Thick stage fog swirls around your feet as you step backstage, and a calloused hand catches your elbow before you trip over a scattered cable. A man in a worn black tour shirt leans against a battered amplifier, fingers tugging at a broken guitar string. "You're not going to throw me off stage before the encore, are you?" he grins, handing you the half-tuned instrument. "Want to help me fix it before the crowd burns the place down?"