Ch-175

(Flashback)

"No." Rihanna gave me a flat stare. "You can't have your first concert ever at The Wiltern. It's too small. They can't even fit 2,000 people in there. Do you know the significance of having your album at #1 for so many months? People will be dying to get those tickets. It would be a bloodbath. The Hollywood Bowl is your best bet."

I shook my head. "You're making my concert sound like the event of the century. It's just the first in a series of weekly shows, which should lower the urgency a little. And the Hollywood Bowl is booked months in advance. I don't wanna wait that long."

Rihanna frowned, chewing her lip in thought. After a moment, she said, "You're right. The Hollywood Bowl would be almost impossible to get on such short notice. Let me make a few phone calls and see what I can get you."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought your label handled all that stuff."

"No," Rihanna shook her head. "They outsource it. Gabriel Vazquez handles it. His company manages most of the major concerts in Los Angeles. There are others, but he's the one I know best."

An hour later, a fit Latino man in his late thirties with salt-and-pepper hair was sitting in front of me. Just from his expression, I could tell he was barely containing his excitement.

"I can't believe you're doing a concert, Troy," Gabriel gushed. "My whole family ranks among your biggest fans."

"Is that why you're here less than an hour after Rihanna called you?" I asked, amused.

He shrugged as if to say, Can you blame me?

"So," he continued after a moment, "I agree with Rihanna—the Wiltern isn't good enough for someone of your stature. What I propose instead is The Forum. It's an indoor stadium with a capacity of 17,500, the same as the Hollywood Bowl. Normally, you'd have to book it at least a month in advance, but you're lucky—we have an opening next Saturday. It'll be a challenge to prepare everything in just ten days, but I like a challenge."

I still wasn't sold on the idea.

"How are we supposed to sell all the tickets?" I asked. "That usually takes weeks, if not months."

Gabriel's smile widened. "If it were anyone else, I'd agree with you. But I'm damn sure you'll sell out in a single day. And if, for some reason, you don't, we can shift it to the Galen Center, which is about to open at USC. It has a capacity of ten thousand, and they're looking for a big-name artist for its first ever concert."

As soon as I heard that, I knew—that was where I wanted to perform. Ten thousand was the perfect number for my first concert. Not too small, not too big.

"Tell me more about it," I said. "The Galen, I mean."

Gabriel looked surprised by my interest but replied nonetheless. "The Galen Center was built by USC for their basketball team, the Trojans—"

The second he said it, all three of us had the same realization. There couldn't be a more perfect place for my first concert. The ultimate venue for the Trojan Army.

(Flashback End)

Meanwhile, on the YouTube channel of one Troy Armitage…

Announcement

"Hey guys, I hope you're all doing great. I have something huge to tell you."

Troy placed a hand over his heart, sincerity clear in his expression. "First of all, I couldn't be happier with the response you've shown to my music. I have no words to express how honored I am."

After a brief pause, he continued, "I've also heard your complaints—some of you think I'm focusing too much on acting and not enough on my music. But the truth is, there are only so many hours in a day. And honestly? I love acting too much to give it up and focus solely on music."

A small smirk played on his lips before he leaned forward slightly. "But I've finally found the perfect solution—one that will hopefully make at least some of you happy. From now on, whenever I'm shooting a film, I'll hold a major concert in that city."

He let the words sink in before adding, "And it starts right now. I'm currently filming my next movie in Los Angeles, so my first concert will be held this Saturday at the newly opened Galen Center at the University of Southern California. The website where you can buy the ticket is linked below in the description. Since this is the first time I'm doing this, all profits from this concert will go to my charity for kids."

A wink. A grin. The video ended.

Comments

@TheDreamer: Why!!???!!! You're British, for God's sake! Why can't your first concert be in London!? I'd pay a thousand quid for it!

@flew43js: Holy shit! Finally! Imma book my tickets right now.

@arielrobertson: Me too! I live in Houston, but I'll take a flight if I have to!

@pat16: Hey guys, can anyone open the website? I can't get in! It says something about excess traffic.

@rasperell: Same! I can't open it either. I wanted to go so baaaddd!!!

@Dante: Troy is holding his first concert in my city, and I can't even book tickets! That's not fair!

@njf78s: OMG! I can't believe it. I can't go to LA for this concert, but I'm optimistic this is just the beginning. Sooner or later, he'll do a world tour, and I can't wait for him to come to Berlin.

@bluemass: He should come to Rio next!

@rupag: No! He should come to Manila!

@chriscoy: As if! He's obviously coming home next. London rules, baby!

@pat16: He won't do a second concert if this one turns into a disaster. And judging by the way the website is crashing, that seems to be the case…

(Break)

Breaking News: Troy Armitage's Maiden Concert Sells Out Within an Hour, Shocking Everyone

Troy Armitage, best known for his diverse film roles—from [Harry Potter] to [Echoes of You]—has once again proven his star power, this time in the music industry. The young actor-singer stunned audiences earlier this year with his show-stopping performance at the Oscars, where he performed songs from his musical film [Echoes of You]. That same night, he made history by taking home three Academy Awards—an almost impossible feat for someone not even 18 years old.

Adding to his list of achievements, the [Echoes of You] album has been dominating the Billboard Top 200 for an incredible 41 weeks, surpassing the previous record held by Michael Jackson's Thriller, which remained at No. 1 for 37 weeks. The album which has sold 33 million copies in the US alone is certified diamond, the first for a debut album.

Fans worldwide were disappointed when Troy prioritized filming the next [Harry Potter] movie over launching a world tour. But now that production has wrapped, he has finally announced his first concert. In a YouTube video, he explained his reasoning, and within minutes, the ticketing website crashed due to overwhelming traffic. By the time it was back online, every ticket had already been sold out. Furious fans took to social media, feeling cheated out of a chance to attend.

(Break)

I turned toward Gabriel, who looked smug as ever while watching the news coverage.

"Please tell me you actually sold those tickets and this wasn't some marketing gimmick to create artificial scarcity," I said, eyeing him suspiciously.

Gabriel was a big believer in the power of scarcity. When I told him about my plan to hold weekly concerts, he advised against announcing it right away. Instead, he insisted we should wait until the first show and make the announcement there. According to him, if people knew there would be more opportunities, they wouldn't feel the same urgency—and wouldn't be willing to pay premium prices. Since his commission was tied to total revenue, he was very motivated to keep prices high.

"Of course I did," he replied, sounding a little offended. "What do you take me for? We sold a full 8,000 tickets at an average price of $129. That's $1.032 million in revenue. And this is on the lower end because you didn't want to charge too much."

I scratched my cheek, frowning. "And the other 2,000 tickets?"

Gabriel grinned. "Those are VIP tickets, sold at an average price of $500 each. We'll open sales for those tomorrow under the pretense of 'compensating fans' who missed out. When you factor that in, your total revenue will be around $2 million from ticket sales alone. Then, of course, there's the merchandise and records sold at the venue. You could push your earnings even higher if you allow a few companies to place advertisements."

I shook my head. "Nah, I'm not a big fan of ads. Unless…" I trailed off, thinking. Unless it was for a brand I owned and wanted to promote. "I'll get back to you on that after I talk to a few people. For now, let's go over security and technical logistics."

"Everything's handled," Gabriel reassured me. "USC was more than happy to host 12 weekly concerts for the next three months at just $100K per night. I've locked in the best security team and crew to run the show. Altogether, your costs come out to about $600K per night—which means you've already made a profit before even stepping on stage."

"I don't care about the profits," I said firmly. "What matters to me is that my fans have the best experience possible. I'll handle the performance, but everything else needs to run smoothly—no mismanagement, no chaos. People should leave feeling like they had the time of their lives. If you can't guarantee that, I'll have to find another security team and crew for future concerts."

Gabriel met my gaze with unwavering confidence and nodded resolutely. "Everything is taken care of. You just need to show up for rehearsals."

I groaned. Rehearsals.

When I first decided to perform, I had envisioned something small and intimate—just a stage and a small crowd, no elaborate production, no extensive prep. But thanks to Rihanna—and, to some extent, Gabriel—it had blown up into something far bigger than I ever intended. Now, with ten thousand people attending every week, I had to perfect not just my vocals but also my choreography.

So my days had become a relentless cycle: filming [Disturbia] in the morning, rehearsing for the concert at night, and then collapsing into bed, utterly exhausted.

And I still had days of this routine ahead of me.

(Break)

Scarlett Johansson stared wide-eyed at the massive stadium in front of her as their car pulled into the USC campus. She turned to her boyfriend, Josh Hartnett, her expression incredulous.

"He said it was a small event."

Josh shrugged. "It is. For him, anyway. Do you realize how lucky we were to even get tickets? Those seats that originally sold for $150 were going for twenty times that price on the resale market."

"Oh, come on," Scarlett rolled her eyes. "We could have afforded it."

"Sure," Josh agreed. "But people like us can't just sit in a regular section. The crowd wouldn't leave us alone. And VIP tickets? Those weren't available—no matter how much you were willing to pay."

Scarlett didn't argue, because she knew he was right. Fame had its perks, like free tickets, but it also made it impossible to enjoy simple experiences—like just being at a concert without drawing attention.

As their car rolled toward the venue, the energy of the crowd became palpable, sending a thrill of excitement through her. The entire place was buzzing with anticipation, yet, surprisingly, no one seemed to recognize them as they blended into the sea of Troy's fanbase—the Trojan Army.

Josh glanced around as they stepped into the VIP section. "Do you remember when we first watched [Echoes of You]?"

Scarlett smiled, nostalgia washing over her. "Of course. How could I forget? We hadn't seen each other in a month, and you suggested a movie date." She laughed softly. "And what an experience that was. If tonight is even 10% of that, I'll be happy."

Josh smirked. "It's going to be 110% of that. I can feel it."

He eyed the tight security, impressed by the sheer level of organization. "The way this is set up… I get the feeling the performance is going to be legendary." Then, turning curious, he glanced at Scarlett.

"By the way, how is he in person?"

"He's…" Scarlett hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Completely normal. He's not perfect—he actually had a bit of an argument with our director over creative control, which ruffled some feathers. But just yesterday, he won everyone back over by giving free tickets to this concert to the entire cast and crew. Not VIP seats like ours, but still… Considering how impossible these tickets were to get, that was a massive gesture. People know how much revenue he's forgoing by doing that."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "But he treats you well?"

"Absolutely," Scarlett nodded. "With me, he's always been the perfect gentleman."

Josh seemed satisfied with that answer—just as the stadium lights suddenly dimmed.

A hush fell over the crowd. Then, a single spotlight pierced through the darkness, illuminating the center of the stage. But no one stepped into it.

For a moment, the anticipation was unbearable.

Then, out of nowhere, a thick, swirling fog began spreading across the stage, obscuring everything in white. The crowd buzzed in excitement, trying to make out what was happening. And then—he appeared.

Troy descended from the rafters like an angel, suspended by near-invisible wires, slowly lowered into the spotlight. The effect was mesmerizing. The silver open jacket he wore shimmered under the lights, contrasting sharply against his black sleeveless t-shirt and trousers. And, of course—his signature Crocs.

No jewelry, no accessories—just him.

The moment he was revealed, the stadium erupted. Fans screamed at the top of their lungs, their voices merging into an earth-shaking roar. But Troy simply lifted a hand, motioning for them to quiet down. And just like that—the music dropped.

A deep, electric bass thumped through the speakers, reverberating across the entire venue before melding into a very recognizable beat.

~: White shirt, now red, my bloody nose

Sleepin', you're on your tippy toes

Creepin' around like no one knows

Think you're so criminal :~

The instant Troy sang the first line, the entire crowd joined in, thousands of voices belting out the lyrics in perfect sync.

And then—the stage exploded into motion.

Dozens of backup dancers—men and women alike—rushed in, seamlessly falling into the beat, their movements synchronized with the rhythm. Two female dancers stepped behind Troy, and in a single, fluid motion, slid his jacket off.

Underneath, his toned arms caught the light, muscles flexing slightly with every movement. The sleeveless shirt made his physique more prominent—not overly bulky, but lean and powerful.

Scarlett barely noticed when she was on her feet. One moment she had been watching, the next—she was shouting the lyrics alongside the crowd, dancing to the beat.

Josh laughed beside her, shaking his head as she danced in place, completely lost in the moment.

On stage, Troy had fully joined the choreography. Unlike the backup dancers, who executed high-energy moves, his was more controlled—designed to let him sing live without losing breath. And it was live. His voice wavered slightly with movement, subtly shifting in pitch—a dead giveaway that there was no lip-syncing.

Scarlett grinned, watching as he commanded the stage with effortless charisma. He was a movie star, a singer, a performer. But more than anything—he was an artist.

And tonight, he was proving it to everyone.

~: I'm a bad guy

I'm-I'm a bad guy

Bad guy, bad guy

I'm a bad guy :~

The opening song had done its job. The audience was on fire, their energy soaring after that electrifying performance. As soon as the final note hit, the stadium erupted—cheers, claps, whistles, and deafening applause filling every inch of the massive venue.

Troy stood at the center of it all, soaking it in with a satisfied grin.

"How's my army doing tonight?" he called into the mic.

The response was immediate—another wave of ecstatic cheers.

"That's what I like to hear," he continued, his voice warm with gratitude. "Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I honestly don't have the words to express how much I love you all."

The stadium roared.

Troy chuckled. "And as much as I love you guys, there's someone else here tonight that I love a lot— and she happens to be in this very stadium."

A murmur of excitement rippled through the audience as the implication of his words wasn't difficult to guess.

"So," Troy smirked, "if you all could help me out… let's call Rihanna to the stage."

The crowd instantly exploded.

"Rihanna! Rihanna! Rihanna!"

The chant rolled across the stadium like a tidal wave, growing louder with each second until, finally—a flustered Rihanna appeared on stage.

Troy wasted no time. The second she was within reach, he pulled her into an embrace before placing a passionate yet brief kiss on her lips.

The audience lost it.

Fans screamed, cameras flashed, and the entire stadium buzzed with a kind of electricity that only a moment like this could create.

When the two singers finally pulled back—mics now in hand—Rihanna narrowed her eyes at him.

"I can't believe you just did this to me."

Troy grinned. "Revenge, my dear, is most satisfying when the other person isn't expecting it."

"I hate you," Rihanna muttered into the mic.

"And I love you," Troy countered smoothly, sending the crowd into a chorus of "Awwww!"

Grinning, he turned to the audience and gave a dramatic bow, encouraging their theatrics before glancing back at Rihanna.

"Now, come on, love," he teased, holding out his hand. "Come closer to me."

Right on cue, the opening beat of Closer filled the stadium.

And the crowd?

Absolutely lost their minds.

______________________________________________

AN: Visit my Pat reon to read ahead, or check out my second Hollywood story set in the 80s.

Link: www(dot)pat reon(dot)com/fableweaver