GKML Web Site

U.S. Tour '99

Las Vegas, Nevada
June 8, 1999
Encounters with the Gipsy Kings

My friend, Claudia, and I walked into the Hard Rock casino about midnight or so after the concert, to see several listmembers casually hanging out with 4-5 GKs, as if they were all old friends. After lurking awhile I told Claudia, (who speaks exclusively Spanish as she is from Columbia) that she should talk to the GK, since she could do so fluently. She demurely declined, which was odd, because Claudia is never demure. I chatted on with listmems in English so Claudia wandered off, only to return several minutes later, with her typical, permanent, huge smile, saying, that she had talked to that "older guy in the middle who sings the most".

It sounded like she and Nicolas had quite the chat-fest as she had a lot of small-talk-news to relate. Things like, that he was sometimes not fond of travelling in the US because there are so few people to talk to in Spanish, that he found it more divertido to travel in Europe, but that the financial opportunites are much greater in the US, that GK will play in Columbia in October or September, that no he had never heard of Omaha, Nebraska, and he didn't think they would ever play here (ooh, shocking surprise), that the police tend to bother them when they travel in Europe (what's up with that?), etc. He also joked with her that he was the only unmarried GK, and said that it was nearly impossible to have a wife because they so rarely get home while on tour. Claudia replied to Nicolas that "I (meaning she) would be a good choice for you then, because as an actress (totally joking) I could be filming a picture while you are on tour, and we could get together later."

So...about 1 or 2 am when we saw Nicolas still sitting at the same slot machine, the two of us walked up to him for a final chat. After Claudia warmed him up again (he was looking pretty tired by that time and his voice sounded totally shot to me), I said in my marginal spanish... I do not want to bother you, but could I have your signature? He said yes, he handed the pen back to Claudia, she asked for a signature, but tragically, only had her arm available for impermanent documentation. Anyway Nicolas signed her arm, and before I knew what was happening, Nicolas was holding out his arm and Claudia was WRITING HER AUTOGRAPH ON NICOLAS's Left fore-ARM.

Only Claudia could get away with this. Nicolas and Claudia were both smiling ear to ear. Here was Claudia, who a month ago had never heard of the GK, giving Nicolas HER autograph. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. The girl has guts, no?

Joyce de Omaha


Where do I begin? First off, mission accomplished, I saw and met the GK!

My husband and I arrived 2 hours late (mechanical problems), just in time to see Lauren and Bob in their Hummer at an intersection as we were heading to the HRH in an airport shuttle.

Day 1, Sun.: Met up with L & B, Gam (Georgia) and Karen in Co. at the Pink Taco, HRH restuarant. Saw Dennis Rodman at the pool. Wandered around the hotel. Nice to meet Georgia and Karen. :-))

Day 2 Mon.: Sat by the pool (very nice) waited for other list members to appear. GK appeared around 4pm. Lauren and Bob ran into Andre in the elevator on the fourth floor. Negrito and a manager came down to the pool, right near us. Michael and Pascal came down too and had to sit to our other side. (I got a photo of them) Lauren tried to invite them to dinner and Rob told them we were going salsa dancing. They were off to see Cirque de Soleil, supposedly. Carpooled and the list gang went to the Rio for the infamous international buffet. Sorry Jeff, we all thought it was a glorified food court. Tried to go salsa dancing, but were sent on a wild goose chase. Went to the Mandalay Bay Hotel and listened to a somewhat sorry latino band. Rob and Suzanne danced to a couple of tunes. Returned to the hotel. The GK were in the casino, Nicolas, Patchai, Canut, Pacheco, Negrito, Tonino Pablo. The only GK I talked to was Pablo. Thought that he might be the easiest to approach. Went with Lauren and introduced myself, just said hello. Then I just listened to what other listmembers chatted about with other GK members. Rumor had it that this was their first break, really needing the down time. Thought taking a passive, observer tact was in order.

Day 3, Tues. My husband and I got down to the pool early and just after we got our chairs set up, Nicolas, Patchai, his son, and a couple of managers came in and ordered an cabana that overlooks the pool. I smiled to Nicolas, said "Hola" and after a minute of two he walked over, I got up and met him half way and we chatted about my coming to L.V. 'cuz of no concert in Mpls. He asked me if he knew Mpls, and I said, yes, twice. We laughed, he shrugged his shoulders. I told him that we listen to their music everyday, in the house, car and office. I told him that my kids sing along with him and he smiled. We chatted about how nice the pool was and I said I would like one at my house. He agreeded. The others came by and he joined them and went to the cabana. I went up to get Canut's gift just in case he came down too. Pablo, Pascal, Micheal came down to join the others. They had to walk right past us and Georgia, bless her soul and that special twinkle in her eye, greeted them as they went by. Juliet, Karen and Lydia came down too. We had fun watching them swim and try to figure how to go down the water slide. At one point, Pablo, Nicola, Patchai and his son came up the the side of the pool in front of us and started to chat. It looked like the famous photo of the Beatles in the pool. They wandered off to swim. Patchai came back alone and chatted more. Georgia asked who the young one was, it was his son, 24 years old. I'm sorry to say we didn't ask his name, but I thought I heard someone call him Pasqual, not sure. We told him that he was too young to have a son that age and he told us that he has 4 grandchildren, and we again told him that it was impossible. A little fun flirting going on. We asked if it was indeed Canut's b-day and he had to ask which day it was and then seemed to run through a list in his head of his brothers b-days and then confirmed the date. He said that Canut was going to be 45, Nicolas is 43 and he is 42. He said that he married at 17. He then asked about the floating beds others had in the pool and I helped him get one from a lifeguard. We explained that he had to charge it to his room, etc. He very freely gave out his room number, 858. I took a photo of him waving from poolside. Each time Michael passed us, Georgia would say in French, "You again!" and he would very shyly giggle. He's a cutie!!!! Tonino walked by and went up to the cabana. I noticed that when he arrived, Michael began to put on sunscreen. Perhaps Papa told him to put it on. Georgia had a b-day card for Lauren and had Tonino sign it when he passed by the last time. Canut hadn't come down yet so Georgia and I went into the casino to see if he was in there. Karen caught us with us and came along. We found him talking to Andre. I waited until they finished talking and touched his arm and introduced myself, Georgia and Karen. I told him that we had a b-day gift for him and gestured for him to open it. He very carefully untied the ribbons on the wooden box with the drawings pencils, etc. He looked very surprised and thanked us. Then it was very cure cute, he said, "Papier?" and we told him to look in the gift bag again. He took it out and carefully open the sketchbook to see the greetings I put in there from some of us. He then kissed us all on both cheeks. I took some photos and Georgia took a photo of me with Canut. I also had Georgia help me tell him how much he looks like my father and he looked at me surprised. Canut also signed Lauren's card and drew a little picture of a house and some grass. The drawing had a Camargue feel to it. I was glad I had the opportunity to give it to him before the concert. It was fun to see him open it up. We said our goodbyes. I took a picture of Nicolas signing Lauren's banner and saw Tonino go into the HRH store, Bob and Lauren in hot pursuit with the digital camrera. We then went up stairs to get ready for the concert.

They came down to the casino about an hour after the concert. Patchai poked his head out of the elevator and talked for a minute or two to other GK and then went back upstairs. Same with Michael. Georgia and I caught Michael as he was headed back upstairs and had a nice little exchange with him. Since Georgia had given him some teasing as he passed us at the pool, it was fun to say something to him again. Tonino, Andre and Patchai's son, along with some managers were standing at the stairs down to the playing area. Tonino approached Georgia and I and asked if we were from here (L.V.). We told him Mpls and Maryland. He asked if there were three of us and I told him, "no, 18, an internet group. He looked surprised. I don't know who I did this but I showed him a photo of a friend of mine (my friend Joe from France). I had a photo of all of us at the last Mpls concert. Joe looks like he belongs on stage with them, we joked about them being cousins. I got a photo with Tonino and then we sort of ran out of things to say and he rejoined the other GK. Then he motioned for us to come over and we started chatting again. I told him I have a son, 11 and a daughter, 9. I also told him how much we listen to their music and that my kids song along.

Georgia, Marty (my hubby) and I went off and had a drink. On our way up to bed we stopped by Nicolas still sitting at the same slot machine (like Joyce wrote). I wished him buena suerte and thanked him for the music.

Around 10 am I saw a few of them downstairs checking out, I had to use the house phone at the reservation counter to call up to Georgia and Pascal and Nicolas were there. I saw Patchai's son and others in Mr. Lucky's. As I was walking back to the pool, I ran into Tonino. We shook hands and I told him 'thanks for the compliment last night, now he has a little piece of my heart". He smiled and I gave him a kiss on the cheek and said "adios". His hands were so soft!! Great cologne too!!

Georgia found us at the pool and we said our goodbyes. And that's all folks!!

Victoria


Victoria's post brought me a few MORE thoughts:

T-shirts on sale in Reno had a few new designs. The really cool one had a graphic of the Earth circled by a red road on which rode a Gypsy Caravan.

When I spoke to Tonino briefly I told him what an astounding guitarist he is. He just smiled, shrugged and said it was no big deal. I got the feeling that the incredible skill he has is so much a part of him that he really doesn't realize how special it makes him. He is very nice, almost shy. And he smiles a lot when not on stage.

The same waitress passed a handful of change down the front row during Montana. When the person next to me handed it to me I had no clue why someone was giving me money - I was so completely entranced by sitting virtually at Canut's feet during this song. (This is one song I usually sit down for - it is absolutely mesmerizing to see his passion when he performs it). I must have looked totally confused, holding this wad of cash that a stranger had just given me and not knowing what to do with it because suddenly Patchai, Nicolas and Georges started chuckling while they were looking at me.

The banner - - I brought it along and managed to have it autographed by the entire group (as well as Patchai's son). None of the GK had seen anything like it before - had no clue that promotional materials such as this even exist. They were delighted to see it.

..........................LP


Monday night I was playing some slots at the casino and Paul comes over and sits right next to me. I said "Oh, Paul with the Gipsy Kings how nice to meet you"( in my very broken Spanish) but, he seemed to understand, so we started playing the nickle slots and he was asking me why he didn't win on a spin, I told him that he only put in 2 and for that one he needed to put in 5, anyhow after only 3 spins of my machine I hit 500 and Paul was slapping my arm saying "Tres Bien, Tres Bien" I told him that he was my Good Luck Charm and he laughed Patchai and his son were near by and after about 5 minutes Paul takes off with them. Victoria gave a wonderful account of the pool scene, Patchai is a huge flirt, and also the part about meeting Canut and giving him his Birthday present.

Tuesday night I was playing a 10 hand poker machine before we (all the listmems) met for dinner before the concert, anyhow I was cashing out to go upstairs and get ready, when Paul walked right up to me and asked how I was doing, I think because the machine was making noise he thought I hit a big one, he being the only GK at this point that I didn't have a picture/autograph of, I asked if I could get his autograph and picture, he said yes and then told me to pick a machine for him to play ($1.00). I was very hesitant about helping him lose his money, so I declined. He had mentioned the night before about he being my good luck and said something like "maybe you are mine" and then insisted again, so I picked one. I watched him play for a few minutes and then told him "bon chance" (at least he was holding his own). At this point I see David(?) walking around looking for them, I had just passed Tonino, so I told him Tonino went that way and said Paul and Andre are down there too, so he goes running down the stairs, stops dead in his tracks, turns and says "thanks" and takes off again. Very cute. Pre-concert dinner-We were waiting for all the listmems to show up, I got to finally meet Nikki and Karen Davis, who was upset that she to this point had no GK encounters other than seeing the backs of them. Jasmyn you are a very gifted artist (and we all knew her when).

Post-concert-We (listmems) were just hangin out, gradually they all started to come downstairs, first the back-up band then one by one. I spotted Patchai and told him that the concert and music was great and he came over hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Rob and Suzanne were translating to some of the GK about this old woman knowing Jose (she had gifts for all of them, Canut got a pair of sunglasses) While this was going on the old lady meeting the Reyes brothers, Tonino was just kinda hanging in the background, and came over to talk to Georgia, Victoria and I (is that when he asked if you were married,Vic?),anyhow I stayed until about 12:45am and then not wanting to go, but not looking forward to my 14 hour drive went upstairs for bed, the next morning I saw Jasmyn and David(?) down in the casino as I was checking out. Never in my dreams could I have imagined the events that took place those 2 days, and it was an honor for me to be part of it, and something I WILL NEVER forget.

Tomorrow night will be my next GK experience in Denver, so I will try to concentrate on the concert review there.

THEY ALL RULE
Hasta from Colorado,
Karen


My friends, my friends, my friends...

Where in the world do I begin? I've taken the past few days since we got back from Las Vegas to try to put my thoughts together and come up with something worthwhile that would describe the events we were privileged to behold. There is no way I'll ever do it justice, I've decided, so let me just do the best I can.

Since many listmembers and fans (my Suzanne included) have gotten to meet the GK in years past, I was only hoping to have some small degree of luck this time. I had no idea what would await us as we drove from Flagstaff to Las Vegas last Monday. As soon as we got to the Hard Rock Hotel and checked in, I called Lauren on her cellphone. "We're at the pool, and THEY'VE been here all afternoon," was Lauren's response. She said only Michael and Pascal, their US Manager, were there now, so we ran down as fast as we could, finding many of the listmembers milling about and taking in the wonderful Las Vegas rays.

And there they were, Michael and Pascal, swimtrunks and sunscreen, lazily basking in the sun, laid out on a chaise lounge. We were somewhat hesitant to go up to them at this point, and waited until they started to stir about, obviously refreshed from a little poolside nap. I went up to Michael, recalling that he didn't grow up speaking Spanish (I'm a native speaker and totally bilingual), and said "Michael, you're from the Gipsy Kings, and it's a pleasure to meet you," in pretty slow, measured Castellano. I was surprised when he answered in rather perfect Spanish, and I told him, "Hold on, I didn't know you spoke Spanish." He told me he has learned a lot of the language in the past couple of years from Pacheco, the percussionist, and that he speaks it quite well now. Obviously so! We then introduced ourselves to Pascal, not wanting to disregard the importance of their management. Pascal also spoke pretty good Spanish, but with about as thick a French accent attached to the language as I've ever heard without it being French. Michael was quite pleasant and flashed his grin easily, the same one people will see over and over again on stage. I joked around and said "mañana nos dedicas una canción," or "dedicate us a song tomorrow," and he laughed pretty goodnaturedly. I asked him what other languages he spoke, and he said in addition to French and Spanish, he also speaks Catalan. I asked him if he didn't speak Gitano, to which he replied that Catalan and Gitano are pretty much the same. I don't know enough of either language to know how similar they are, but as to his Spanish, I was definitely immpressed. After waiting around a while longer, we didn't see any of the other GK come to the pool, so we went up to our room.

The listmembers were to get together later that evening for a feed at the Rio's "International Buffet," and in the process of joining up, Suzanne and I ran into Paul, sitting at a slot machine. I should say nursing the slot! Nursing it a lot! He wasn't having too much fun, it seemed, but he was very gracious, again speaking excellent Spanish. I told him a bunch of us were all getting together to go Latin dancing this evening, and he'd be quite welcome. He took my card and said he'd let us know. (Paul, by the way, is farsighted, a "hyperope," which we also found to be the case with Nicolas, Andre and Canut--didn't ask them, but saw the type of glasses they wore, and what the heck, I'm an eye surgeon...)

As we walked on, just around the casino we ran into Andre, sitting at a roulette table. We waited for a lull in the action and went up and introduced ourselves to him as well. Crazy Andre, he's definitely one hormonal sort, keeping one eye on the table and another on all the women, mine included. I was able to observe his behavior, though, and thought how strange it was that nobody around him knew who he was. People would come and go, sit next to him and throw some money away, get up and leave, and never even know who he was. He blended right into the scene rather well, mind you, and didn't act any differently from anybody else. How very nice of him to do that, I thought! No airs, no pretentiousness.

Aaaaaaah, but then! As we walked away, heading in who-knows-what direction, thanks to the Hard Rock's circular layout that makes it impossible to know where true North really is, Suzanne spotted him first. Canut! "Canut! Canut Reyes!" I shouted as we walked toward each other, then he stopped and looked at me through his glasses. I told him I was so pleased to meet him, and extended my hand. In the simplest and humblest gesture of all, he looked at his own two hands and saw that they were soiled--he'd obviously been nursing several slots on his own, and his hands really were quite dirty from all the coinage--they looked like he'd worked in a mechanic shop that afternoon. He then closed his hands, folding them back at the wrist, and extended us his forearms. "My hands are very dirty, I'm sorry," he said, with a sincerely apologetic look on his face. I've witnessed this gesture throughout Latin America when hardworking people don't want you to come away from your encounter feeling like you got "contaminated" by touching them, and it really is a heartfelt gesture. Whereas most Americans would decline the offer to shake hands and explain how dirty their hands are, Latinos would feel the need to extend a cleaner part of their arm for you to "shake," indicating the importance of the physical contact, the touch. And here was Canut, doing the same thing, and I was deeply touched by his sincerity.

"Oh, no, you don't understand," I said. "This is truly an honor for me to meet you," and I grasped his wrist with my left hand, opened his fist with my right, grasped his hand and we shook. Canut seemed genuinely grateful for the expression, blinked a couple of times, and went ahead and shook hands with Suzanne. He then said, "And how's it going for you both? Good?" ("¿Y como les va a ustedes? ¿Bien?") We chatted with him a while longer, and offered him our best wishes for the concert the following day. I was completely overwhelmed by the kind and gentle spirit he exuded. Jumping forward to the night after the concert, by the way, I watched from a distance as an admiring fan was shaking hands with Canut, and he was acknowledging the thanks. The gentleman, Bill McKinney from Scottsdale, bent over and kissed Canut's hand. Not to be outdone, Canut immediately bent over and kissed his adoring fan's hand as well. He is truly a kind and considerate soul who does not hold himself above anybody else, and this is a wonderful thing to see in these 90's!

I was on Cloud Nine! Suzanne and I were so blasted happy we'd gotten a chance to meet them, we could easily have been described as huge smiles and nothing else. But as we walked around more, we next ran into Tonino and Nicolas, sitting at the counter at one of the restaurants, Mr. Lucky's, right off the casino. We went up to them and mentioned our plans to find the latin dancing. Tonino and Nicolas were BOTH smoking like trains, contrary to those who've thought Nic quit smoking. I said to Tonino, "You know, people call you 'El Maestro,' and you know why that is, don't you?" He responded that he did, with a very slight smile and sideways glance indicating some sense of shyness or humility. Again, I was blown away. We later pulled his hand towards us to look at his fingernails, and found that they're quite short. He told us that they're really his own. His 3rd finger (4th from the thumb) has the longest fingernail of all, and a closeup of his guitar work shows that he in fact uses that finger quite a bit. Andre's fingernails, on the other hand, are longer and fiberglass. I asked Tonino if he uses his fingernails or plays with the pads of his fingers, and he said he mostly uses the fingertips, which explains the shortness of the nails. Small gentle hands, on both Tonino and Andre.

My gosh, later that evening we walked on, and were directed by some of the other listmembers to Pacheco, the percussionist, and Negrito, the drummer. I first went up to meet Pacheco, and was again blown away by the kindness! Pacheco seemed quite eager to talk, as did Negrito, and we probably spent over a half hour with each of them. Pacheco told me he lives in Paris, where his wife is a physician in general practice. He has children, and misses them dearly when they travel. I asked him how often he called home, and he said "every day!" Pacheco is originally from Columbia, and played soccer either professionally or close to it--the details escape me at the moment. But, as he pointed out, the music was in his blood, and he simply wasn't happy pursuing any other career. He told me his abilities with his percussion instruments are all natural, talents or gifts in a sense, that he is very grateful for. As he said, "No podría vivir sin la música," or "I could not live without the music." Amen! Incidentally, I asked him if what Michael said about learning Spanish from him was true, and he confirmed what I'd heard earlier.

Negrito is another wonderful soul as well! Originally from Uruguay, he also lives in Paris. He told me he is part French, and has apparently always spoken the language. His mannerisms are totally polite and sincere, and he even remembered me by name the next day, after the concert. We spoke of the magic that is created by the band, and he told me he is so impressed at the acceptance of the music in America. I asked him what he thought about leaving his family back home to travel abroad for so long, and he said it was extremely difficult, but it was part of the job. He and Pacheco said the group would be going back to France at the end of the Western leg of the tour to complete their upcoming CD, which they thought would be released late July or August. They said the CD has to be finished before they can return to the US to complete the tour.

The only Reyes brother we hadn't met up to that point was Patchai, who was conspicuously absent until he appeared at a roulette table later with Andre. When we found him there, we again waited for an opportune moment to say hello, and when we found it, I was yet again blown over by the kindness and completely polite manner he showed us. With a posture I can only describe as one of deference, he bowed his head and smiled, and I found myself unbelievably shaking his hand as well. He said "gracias" so many times I felt like I was the one being thanked, not him, despite my every effort to indicate our feelings toward him and the band. Later, the next day after the concert, he again acknowledged our presence, or more particularly Suzanne's, by stopping a few feet away from her, extending both arms with his open palms facing upward, and smiling while he nodded his head, as if to say, "there you are!"

Nicolas Reyes was about the only one we didn't spend much time with the first day, but we were able to catch up to him after the concert, when I translated for Olga McKinney, who had brought some gifts for his grandchildren. Nicolas didn't understand much of what Olga was telling him, but his tactic of smiling and nodding his head instantly endeared us to him as well. His raspy voice has been described elsewhere as "sandpaper and honey," and it was the same that evening. Inside his shirt pocket, by the way--a black T-shirt with the sleeves either rolled up partway or just being shorter in the cut--was a pack of red and white Marlboros. After graciously accepting the gifts, he went on his way but reappeared later around Andre and Tonino, when we got a chance to talk to them more.

Andre's a charmer, in case anybody hadn't either heard or figured that out yet. We ended up at his side for quite a while after the concert, and on our first meeting, he recognized Suzanne and came up to give her a hug. Big hug. And to kiss her hand. And to hold on to her just a bit too long. But as the adoring husband that I am, and the dedicated wife that Suzanne is, we were happy to be there to talk with them. Later, a couple of other lady-fans encountered Andre, and after they talked to him for a while, he turned over to me and said, "Ya me voy. Ellas quieren ver a Patchai," (I'm going now. They want to see Patchai) to which I replied, "Pues, ten cuidado, hombre!" (Well, take care, man!) I meant for him to be a bit careful with the women, of course, since he hadn't known these two for more than twenty minutes.

While we were mingling after the concert, Andre and Tonino saw that Patchai's son was joining them, and they introduced him to us, although they called him "Titi," undoubtedly his nickname. Titi is the tallest one of the bunch, and has to be about 6 feet, 1 or 2 inches. They told me he is also a guitarist, and I asked him when he was going to start playing with the band. I've seen by now from somebody else's post that he in fact played either in Reno or at one of the northern California venues.

We also met Gerard for a moment, but were hampered by his not being able to speak Spanish. I was very surprised by then, as I had been conversing right and left with the band members in Spanish. Gerard's "no" to the question of "¿hablas español?" left me in a lurch until I thought to say "fantástico, magnífico," and we went on our way.

And now I'm back in Flagstaff with a host of memories about the time we were able to spend with the Gipsy Kings in Las Vegas. I am so amazed at their attitude of graciousness, of grattitude for their fans, and of true humility that I can say in all honesty that they've won my admiration on even deeper levels. Suzanne and I have gone over and over and over the events, the moments, the meetings, the kind words and gestures, and can feel so much more connected to their music. "A Tu Vera," and "la Montaña" never sounded so good as they did on the way back from Vegas. I sincerely hope I haven't been too long winded or boring here, as all I've tried to do is my very best in recalling the feel of it all, the mood, the uniqueness of our adventure.

And we do indeed feel it is truly remarkable that a band can exist like this in the 1990's: a band whose music crosses generations and eons, a band whose members recall their humble beginnings, a band who as a group are both family and friends, and who even now extend the goodness of their music to the goodness of their very own selves.

God bless the Gipsy Kings, and may we each be blessed to have the ears to hear and the hearts to feel what is so rich about this music we call Gipsy Rumba Flamenco!

--Rob Rivera--
Flagstaff, AZ

Yikes! I realized I didn't mention our meeting with Georges in the casino. We didn't run into him until after the concert, and didn't talk much to him, actually. I called him "Jorge" and he responded quickly enough with a grin and a handshake. At that point we were busy talking to Tonino about his fingernails.

Didn't mean to slight Georges at all!

--Rob--


After the concert, I managed to snag a copy of the playlist that was taped to the stage floor (thank you, Mr. Payabimbo bouncer!) and I got all of the group, including the back up band, to sign it. What a thrill! After crying and moaning before (and after!) that I was the only one who had not yet met even one band member, I was overwhelmed when all of a sudden, they were all right there in the casino!

All of the GK were very nice, very patient with us (as well as with some very bizarre "groupies"... not from our group, thank heavens!) and willing to give autographs, pictures, and even chat with us. I was probably most impressed by how short they are. I have a couple of pictures of myself with Tonino, Andre, and Pacheco, and they are only a few inches taller than I am, and I'm only 5'1"!

Can't wait for my next concert here in Dallas in 4 days!

Karen in Dallas- Asturiana, Cubana, Tejana


Ran into Nicolas in the casino and asked him to sign my picture of him from last year. He gave me a big hug and kiss! Indeed...a cuddly bear! Warm and affectionate! A real sweetheart! I asked him when the new album is coming out and he said in October.

I enjoyed swimmimg in the lagoon pool surrounded by the Gipsy Kings. Patchai was nice enough to give me his float after he left the pool. While I was in the pool I enjoyed talking to Georgia, Victoria, Marty, Jasmyn, Karen, Pam, Cathy and Juliet who were nearby. What more could I want?? I was in Gipsy Kings heaven!

Got a lot of compliments on my beautiful silver sequin dress that my mom made especially for the GK concert! Also wore a beautiful amethyst necklace and earring set from Brazil. It was wonderful to get pictures of the band, listmembers, etc. And..of course with cuddly bear..Nicolas!! What a sweet!! What band actually meets with the fans after a concert performance?? They are so warm, personable, and friendly!

A group of us had a Great GK B'day celebration for Lauren. Lauren had the BEST Birthday ever! What a treat to see a Gipsy Kings concert on your B'day! Lauren was able to get the Gipsy Kings to sign her banner! What a lifetime treasure to cherish forever! We all had a wonderful time!

Other adventures.... Driving Juliet and Georgia to the airport. Little did anyone know that Juliet was fortunate to be on the same flight as the Gipsy Kings were on flying to Reno! Canut bought a pink shaggy puppet at the airport & was signing Montana to his fellow passengers while waiting to the flight to board. The entire band waved bye to Georgia and I while boarding the flight. We watched till the plane took off to Reno!! When I talked to Juliet on the phone. She said that the GK were sitting 3 rows in front of her. Wow!! I wish I was on that flight!! What a treat!!

Love and Kisses
Glitz Glamour Las Vegas!
Lydia


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