LAMC Entry #4: Shake off the negative vibes

Saturday was the final day of LAMC, and having Maldita Vecindad play the SummerStage was a great way to close the conference. When I arrived at the press tent, I found that my name was still not on the list and had to talk to the organizer to get clearance. He remembered me from the first time my name was not on the list and felt bad that this was happening again, so he gave me a special wristband for the Jet Blue tent. After a quick walk through the crowd, I decided that the Jet Blue tent was, indeed, the best place to watch the show. And this was confirmed when, as soon as I sat down, I was offered a drink.

The Pinker Tones took the stage as I sipped my beer from the comfort of the tent, and they spread their buoyant energy to the crowd with their upbeat electro pop rock. They played a lot of songs from the new album, Modular, and I was especially happy when they played “Sampleame,” which I find wonderfully cheeky. As energetic as the crowd was for The Pinker Tones set, it was nothing compared to the passion they had for the legendary Maldita Vecindad. The band played a killer show, and folks went insane. There were mosh pits and crowd surfers and dance circles, as well as anything you can think of (really, anything) being thrown in the air. When JP came back to the tent after his photo session, he reported that there was a baby dangling over the barricade between the crowd and the stage. And there were an unacceptable number of small children in that crowd. I seriously feared for their lives. It seems like everyone made it through relatively unscathed, though, which might be due to the shaking off of the negative vibes initiated by the band during their set.

Photos by JP Abello

After the show, JP and I headed to Candle Cafe for dinner, which was such a good decision. The food was incredible. Even you non-veg*ns would love it. Then we were so full, that we each headed home for a disco nap before hitting up the Remezcla after party, where Isa GT was spinning. After hanging at that party for a bit, we decided to wander the neighborhood, which turned into a long trek punctuated by quick stops to judge bars (if it’s full of people singing along to John Mellencamp, we do not want to go to there) before moving on. We ended up at Cienfuegos for lime daiquiris and complaining about the lack of satisfactory bars. And also toasting to not being lame when we’re in our 30s.

That’s it for my LAMC ramblings. I had a great time at the conference and hope to be back next year. Stay tuned for a photo slideshow and interviews, after which we’ll be back to your regularly scheduled programming.