Bonn, about 130 km from us was the location Manitas was announced for 20:00. 
But around 4:30 we has been there,
and saw the last act of installing microphones a. s. o. Then soundcheck started  -  
but it was not a soundcheck as usual, it was a rhumba fiesta !




"soundcheck"





Antonio and Chico Batista started to play for about one hour - finest rumbas, La Rhumba de 
Nicolas, Hotel California, some Blues mixed with  rhumba rythm ( !!! ) - fabulous !!! than real 
soundcheck started, will say that now they tested the 8 - 10  microphones.  No more seats to 
get in the "open-air" cafes around the marketplace.





Antonio Baliardo




Chico Batista



We had than some handshakes with Antonio, Chico an Roland Hofmann, the manager of 
Manitas. Roland told us, that he is now on the good way with a distributor for the Manitas 
CD - worldwide and the best at this part of the story is, it's a distributor I sent the address 
to Roland  :-)))))))))))))) 

So far that. 
20:00 the marketplace was full, totally closed by people coming to see Manitas, the 
organisators told that 4000 visitors has been there !!
First Antonio and Chico appeared, starting with some fine rhumbas. The first event came 
with Manero, an excellent singer, cantaor even, and he had a lot of scene-ovations. 
20:24 the King came, Manitas him self, as usual he started his fireworks on the guitar each 
song followed by lots of applause  and calling for more- what he did :-))












Manitas de Plata



Then followed a Bamboleo, only Antonio and Chico, 2 guitars, 2 voices, but it was like a fiesta 
- they stopped singing, and the people followed up with singing and clapping.






Manero









Chico Batista



A break followed and I had the time to smoke some cigarets and a situation followed, where the 
spectators around us has been a bit irritated: Antonio came down to us, asked me laughing if 
I have all on video ( he could see us from the stage ) what I agreed and I saw he was very 
happy. He asked me to send a copy to Manitas and to him self, we have  to meet them after 
the concert, the second invitation this evening beside Roland Hoffmann.
The second set started as the first - but as Manitas appeard, he and Manero performed some 
very fine fandangos singing about his relationship to Manitas well known in the world and its 
"me Papa"  - standing ovations, a proud Manitas, Manitas is well known too for his rhumbas 
what he demonstrated and with Manero and all together, Manitas even danced a little Flamenco 
before taking the guitar in his hands. And how he took it in his hands - great. 







21:45 the concert finished with more than happy spectators - and very tired musicians.
We went to put the camera in the car, and in the meantime Antonio searched us, as we heard 
coming back, the same spectators told us that "one of the singers searched" us - you saw 
their irritations and the questions in their faces - but the didn't ask anything :-)
We had a lot to tell, and I gave Manitas a self-burned CD as the promised gift 
( LSMDLM live 1996/1997 ) the sounds from my video with his nephews singing and playing.
I asked Manero who played with him on the MC I own and I took with me for that reason.
His brother Fernando, his son Philipe and the now dead :-(( son of Chico Batista. After the 
exchange of addresses we left the round as we saw they were very tired and we had still 
some kilometers before us.
So finished a very impressing day for Silke and me.