The trap door begins to rise and I turn in order to face the crowd, being thrown a couple feet in the air as it quickly pops up the last two feet from under the stage. I hold onto my hood with my fingers, the pyrotechnics firing from the stage around me as I appear and I keep my head down when I land in a crouched position. I touch my fingertips to the stage, the fans screaming out our names and I slowly stand up. The pre recorded video of me greeting my fans begins "skipping", the prop computer 3 1/2 feet to my right and I snap my head to it.
I groan, turning to it and tap away on the keyboard for a moment. "I'm sorry for the technical difficulties, everyone," I curtly remark, rapidly clicking away at the keys and mouse.
"We're excited to be here and can't wait to be out there, but we're on our way out to the stage. We've probably been ha-ha-ha," Josh's voice begins. The message "skips" again, a silhouette popping up on the screen with a disguised voice (thanks to Brent).
Nick had him do it in his LA basement when he visited the weekend we thought of it and it came out so well, we agreed to use it. "Hackers," I mutter disgustedly, moving my fingers faster on the keys and the lights go off when the screen goes black. I have 45 seconds to run to the center and get into position to perform my only solo song on this tour, 'Jealous Rages'.
It's from my second album and it's about one of my exes who had many jealous rages if I spoke to any of my guy friends, beating me before claiming to be sorry only to repeat it when another rumor about me cheating was spoken.
Erick, one of my back up dancers from my 2 successful solo tours, joins me and grabs my arms. The music cues and the red stage spot light come on, focused on us and I begin singing the words as we go through a choreographed version of the bad memories.
At the end, I stand over him with my fist raised and drop to my knees as he blocks his face, the lights cutting out when my fist is inches from his face. I help him up and Justin walks onto the stage, Erick jogging off to change for the song I perform with Josh after this-'Animal'.
Justin and I huddle over the prop computer as I tap on the keyboard rapidly, the lights coming on and the screen turning on again. "The nerve of some people," Justin grumbles, hands on his hips and rocking his head from side to side as it hangs.
"I know, Justin. At least I fixed it. Now, we pray the hacker or hackers don't burst our bubbles again," I reply. We turn to the audience.
"Sorry about that, they've been hacking into the feed every time we play the videos and he toys with us during the rehearsals, too," Justin 'explains' to the crowd and they boo about it.
"I know, I know," I play into it, "we don't like it, either, guys. So, moving on. Are you ready to enjoy this show?!"
My arms shoot out to my sides, palms up and Justin cups his ear. "I couldn't really hear them," Justin remarks, teasing the fans.
"I said, 'ARE YOU GUYS READY TO ENJOY THIS SHOW?!?!'" I demand louder. The crowd cheers much louder this time,
Justin nodding with a ginormous grin. "I think they're set to have a great time, Lil Breanna," he comments, rubbing his ear with the heel of his hand.
"Good! Let's get this show on the road!" I shout, jumping into the song I'd done with him. Most of the audience sings along, more than enjoying the performance.
Strobe lights and artificial fog make it hard to see the set change on stage, making the 2 1/2 minute wardrobe change I have to do possible. The dancers, Josh, Aaron, Dawn and I all jog onto the stage and into place. She's only doing this performance one time with Aaron and she chose Tampa because its going to be HBO, Showtime, MTV, VH1 and ABC Family over the next few weeks while CBS premiers it live Saturday night; which is tonight. Rob will see it sooner or later and it's to see if she would want to do this on my next solo tour in the next few years.
She and Aaron have on head set mics for the spoken pieces at the very beginning of this song, hers and Aaron's will be shut off once the music starts up.
We go through the performance harder than we had when we debuted it during the Movie Awards, this is where I slow it down and remember someone whose music got me through most of school. "This is where I pay homage to a beautiful woman who was so full of life and we all lost her far too soon in a horrible plane crash in the Bahamas, Aaliyah Dana Haughton." I motion to the screen, a picture of her with Josh and the rest of *NSYNC circa 2000. "Her words have pushed me to be exactly who I really am today." I look to the skies. "Thank you, our beautiful angel Aaliyah." I look back at the audience and smirk. "I paid my respects when I had my older daughter in the summer of 2005, now I get to do it musically." I look over to Dawn and she sits with me. "She recorded this for 'Music Of The Heart' soundtrack, 'Turn the Page'," I intro.
"Yeah, yeah
A special smile, a certain touch
I never had a love that I loved so much
When I look back, you’re everywhere
Turn the page, you were there
My very best friend, my summer day
My only someone to depend on
When I’ve lost my way
You came and answered my every prayer
Turn the page, you were there." We smile at each other, hugging.
"What would I do if some strange morning
I opened up my eyes to find you’re gone?
I can’t imagine how I would survive that
Find another reason to go on
My one sure thing, my solid ground
All I ever wanted was the love that we found
When I look back, you’re everywhere
Turn the page, you were there, yeah
What would I do if some strange morning
I opened up my eyes to find you’re gone?
I can’t imagine how I would survive it
I can’t imagine how I would go on
A special smile, a certain touch
I never had a love that I loved so much
When I look back, you’re everywhere
Turn the page, you were there
You came and answered my every prayer
Turn the page, you were there
Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah..."
"I say we tease JC and Aaron some now by calling them some 'Extra Smooth' guys," Dawn jokes.
"It's the last one by Aaliyah for now," I agree, our 'victims' and my dancers coming on stage.
"So, he got big brown eyes so he's built nice
Coming on strong six pack showing He's too cool for his own shoes
Nothin' rude but way to sure for me." We push a dark haired dancer who approached me cockily and a sandy blonde one who came onto her away, both of them acting offended.
"He tryna be extra smooth, extra smooth
Extra cool, extra cute
Am I supposed to talk to you, be your boo?
Don't come tryna be extra smooth." A red head guy flirts too hard with her and a brown haired one pretends to feed me an overdone pick up line, we give them the hand and roll our eyes as we walk away.
"So, he got line for line wastin' my time
Frontin' in da ride, tryna catch my eye
Disturbing my groove tryna be smooth
Get the boot," I continue to sing as the next pair step to us, we point something out and pretend to boot them in the ass from opposite ends of the stage toward the middle of it. They walk away and rub their asses, looking mad.
"Boy, you can go ahead
And work on yourself another quick romance
A little too hot for me
You act like you've already got the number." Two of them pretend to type in our numbers and we tick our fingers back and forth, averting them with our faces covered.
"I wish you quit tryna be extra smooth, extra smooth
Extra cool, extra cute
If I'm suppose to talk to you, be your boo
Don't come tryna be." We check our 'phones', meeting in the middle and 'showing' each other texts from our guys. Don't get it twisted, they're prop phones and the messages are definitely PG that come up on the huge screen behind us.
"Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth
Extra, extra, extra cool
I won't talk to you, won't be your boo
Extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth
Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth
Extra, extra, extra cool
I won't talk to you, won't be your boo
Extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth
Extra, extra, extra cool
I won't talk to you, won't be your boo
Extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth
Extra, extra, extra cool
I won't talk to you, won't be your boo
Extra, extra, extra
Tryna be extra, extra, extra smooth," she and I sing, pushing all my male dancers away and finally getting to Josh and Aaron before we let them hold us.
The three of them leave the stage, the 'hacker' coming onto the screen again. "Have you enjoyed the show? I have," Brent's digitized voice rings out. The crowd boos the 'hacker'.
"Leave us alone!" I scream. "Hackers nowadays," I mumble, attempting to 'fix' the problem and 'block' his access.
"-Nigels11-stop, maybe."
"Fine, Chris!"
He comes out looking annoyed, quickly clicks and moves the mouse a couple times. "Should work for awhile," he comments.
I embrace him. "Thank you. I owe you a song. You pick."
"I say we perform one of my favorites, then one of yours."
"Ok."
His band launches into a remixed and chopped version of 'Crazy Girl' and 'Get Out'. "Now, we remixed the song JC did with Santana, 'If I Don't' and completed it," Chris intros.
I take the first verse. "You know I've always kept my heart protected
Spending my life just building up this wall
How could I say no?
You hit me so unexpectedly
Like you want to prove there's nothing I can do," I belt out, meaning every word.
"I think that maybe I might be in danger
Somehow you read my mind and found me out
I don't know which emotion's feelin' stranger now
Cause I'm afraid, but still I'm glad I stayed," Josh sings, coming onto the stage and enveloping me in his arms. He places a kiss on my lips and I smile.
"I could try to fight it
Just deny it
Avoid the touch
And turn away from you or maybe
Ride it out
But if I like it
Is that enough
To call it love, to call it love," Chris sings, embracing the moment and teases us by batting his eye lashes.
"It seems that you've broken down each wall
I've ever built, making me feel so tall I turn to you to reassure me
You run to me to protect you from harm
I feel broken
I feel whole
I know I've lost my mind
But I feel so sane
This is how life was meant to be, maybe
This is our destiny, our forever..." We all sing together, Chris covering background vocals.
"Nothing felt more right
Yet it feels absolutely wrong
Never question
What is given
Sometimes you just need to let go
To find the true answers about your destiny," Chris finishes. We look over our fans and smile.
"Lil Breanna," Justin calls faintly and I look to stage left, finding nothing. I shrug. "Lil Breanna," he calls a little louder, the stage darkening enough for the audience to only see my silhouette and I dart for center stage while Josh, Chris and his bandmates vacate the stage. I check stage right, finding nothing again and becoming annoyed. My hands go onto my hips and I turn to face the crowd, my hands going into the air out of 'frustration'. "Lil Breanna!" he shouts, pyrotechnics going off as he pops out of the top of the steps at the back end of the stage (reminiscent of the first Backstreet Boys tour in the US and we have permission) and I fall backwards facing him as my legs fall into a W position."There's no way I can truly explain, so it's 'Like I Love You' and I still can't have you cuz he wifed you," he says, jumping into the song and I transition into a handstand before getting to my feet. I'm standing in front of him, face to face. His arm encircles my waist as he says listen. I push away and begin to walk off. He follows, grabbing my wrist and spins me into his arms. We dance to the beat, the music moving our bodies in ways that seem so effortless.
We mixed one of my songs into it, 'Best Of Me (Get To Stepping)'.
"You're a player," I fire off. "All I want is a little respect!" I sing two verses and he sings a verse of his.
"No matter how bad I want to give in to you
I know it's wrong cuz I'm with your boy
I have to be good to him
He's amazing to me
We are so in love
I won't let you get the best of me
You're not mine
You and him are homies
I'm not that way
You can't have the best of me
You should get to stepping before he finds out," I fire back, my hand on his chest and push him backward the entire time. I turn away and he spins me to himself again. He starts with the third verse of 'Like I Love You', stopping as I interrupt him after the chorus comes around and ends again. "Even if you've promised me the world
I have the universe already
He makes time for me
I can't wait to be in his arms every night
You're his best friend, you're at that fine line
Do you want to risk this friendship you share with him?
All I really want is a little respect from you
So, here's a little advice about what you feel for me
I won't let you get the best of me
You're not mine
You and him are homies
I'm not that way
You can't have the best of me
You should get to stepping before he finds out
I'm not like the other girls
Start stepping before he gets here
I refuse to give you the best of me
You better get to stepping!" I remind him, getting 'angry' and shoving him to the back of the stage.
He starts back up with the 'chance to be your man' verse, my vocals mixing with Pharell's as he appears on stage and Justin 'chasing' me. He looks at Pharell and we dance the entire time, almost like a tug of war before I drop into a trap door when the lights begin blinking off and on.
