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Chapter 21
Anne
was slated to join the cast of Chicago that summer they pushed back
the date they needed her from May to June, and until they needed her she
decided to go back out on the road.
“I
don't get it, why? I thought you were going to take some time off,”
Howie said.
“Okay, wait. It's okay for you to do benefit concerts, but I can't?”
Anne asked.
“No, it's not that at all.”
“If you must know, I got the idea from you guys. Look, you know I have
to go home anyway, to get all that stuff with my house squared away. Well,
why not raise a little money in the process? Wait, a second, I want to see
what they are going to talk about.” Anne silenced Howie as the MTV News
update flashed up on the screen.
“This is Serena Alchul with MTV News. The Rose will be hitting the road
this month for a series of benefit shows in the Midwest. John Norris caught
up with Rose last week in New York and she explains.”
The cut to an interview taped that Tuesday. “So you are setting out on
a
benefit tour. You're calling it the Ten Dollar Tour, why don't you explain
what is going on?”
“Well it's going to be a series of shows on college campus all over the
Midwest and a New England. College radio is where I got my start, and I
thought this would be a great way to pay them back. The tickets for these
shows are only going to cost ten dollars a piece, therefore the name Ten
Dollar Tour. I want to make this show accessible to anyone who wants to
come, but the price was geared toward the college kids. And all the proceeds
from the ticket sales will go to a charity in that town.”
“That sounds cool.”
“With this I am going to play the kind of show I always wanted to play,
but never really could. Here I am not promoting an album, it will just be me
and my band playing.”
“What sorts of songs will you be playing?” John asked.
“Um, well I'll play my hits and some of my favorites as well as some new
stuff. I'm also going to some covers, this is finally my chance to play
homage to the people I think kick ass.”
“And who might that be?”
“You'll just have to come and see for your self.”
The camera cut back to Serena who signed off.
“I'm going, this what I have to do. It seems right. I don't know why but
I feel like if I don't do this I'm missing out on something. I miss the
road. I miss playing live. If this goes like I hope it will I will keep
doing this, I am free to do whatever I want. And you ask me to deny that?”
“No, I'm not. If it means that much to you, I want you to go. Just
remember to call once in a while, all right?”
Anne and Howie got along pretty well when they were together, but there was
a lot of friction in their relationship. The wedding caused more friction
than anything. The date of the ceremony was changed six times, each time it
was pushed back farther. Anne was starting to wonder if he wanted to marry
her at all. When she questioned him on it, it caused a nasty fight. When
they were apart everything seemed fine to outsiders, but things were not
perfect. They worked through everything. When they each went on the road
things would be better. Anne left to go on the road. Things went great. By
the time she had played twenty dates she had raised over $500,000. She was
having the time of her life but still missed Howie. He was touring the
country with the Backstreet Boys. That is all she knew, she did not know
where he was, and in fact did not care. The space was nice, although, she
missed him terribly. Despite the fact that they fought she did love him.
They each agreed if they put all their efforts into the tours they might
just miss each other less. It did not work. But neither person would admit
how missed each other, they were too stubborn. And they continued to fight,
it was mostly over stupid stuff, but these arguments could tear them apart
if things did not change soon.
Anne played rock shows. Her acoustic guitar stayed home. Anne decided
to transform into the Rose for the entire tour. She bought ultra hip rock
star clothes and died her long hair blood red. She wanted to prove to
herself and the world that you could be sexy without dressing like a tramp.
The recording industry and Hollywood didn’t seem to think this was the
case;
Anne wanted to prove them wrong with all her heart. She also knew that it
was not how much skin you show that makes you sexy--it was your attitude.
Janis Joplin was not pretty but yet she still had a power over the audience,
with her brand of sexiness she ruled them better than Britney Spears and her
onstage slut persona ever could. Anne wanted to channel Janis’ type of
power and rule the audience with a sexy power than only grown women possess.
The teen queens may have the bodies of women, but they still had a lot of
growing up to do, they were all still girls in many many ways.
With her new take-no-prisoners attitude Anne felt free. Free from the
shadow of the guys. She loved them but she was sick of being known as Howie
Dorough’s girlfriend, this was her time to be Rose, and perhaps convince
people she was a force in her own right. In her heart she hoped that
someday someone (even just once) would ask Howie: “aren’t you the
guy who is
married to The Rose?” in her mind that is when she is would truly be famous.
But she also knew she would never eclipse the Backstreet Boys in fame,
they were just too huge, perhaps she could outlast them, if rock made a
comeback as it had been threatening to do in the past few months. But she
did not hold her breath for that, pop was king, and it would take something
huge to dethrone it.
So she
was off on tour, to have the time of her life and to try and do
some good at the same time. During the time she was on stage she was a rock
goddess to the people in the audience. Rocking as hard as any man without
losing any of her femininity. She did this even while covering songs that
seemed reserved for men: songs by Iggy Pop, Creed, and The Smashing
Pumpkins. It was her goal with this tour to be even for the briefest of
moments the most powerful woman in rock. She owned the stage and destroyed
the audience. She achieved her goal. The shows just kept getting bigger as
word spread. Several times they had to move shows to bigger venues because
there was such a demand for tickets. (College kids love to go to concerts,
they just cannot that often because ticket prices are so high now a days.
When a good show comes around that they want to see and can afford they will
go in droves). Sadly Howie was not there to see any of it, but Anne hoped
he would have been proud.
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