"As long as they don't duplicate the actual melodies or the actual lyrics, they're in the clear," explained Bill, who - among his other talents - was a semi-expert in copyright law.
"At least you can be assured that they're even further in the hole than we are," Jake put in. "They've barely made gold their first two releases."
"Proof that there's enough stupid-asses out there to buy anything as long as it's played on the radio enough," Matt said.
Voyeur's tour manager - a veteran at the post - knew that it was in everyone's best interest to keep the two groups as separated as possible at all times. As such, he gathered them up and whisked them away with the promise of some fresh cocaine lines while Intemperance mounted the stage and began their sound check.
As Mo handed Jake his Brogan guitar and as he stepped up to his microphone at the front of the stage, he looked out over the empty auditorium floor in wonder. Though he had done these same actions in dozens of auditoriums in dozens of cities across the country, this time it was different. This was Community Auditorium in Heritage! This was the auditorium where he'd attended his very first concert - Rainbow, in 1975. Since then, he'd seen scores of acts here. He'd seen Black Sabbath multiple times, with both Ozzy and Ronnie James Dio at the helm. He'd seen Styx and Foghat and ZZ Top and AC/DC with both Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. He'd seen Journey, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Supertramp, Santana, The Doobie Brothers. He'd camped out in line all night long in order to get tickets to see Led Zepplin in this auditorium. He'd seen concerts here from numerous other bands that had been mere flashes in the pan, bands whose names he couldn't even remember anymore. He'd attended concerts alone here, seeing acts he secretly enjoyed but wouldn't have admitted to under torture - acts like Chicago, Neil Diamond, Robert John, Johnny Cash, even, most embarrassing of all, Abba. And at every single performance he'd dreamed and fantasized that one day he would be up there on that stage in this auditorium, that one day he would be the one the citizens of his city were coming to see. And now, here he was, standing on that very stage, looking down at that very floor where he'd crowded in with thousands of others, pushing and shoving to get to the front, passing joints around. Tonight they were coming to see him. This night was the quintessence of his dream coming true. He was performing at Community Auditorium.
It took only twenty minutes for the tech roadies to achieve what they considered the perfect mix of outputs for the various instruments to optimize the acoustic qualities of the auditorium. The positions of the various switches and dials were carefully noted down and the band left the stage, leaving the roadies to remove their guitars and cords from the sound system, to remove their microphones and stands, and to wheel the platform containing Coop's drum set off into the corner of the stage. Voyeur's roadies then began assembling their drum set and stringing cables and placing microphones. Of course, long before the culmination of this process, Intemperance was back in their dressing room and enjoying their last beers before the onset of the four-hour pre-show moratorium.
They took their showers and put on their stage clothes just before five o'clock. As Doreen began fixing their hair they watched the nightly newscast on Channel 4. Once again, they were the lead story. This time it was read by Kimberly Caswell, another familiar and famous face in the Heritage television news community. She was hopelessly cute and cuddly looking, perhaps the most loved of all the local newscasters since she was the epitome of the girl-next-door who rises to fame and fortune and who - according to the reports in Heritage Magazine and in the local newspapers - never let it go to her head. She had started out as plain old Kimberly Morgan, the girl who read the weather and the traffic reports and then, about five years before, she had become very publicly engaged to and subsequently married Jonathan Caswell, the head of Caswell Development, the most successful real estate development firm in Heritage and a man whose reputation for philanthropy was almost saintly. Twice in the past three years they had been voted Heritage's cutest couple.
"She's so fuckin' innocent looking," Matt observed as the camera zoomed on her. "Just like a librarian or a kindergarten teacher. Wouldn't you just love to nut all over her face?"
"Matt," said Doreen in motherly disapproval. "Must you use such crude language in my presence?"
Matt actually blushed a little. "Sorry, Doreen," he mumbled and she went back to teasing his hair with her brush.
"The Family Values Coalition of Heritage," Kimberly read, "failed to convince the Heritage City Council to revoke the concert permit for controversial local band, Intemperance, tonight and tomorrow. The controversy centers around an article in Spinning Rock in which the band's excessive drug use and sexual exploits are graphically detailed, including allegations that lead singer Jake Kingsley and lead guitarist Matt Tisdale snorted cocaine from between the naked buttocks of a young girl. The FVCH, citing concerns that many of Intemperance's fans are teenage children, petitioned the city council to open an emergency meeting and to revoke the permits on the grounds that the band violates local standards of decency and therefore constitutes obscenity. Mayor Mary Bancroft refused to call for such a meeting and refused to meet with FVCH members. Her office did release a statement in which Mayor Bancroft stated, 'While I don't agree with the alleged actions of these band members, and while I believe their so-called music is indeed an unhealthy influence, charging them with obscenity based upon unsubstantiated reports in a magazine would never stand up. If we were to pass such a decree, Intemperance's lawyers would have a court order for us to rescind it within two hours.'
"Monica Toland, leader and spokeswoman for the FVCH, expressed anger and disappointment at Mayor Bancroft and the city council for refusing to take up the issue." They cut to a shot of Toland outside city hall.
"I think it's a flagrant breach of accountability to the voters that our mayor and elected officials are unwilling to take steps to protect Heritage's children from obscenity simply because they think a judge will reverse their decision. I would call on every citizen concerned about this matter to place phone calls to Mayor Bancroft's office, demanding that these concerts be cancelled."
The shot cut back to Kimberly Caswell. "Since it is now after five o'clock and city hall closed for the day more than an hour before, members of the FVCH have moved their protest to Community Auditorium downtown, where the first concert is scheduled to begin in just over two hours. We have Bob Goldman on hand there. Bob, can you tell us what's happening?"
They cut to a live shot of a grinning, toupee-wearing man dressed in a suit and tie and holding a microphone. "Kimberly," he said, "as you can see behind me here, Intemperance fans began to line up some hours ago for admission to tonight's show." There was a pan of the camera and they were looking at a long line of fans stretching from the auditorium doors, down the steps, and down the street and out of sight. Many of the fans began to wave and cheer and hold their lighters up as they saw the camera looking at them. "And over here, on the other side of the entrance, members of the Family Values Coalition of Heritage and dozens of concerned parents have begun picketing."