“It’s the Latin Blood”

Madrid, Spain

Passion seems to be a inherited trait in Madrid.
November 2, 2007 I’ve never seen a crowd react with so much of this stuff called passion (unless you count that time at the Vic Theater in Chicago, when my own band hit the stage to chants of “Ehf You, Ehf You.” But that’s a completely different story.) The band opens up with “Comin’ Atcha Live” and the whole audience, all 1500+ of them sing the chorus.





I peaked out from “guitar world” and saw a sea of Spaniards thrusting their fists in the air and cheering for the band.
It was like being at the World Cup, at a bullfight and as a crew member on a Gallion in the Spanish Armada at the same time. In between songs the crowd would chant like they do at soccer game. Jeff and the rest of the band would join in because it was impossible to attempt playing another song until the chanting subsided. I had chills, so much so, that I almost missed some of my cues.

After 20 something hours on the road, I woke up the morning of the show in a truck stop outside of Madrid. Jose, the manager of the stop, provided us a key to the shower rooms. However, I was the only one who dared to take a shower. Jeff said that it was a “bit too colorful” in the shower stall, referring to the lovely shade of jade green between the tiles. (Oh, the color of the grout is not part of the decor???) After showering up, we headed off for the venue.

On our way in to Madrid, there is one thing that becomes readily apparent. There are a whole lot of Madridians and most of them live in multi-story apartments. The skyline is packed with housing, all of them painted in a shade of terra cotta. As we get into the city, a second thing becomes readily apparent, Spain has some of the most beautiful women in the world. Fair skinned, dark haired, light eyed, and fit. However, the Latin blood showed when I tried to tell the beautiful waitress at the “Fresca” (Spains version of Fresh Choice or Sweet Tomatoes) that she was a “beautiful representative of her people” and that I would “always remember her face.” Her response was a quick shake of the finger and a curt, “No.” (Note to all traveling in Spain, a ring on the right finger, not the left, means you are married.)

Once again, thanks to Madrid and the Macumba Club for one of the most rockin' shows on the tour. And credit goes to the designers of the Macumba Club for one of the most creative mens/womens bathroom signs.