"To Candey!" The whole crowd cheers and we drink it in. The loss and the love that will never truly go away. Jen watches me close, I know she doesn’t think she belongs up here with us, but she does. She belongs with me.
"Hey, you wanna sing with us?" I ask Carrie who has tears in her eyes. She nods as she laughs nervously.
"Chad too, I don’t know how long I will be able to hold it. I’m all emotional and shit."
I nod and grab Noah's acoustic guitar for her. She sits on the elevated stage. Shame is on right beside Noah on the elevated stage he plays on. Chad counts us down and we watch as everyone huddles in close to them both.
I start on cue with Chad and Carrie, overcome by the emotion hitting me so strong when Shame and Noah come in at the same time. Carrie sings along with her husband using Noah's mic, keeping her eyes on him. Noah sees her struggle and joins in, singing along with her and Chad pulls back to let them have at it.
Together, their voices have a soothing kind of beauty that we all feel. The crowd is lit up by cell phones and lighters swaying back and forth as the two people who loved her the most play for her, in honor of her.
Carrie stands to reach the mic better, yet still keeps her eyes trained on Noah who for once doesn’t look tortured.
When the solo comes in, I go at it hard standing to play it as I move to Chad so I can watch the show.
As the last verse comes through and the guitars go quiet… Carrie sings and plays alone. Her cracking voice is a tell to us all that she is crying, but continues on like a true bad ass to the end of the song.
Noah stands handing his guitar to Bright who smiles sweetly at him with total understanding and takes Carrie in his arms. The audience screams in applause to the reaction of the emotion we brought tonight.
He walks her to the front of the stage where we all clap as they bow.
“Hell, of a fuckin night! Let’s party!” I tell the crowd as we exit the stage.