Halloween
One Night Only –
The Grave Diggers, in the dark with red lighting the banner had the desired
creepy effect.
Virgil looked at John, “Kind of cheesy and over the top,
isn’t it?”
John came recommended as a very good promoter; his sense
of fashion needed some work. The promoter stood there in designer jeans tucked
into elaborately tooled white cowboy boots, a big silver belt buckle, light
blue shirt with pearl buttons, the top three unbuttoned to show off his chest
hair and gold chains, and a leather fringed jacket completed his outfit. This
was John’s idea of a business suit. John covered his bald spot with a long comb
over of his thinning hair; the stench from his fat cigar announced his
presences by several yards.
John rubbed his hands together, “This is going to be
great!”
An outdoor concert on Halloween night in an abandoned
graveyard on the outskirts of town. It was an idea whose time had come. No one
was quite sure how old the graveyard actually was, most of the headstones were
too weathered to read. A little over an acre and surrounded by a twelve foot
high brick wall. The entrance was through an arched double wrought iron gate
that creaked as it moved. Headstones leaned over, tall weeds sprouted through-out
the site, and the circular concrete drive was more gravel than concrete. A
stage had been setup in-between two mausoleums. The sound and light control panels
situated over a couple of graves fifty yards in front of the stage.
Virgil and John looked across the highway, Ginger, Greg,
and Chartreuse were taking care of the parking in a fallow cornfield, then
turned and walked toward the stage area. A couple of hundred people had paid
forty bucks a head for tonight’s concert. Christmas lights provided just enough
light to keep people from stumbling over each over. Smoke from tobacco and pot
hung thickly in the air. The crowd was mostly older, with some rowdy youngsters
mixed in.
They walked past the concession area; Virgil’s four
female friends worked handing out beer and snacks. The four appeared dressed as
vampires.
“Your costumes are awesome! This night is going to rock!”
They separated at the stage, John to count the money,
Virgil to the stage. Virgil signaled the troll twins at the control panels and
the lights went out. Absolute darkness enveloped the graveyard.
The restless crowd turned their attention in the
direction of the stage.
A couple of opening riffs drifted thru the air, then the
band opened with Paint it Black by
the Rolling Stones. The front of the stage exploded in pyrotechnics, the crowd
went wild.
The Grave Diggers were good. Virgil played lead guitar.
Low riding black leather hip huggers, burgundy velvet sleeveless shirt, and
black Italian loafers highlighted his glistening pale skin.
Zoom played bass. Colorful mismatched clothes
helped to hide the oozing sores on her dusky skin.
Betty, a
coloratura soprano, sang lead. She
wore several layers of strips of clothing with a black cape swinging out behind
her.
Little Gary played rhythm guitar. He wore
green to blend with his green skin, pointed ears, needle sharp teeth.
Skull the skeleton played drums. A perpetual
joint hung from his mouth, he was so high his eyes are twin red pinpricks deep
in his skull.
And
on keyboards was Frank Stein, looking as such. He played a massive multi-layer
keyboard with bony tubes projecting up from the keyboard. A small pipe organ situated
to his left.
The band went from Stones to the Edgar Winter Group Frankenstein, showcasing Frank’s talent
to tickle the ivories. Multicolor lasers and pyrotechnics entranced the crowd
visually while the band blew them away with sound.
From Frankenstein
they segued into In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.
Playing songs from the 60’s and 70’s the ninety minute show turned into two and
a half hour rock revival. When the lights finally came back on the crowd
stomped, clapped and chanted “G.D.-G.D.-G,D.”
After the third encore a blood red spotlight focused on
Virgil.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you, but it is time.”
Virgil waved his hand and the front gates slammed shut.
Rotting hands burst from the ground grabbing at people,
dragging them into the bowels of the earth. The troll twins dropped the lights,
and the crowd went crazy, screaming and darting about in the dark. Several made
it to the wall but unable to climb fast enough to escape the undead onslaught.
The band played Monster
Mash to drown out the screams of terror. At the end of the song Virgil
turned to his bandmates, “Feeding time.”
A mornings pale sunrise glistened off a pearl button
laying in the weeds. Plastic cups skittered across graves to gather at the foot
of headstones. The debris the only sign of last night’s activities. Until next
Halloween.
