Rewind With A Superstar System-Chapter 124: Performing In UM!

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Where Is The Love by Black Eyed Peas>

...

(Saturday, November 16, 2019 — University Of Miami)

The Watsco Center indoor arena on the University of Miami campus was filled to the brim!

Backstage, Von stood near the edge of the heavy black curtain, peeking out at the arena floor. The muffled, feral chants of eight thousand college students echoed everywhere. They were stomping their feet in unison, shaking the bleachers as they screamed his name.

"That’s a lot of people," Von muttered, letting the curtain fall back into place. "I don’t think I’ve ever performed in front of a crowd this massive before."

"Well, perks of having a Billboard Number One album," Emily smirked over the roar of the audience.

She was standing next to him, struggling slightly to keep Loki securely wrapped in her arms. The black cat looked thoroughly unimpressed by the deafening noise, her tail flicking with mild annoyance, but she allowed Emily to hold her.

Von shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. It still felt completely surreal.

Lost & Found hadn’t just debuted at No. 1; it had practically built a fortress there. For the past two weeks, it had brutally fended off every major label release on the charts. The streaming numbers were steadily climbing into the hundreds of millions, and his social media metrics were off the charts.

But looking around the Watsco Center hit Von differently than just commercial success. It was deeply personal.

This was the University of Miami Homecoming Fest. In his previous life, he had attended this exact festival and right now he was standing backstage as the headliner. Life had a crazy way of coming full circle.

"You know," Von said, turning his attention back to his manager. "You never actually told me how they picked me for this. UM usually books safe, legacy pop acts for Homecoming. How did I get the main slot?"

"Because the students basically held a mutiny," Emily explained with pride. "The Student Government sent out their usual email poll for the festival. Instead of voting for the options, the students started a massive TikTok campaign. They flooded the system. You got ninety percent of the write-in votes."

Von raised an eyebrow with a impressive look. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Emily nodded. "They threatened to boycott the show if it wasn’t you. The university had no choice but to open the vault to keep the peace. You’re getting paid a hundred and fifty grand for a forty-five-minute set tonight."

Von felt really touched. That was the power of a loyal fanbase. No one even cared that he was a drop-out from the very same University.

"Alright then," Von sighed, rolling his shoulders to loosen up. "I guess I owe them a good show."

"Just try not to drop any heavy equipment on your leg while you’re out there," Emily teased, glancing down at his right leg.

"Always," Von winked.

The arena lights suddenly cut to pitch black.

The crowd of eight thousand college students erupted into a unified scream.

"VON! VON! VON!"

A single, warm white spotlight clicked on, illuminating the center of the stage. There was no massive DJ setup or backup dancers. There was only a simple wooden stool and a microphone stand.

Von walked out from the shadows.

The screams reached a fever pitch. Because he was still supposed to be "recovering" from his leg injury, Von didn’t sprint to the chair. He just walked with a cool swagger to the center of the stage, grabbed an acoustic guitar waiting on the stand, and sat down on the stool.

"Thank you for welcoming me, Miami!" Von grinned at the crowd, having equipped [Street Performer], it helped reduce how much people wanted to interrupt.

"So... Let’s start a little slow tonight." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

He strummed the first chord.

Instantly, the chaotic mosh pit turned into silence. Von closed his eyes and began singing You’re Gonna Come Home, reminiscing of his Project: Star audition.

He sang it perfectly, and without any voiceovers or autotune layering. Many of the students were amazed because his voice sounded even better in-person. Von had his A- Vocals to thank for that.

He didn’t need to jump around to command their attention.

Slowly, a low hum started in the crowd. The students naturally joined his, singing along word for word.

When Von got to sing Frozen Attitude, he stopped for a second and screamed into the mic.

"Now I want y’all to turn on your phone flashlights. Those are the only lights I want I here."

Phone flashlights lit up the darkness like a sea of stars. It was a beautiful, otherworldly experience that gave everyone in the room goosebumps.

Von admired the breathtaking sight and began strumming harder.

🎶🎸

Pourin’ drinks, pourin’ out

Did you leave? Did you make it out?

Sleepin’ right? Standin’ proud?

Are you alone? Where are you now?

You chase a song, you build a life

You lose your hold, you lose your drive

Dialin’ numbers... in the dark

Hopin’ the static sounds like you

🎶🎸

The song had a very high energy and many of them sang after him as he approached the chorus. When the acoustic tracks finished, the vibe instantly shifted.

Von stood up from the stool. He pushed it aside and strapped the guitar firmly over his shoulder. The stage lights flared from warm white to pulsing, aggressive reds and blues.

"Alright, we’re done being sad," Von smirked into the mic.

The heavy, infectious bassline of Welcome! dropped, hitting the audience directly in the chest.

The Watsco Center exploded. The floor of the arena literally bounced as thousands of students started jumping. Von began pacing the stage. He didn’t run, but his confident strides carried a heavy, untouchable aura. He played the guitar riffs flawlessly, feeding off the chaotic energy of the college crowd.

He transitioned seamlessly to Journey and Don’t Stop, keeping the energy completely maxed out.

Eventually, the lights dimmed slightly. The music faded out into a low, buzzing synth.

"We only have three songs left tonight," Von announced, breathing heavily into the mic.

The crowd immediately booed, not wanting the night to end.

"I know, I know," Von laughed. "These last three are the heavy hitters. But honestly... the studio tracks are a little too clean for a crowd like this. I needed something louder."

The crowd cheered in agreement.

"I didn’t want to do this next one with just a backing track," Von continued, walking to the center of the stage. "So I made a phone call. I asked a guy to fly out here tonight. He’s an incredible drummer, a good dad, and a hell of a friend. Miami, give it up for Conor Prince!"

A massive spotlight instantly snapped to the elevated riser at the back of the stage.

Sitting behind a massive, metallic drum kit was Conor. He spun a drumstick in his fingers, flashed a wild grin at the crowd, and immediately slammed his sticks down.

Everyone recognized Conor immediately, and it made the screams in the stadium to multiply and become defeaning.

Conor didn’t waste time to rip into a terrifyingly fast, adrenaline-pumping drum solo. The cymbals crashed, the kick drum shook the arena walls, and the college students completely lost their minds.

When the solo peaked, Conor perfectly transitioned into the steady drumming intro of Thousand Miles, while the piano beats backed from backstage.

Von grabbed the mic off the stand and commanded the front of the stage.

The best part was when they transitioned to Coming Home, which was currently the second best song in the album. Conor was not a band by himself, but he managed to give it his all with the drums and the live percussion made the track sound ten times heavier and more aggressive than the studio version.

The chemistry between them was electric and the crowd was thrown into an absolute frenzy.

When the track ended, Conor stood up behind his kit, pointing his drumsticks at Von as the crowd roared his name.

Finally, the lights shifted to a deep, ominous purple.

The opening, familiar synth notes of the No. 1 song in the country began to loop softly in the background. It Doesn’t Even Matter.

The crowd screamed so loudly the audio in the room actually distorted. This was the track everyone had been waiting for.

Von held up a hand, pausing the beat.

"This is the last one for the night," Von said, looking out over the sea of flashing phone cameras. "This song changed a lot of things for me and... someone. And honestly, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as special without the idea behind it."

The crowd gasped, realizing exactly what was happening.

"If we’re gonna close this out right, I need my brother out here," Von smiled, stepping back from the center of the stage. "Miami, make some noise for Alex!"

The heavy beat dropped like a nuclear bomb.

Alex sprinted out from the side wings of the stage with a microphone in his hand showing more energy than they would have ever expected from him.

The Watsco Center completely unraveled.

Conor was smashing the drums in the back, Alex was hyping the left side of the crowd, and Von was commanding the center, his vocals piercing effortlessly through the heavy instrumental.

Every single student in the building had their phone out. It was a guaranteed viral moment.

When the final chorus hit, Von and Alex stood back-to-back center stage, belting out the lyrics while the crowd screamed every single word back at them.

The song ended with a massive, echoing crash from Conor’s cymbals.

The lights flared bright white.

The three former Project: Star contestants walked to the front edge of the stage, breathing heavily and completely drenched in sweat. They threw their arms over each other’s shoulders and took a deep, unified bow.

"Thank you, Miami! We love you!" Von shouted into the mic.