Cabo Kibosh

“Our work permits weren’t in order when we arrived, and we were held in immigration most of the day Thursday and all day Friday,” says Scott Stephens of San Diego–based dance band Liquid Blue, which was booked last month to play Cabo Wabo Cantina, the Mexican bar founded in 1990 by Sammy Hagar. “We had three shows booked, including Cabo Wabo on Friday night and a private show on Saturday.”

Despite holding a Guinness World Record for performing in the most countries (over 100 and counting), it looked as if Mexican authorities would put the kibosh on Cabo. “Our Thursday night show was canceled, and we were told by immigration officials that we wouldn’t be allowed to perform any of the shows. We spent eight hours sitting in the immigration office Friday. At about 7 p.m., as officials were leaving — and asking us to leave — one of them recognized us from a show we did in Tijuana last year.

“I don’t know what he said to the others, but suddenly the head guy came out and said we could play the shows. Then they were all watching our video and asking us to reserve a table at the Cabo Wabo show that night.”

The gig still looked iffy, however, as their sound check was supposed to be at 5 p.m. “The owners of Cabo Wabo had spent much of the day with us at immigration, but they left at 4 p.m., saying there’s no way we’d be able to do the show that night. We contacted them, and they were blown away that things had worked out. So we performed without a sound check, pumped up with copious amounts of the house tequila. The entire immigration staff showed up, and they partied with us after the set.”

Liquid Blue will perform in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia this month, before returning to San Diego to play the Las Patronas Jewel Ball at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club on Saturday, August 6.