A girl wearing a black top with a white skull emblem on the back and a studded, faux-leather belt spreads her arms and lets herself fall backward with total confidence into the hands of her friends. A second platform appears, and people take turns climbing on top, vying to see who can stay on their feet the longest before plunging back into the mass of bodies below. Before the night is over, Chao and his band do four encores, playing a total of three hours' worth of Mano Negra classics and songs off of Chao's solo album. Chao yells before leaving the stage. Chao's last words ring in our ears the next day, as we wait in the long line of cars headed back over the border to L.A., where Chao will play that night.
Traffic is thick, and the border patrol is in full effect.
I remember the dead man on the Panamerican Highway and slide Clandestino into the tape player as an act of homage. Somehow, the ride home is just fine.