Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 139: Award Show (3) [Bonus]

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Can’t Hold Us by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Ray Dalton>

...

Exactly five minutes after the lights went dim, when everyone were already seated. A single spotlight hit the center stage, and the low murmur of the ballroom instantly vanished.

The host of the night, a well-known comedian who frequently did corporate gigs, walked out to the microphone.

He opened with a tight five-minute monologue, poking fun at the major labels and joking about how much money everyone in the room owed their distributors.

The crowd laughed politely. Von sat comfortably at his table next to Olivia and Emily.

"Let’s get right into it," the host said, holding up the first silver envelope. "The first award of the night is for Best Rock Record."

The massive screens on either side of the stage lit up. The booming voice of the announcer read out the nominees. When the heavy guitar riff of It Doesn’t Even Matter played over the speakers, the applause in the room was noticeably louder than for the others.

The host tore the envelope open. "And the winner is... Von featuring Alex, It Doesn’t Even Matter."

The room erupted. People at the front tables stood up and clapped. Alex, who was sitting two tables away, stood out of his seat with a smile. Von stood up with a grin and met Alex in the aisle. They had really won.

They walked up the short stairs to the stage. The stage lights were blinding, making Von squint for a second.

A smiling presenter met them at the podium and handed Von the award. It had a heavy, expensive weight to it, expertly carved into the shape of a classic electric guitar, with their names etched deeply into the base.

Von leaned into the microphone and looked out at the sea of faces. Hundreds of powerful people in the entertainment industry were staring right back at him.

He had explicitly refused to prepare a speech when Olivia offered to draft one earlier that week, believing this wasn’t his first time talking to a crowd. Looking at everyone now, he wanted the moment to strike him naturally.

He remained silent for a few seconds before getting himself.

"Uh... Sorry. I was just thinking about if a speech really mattered right now."

It took half a second for the crowd to catch the pun. Then, the entire ballroom let out a roar of laughter.

"Okay, seriously," Von said as the laughter faded out. "This award really matters. Alex here can agree with me on that."

Alex laughed into the mic but immediately backed away, holding his hands up in refusal when Von tried to push the talking task to him. Seeing his denial, Von decided to go with his mind.

"This song meant a lot to me and Alex," Von said with a confident smile. "We really put a lot of heart into making it. So, we’re incredibly honored that others can listen, relate to it, and even decide to award it. Thank you for this honor."

The crowd clapped respectfully, and Von continued.

"To my producer, Patch, and my team, who I see as my own family — thank you for helping make this song heard. The appreciation goes to you, too. And the biggest thanks goes to the fans. You’re the reason I’m here. I hope this song continues to inspire us all to abandon our doubts, leave our past behind, and know that we can always move on. Thanks!"

Von responded to the cheering crowd with a mock salute from his forehead. He bowed on stage together with Alex, and the both of them turned and left the platform.

The audience erupted into loud cheers and applause. To most of the industry veterans sitting at those tables, it was their very first time seeing Von speak in person, and they immediately understood what made him so likable.

They walked off the stage to loud cheers and headed back to their seats. Von handed the glass guitar trophy to Olivia, who took it carefully and placed it right in the center of their table.

"One down. Keep that energy up." Emily whispered with a smirk.

They didn’t have to wait long. Twenty minutes later, a famous veteran country singer walked out to the center stage to present the award for Best Folk/Americana Roots Record.

Once again, Von’s name appeared on the massive screens.

"The winner is..." The presenter smiled warmly and looked right at Von’s table. "Von and Noah, for Northern Attitude."

The applause rolled through the room again. Von stood up, pulling his black mask down just slightly to flash a smile for the cameras. He looked around the room, expecting to walk up the stairs alone since he hadn’t seen Noah anywhere on the red carpet or lingering at the bar earlier.

But as Von reached the bottom of the stage stairs, someone practically jogged out from the back rows of the ballroom.

It was Noah. He was wearing a simple, slightly oversized brown suit and he looked completely overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the crowd and the lights.

He looked exactly like he did during their last meeting in the studio, except that his long hair was now neatly styled and pulled back.

Von smiled widely and waited for him. As Noah caught up, panting slightly, Von clapped him hard on the shoulder as they walked up the steps together.

"I didn’t know you were here," Von said over the loud walk-up music.

"My manager got me a seat at the very back," Noah said breathlessly. "I can’t believe we actually won."

Von let Noah take the heavy glass award this time. Noah stepped up to the microphone, gripping the podium tightly.

"I, and Von uh... We got together to write this song," Noah started, his voice shaking slightly before he cleared his throat.

"I knew it was good. But I didn’t expect it to do this well, let alone be receiving an award... I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and the collaboration too. Thank you to everyone who listened and to those who picked us to receive this."

The crowd gave a warm, sustained round of applause. Despite Noah’s nervous energy, they could see the raw hunger in his eyes and how genuine he was. He was someone who deserved everything he got.

When Von got back to his table, the dynamic in the room was already shifting. He had two trophies within the first hour. The major label executives sitting in the VIP section across the aisle were staring at him openly. He wasn’t just a nominee anymore; he was dominating the broadcast.

Shortly after, the award for Best Pop Song was announced.

"And the winner is... Midnight, for Best Song Ever."

Von stood up and clapped loudly. He watched Leo, Eli, and the rest of the band rush the stage. They looked like massive superstars under the lights.

Leo gave a confident, polished speech, thanking Columbia Records and their fans. They even made sure to mention Von’s name in their speech, prompting heads across the room to turn and look at him again.

Just after they walked off the stage, Emily checked her watch and nudged Von.

"Get up, Superstar. You’re on in five."

Von understood the assignment. He stood up, and Olivia immediately handed him his custom in-ear monitors. He walked toward the backstage area. It was time for his performance.

The showrunners had explicitly chosen him to perform in the middle of the broadcast.

They needed ratings, and having the artist with seven nominations perform one of his hit song was a guaranteed massive draw.

Backstage was chaotic. Stagehands dressed in black were running around with headsets, urgently moving heavy equipment and checking cables.

Von found Midnight waiting by the heavy curtain. They had just dropped off their trophy and were already strapped into their guitars, looking pumped with adrenaline.

"Ready to show them how to shut down a room?" Leo asked with a smile.

"Always," Von said. Performing was one of his strengths after all. He took his black face mask and chose not to change his clothes despite the fact he planned to dance. His cargo pants were more than flexible.

The lights in the ballroom went completely dark.

Suddenly, a heavy, driving drumbeat echoed through the room. The stage lights flashed a bright, blinding white in time with the kick drum.

The crowd went dead silent in anticipation, and then erupted as Von walked out to the center of the stage, flanked by Midnight.

They were performing Coming Home. Even though the song wasn’t nominated for a single category tonight, it didn’t matter. It was a massive Billboard hit, and the crowd recognized the heavy intro immediately.

Von grabbed the microphone stand. The live band kicked in with full force, and the energy in the room skyrocketed.

Von didn’t just stand there to sing. He moved across the stage with explosive, athletic energy.

At the first chorus drop, he took a running start, planted his boot on a heavy floor monitor, and executed a flawless, high-altitude backflip.

He landed perfectly on the beat. The front row collectively gasped in awe at his pure athleticism.

It was the exact type of gravity-defying stage presence that made him phenomenon in his recent shows.

Some of the others began to understand why Von’s shows sold out in minutes, and how lucky his fans were to get this level of entertainment.

He engaged the everyone directly, pointing at them, feeding off the relentless energy of the band behind him. Leo harmonized perfectly on the chorus, their voices blending into a stadium-ready anthem. Behind them, Finn was locked in, his fingers flying over the bass guitar to lay down a heavy groove that rattled the tables. Jax was an absolute monster on the drums, punishing the cymbals with every strike.

As the bridge hit, Eli stepped to the edge of the stage and delivered a face-melting guitar solo that was never part of the song, making the the people in the back rows stand up out of their seats.

It was a flawless stadium-level performance packed into a hotel ballroom. When the final, massive note hit and the stage lights flashed to red, Von leapt high into the air and landed in a perfect split on the floor.

The music cut out completely. For a split second, the room was silent.

Then, the entire room gave them a deafening standing ovation.

Breathing heavily, Von stood up, smiled, and waved to the screaming crowd. The stage lights went off, plunging them into darkness as they quickly disappeared backstage.

The main lights came back on. The host walked out to the podium, blinking at the spot where Von had just been. He waited for the wild applause to finally die down.

"Well, I bet none of you were expecting something of that energy tonight, right?"

Laughter rippled through the breathless audience.

"You see, they’re award winners for a reason," the host continued. "Now, let’s let our heart rates get back to normal and get back into it."

The audience settled, drinks were refilled, and the show was ready to continue.

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Special shoutout to Sam_Kupers for the Magic Castle! Thank you! :]