 Photo by Matt Rowan. "Ladies and Gentlemen... for the last time ever... Manic Hispanic."
And with those words, tears started streaming down my face as the remaining members of Manic Hispanic kicked off their set with their version of The Bouncing Souls True Believers tune which I think they changed to Mas Chingones, I'm not sure, but it was at that exact moment that it really hit home to me, that Gabby was gone, and the thousands of friends / family who turned out to The Observatory on a Sunday night were there for a funeral / celebration / public gathering that was one of Gabby's final wishes. The place had a eerie, emotional vibe all about it. I've never seen so many grown ass men wearing Pendeltons crying in public before - Hell, I even seen some WP fuckers sporting Nazi propaganda crying, and believe me, that was a trip to behold. Nazis at a Manic Hispanic gig, now I've seen everything. Yeah, such was the powerful influence that Gabby had on people of all races and creeds. He was one firme vato loco, that's for sure, and like the big ass banner that draped the back of the stage said, 'Gone but never forgotten.' Yeah, he's gonna live forever, that's for sure. I don't know how the bands did it. Opening band Santos Y Sinners played a rocking set of standard blues covers, including the Cadillac Tramps version of Killing Floor, and Gabby's son Presley made the first of many appearances on stage, sporting a 'Kind is Cool' tee shirt and his fathers hat, and receiving thunderous rounds of applause every time he was up there. X-Members were next, and were maybe a bit too aggressive and Punk Rock for the proceedings. They had some funny Gabby stories though, like all the bands did. In between bands they had random friends on mic telling crazy Gabby stories, with the theme of them all being that at one time or another, Gabby had saved their lives. Powerful stuff. A Flock Of Goo Goo brought the good time vibe back with their 80's covers of songs by The Plimsouls, Nena, Tommy Tutone, The Vapors, and brought the house down with their cover of Purple Rain by Prince, dedicated to Gabby. <3 Steve Soto dressed as Robert Smith of The Cure is always funny to me... ha ha Manic Hispanic were hard to watch through the tears. In the other bands it wasn't really obvious that Gabby was gone, but with Manic Hispanic, it was waaaaaaayyy painfully obvious. They played a fantastic set. I'm both proud and honored to say that I was there to see it go down. That shit was one for the history books, that's for sure. When they played Mexican Society, I thought the roof was gonna blow off from everyone singing along. After an on stage group hug, without any introduction, the Cadillac Tramps just started playing their usual musical intro to Hoodoo Guru, and when it came up to the part where Gabby would usually do his maniacal devilish laugh to kick things off, the spotlight focused on a mic stand with one of Gabby's fedora hats on it, feedback ringing out, the crowd deathly quiet, and I just lost it. Gawd damn. So sad. What a loss. The Cadillac Tramps played their hearts out without their beloved jefe to lead them along and crack wise, and it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen or felt or was a part of in my Life. Highlight had to be Shake, when everyone in the place just YELLED out loud, followed closely by (Carry My Soul To) The River, a song never played live before, and it was amazing to watch / see / hear. Yeah, such a powerful emotional night. Made all the BS worth it. The drive, the hassle getting in, scrounging for tickets, the shitty food, the shitty venue, bad attitudes, all the BS I went through was worth it, just to be there, just to be a part of it, just for the opportunity to say adios to someone that brought me such joy and happiness, someone I was proud to consider a friend. Vaya con dios amigo. I will definitely look for you on the other side, if only for some more laughs and good times. Salud.
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