors that appeared as the rain stopped was truly enchanting.

It was a fan-made music video featuring Sungjun’s song ‘Star’.

– Isn’t the directing really great? It’s my first time seeing a rainbow at night. It’s called Moon Bow.

– When Sungjun sings, it feels like the heavens and the god of music are helping Sungjun.

– It was crazy. If this continues, a religion might even emerge!

The video was also regrammed on Lollapalooza’s official account and became a hot topic.

After the four-day festival, Lollapalooza’s YouTube channel, which edits and uploads highlight videos, featured the scene where Sungjun stops the rain as its main video.

In the video, Sungjun was a pop star and a rock star in and of himself.

Meanwhile, some bold voices were raised in Korea.

– No, why don’t you have a concert in Korea?ㅜㅠ

– It’s an ironic situation where Sungjun left for overseas too early and ended up skipping domestic concerts and competing in global music festivals first.

– We strongly urge MXM Entertainment to hold a concert for Sungjun oppa!

It was a time when fans’ regret was growing.

An announcement article distributed by MXM Entertainment has been posted.

『Sungjun, continuing the Lollapalooza fever. First domestic solo concert scheduled!』