The last group text Bex and I had with Ben was "speak to you guys after" and that's what I was waiting for. I wanted to be there with Ben. I wanted to be side stage, supporting him. I wanted to watch the crowd. But what I really wanted to experience was Denis walking onto that stage for the first time with the support of Ben, Sam, Cam and James. How on earth must he be feeling? He's now a major part of one of the biggest metal bands. Omg... Now I was nervous again!
I really needed to stop checking Instagram and Twitter. There weren't any comments or posts yet, and nor should there have been. I had to get a grip.
This wait was interminable. It's similar to waiting for your child to finish an exam; to waiting for their GCSE results, their A level results. And it's ridiculous but the thing is, this was an extremely important day for Ben and all the lads. The first show with Denis. So again, I stayed up, watching TV, drinking tea (and the odd glass of wine..) and checking my phone to see if there were any comments or videos... And then, there it was, the first video on you tube. Omg, I was so excited. It's wasn't brilliant quality, but there they were on stage after five and half months. Asking back together and Denis. It was so good to actually see him up there on the stage. He hadn't frozen, he didn't fall off the stage and to watch him he appeared to be totally unruffled by the large crowd that had turned up, not only to see one of their favourite bands but to see how Denis would fill Danny's cowboy boots.
And he did. He walked onto that stage and just did what he was destined to do. I have never met Denis but I'm as proud of him as I am of the other four incredible guys. Is he lucky to have landed on his feet, to be the front man, the vocalist of one of the biggest metal bands of their generation. I'm sure everyone will say he's lucky, that the position just fell into his lap. In a way they would be right. But having followed Ben for the last 10 years and been a part of his long lonely nights, missing home, trying to keep up with the where and when, I think the reality of their life is very different from what people on the outside expect the life of a Rockstar is. And Denis has been working his way to this role, he's been dreaming of this.
I kind of feel sorry for him though. He's just about to live his dream and he's been thrown in at the deep end. Ben and the lads have had a gradual, long and hard build up to where they are. Denis walked onto that stage and was catapulted into the full on multicoloured lights of Asking Alexandria. He won't get the slow rise to fame that the others had, he has to take a deep breath and deal with it. What Denis does have though, is four extremely supportive and caring young men, who have learnt fame the hard way. He has a team around him that spreads further than just Ben, James, Cam and Sam; he has the whole crew. They are good men.
And Ben has sent me a you tube link of their first show and it's incredible. I literally grinned my way through the whole twelve minutes. Seeing Asking on stage again was one of the best things I've seen for a long time. Watching them do their thing as they've always done was just perfect. And then Denis sang. Oh wow! That young man really sounds great live. In that moment he proved to me why Ben had such faith in him. He really is the perfect fit with Asking. Yes, there will be haters; there are people around the world who just love to hate, but these lads are still on the rise.
My anxiety has abated, as I knew it would, now I'm just eagerly awaiting the release of their album. I'm excited for their future. My first night nerves have been laid to rest, as I'm sure theirs have. Seeing photos of the photos of the crowds watching their set is mind blowing. These incredible young men have taken change in their stride and are truly showing the world what they are made of.
So welcome to the crazy world of my boys, Denis. You will learn to live it and love it. You couldn't be a part of a better family.
Family First