San Antonio “Blood In Blood Out” fans who missed Damian Chapa and Victor Rivers’ appearance at Traders Village last weekend might want to plan a road trip to Laredo.
The Official La Onda Page, which bills itself as the official Facebook page for the 30th anniversary tour of the classic Chicano movie, has announced a big event Sept. 9 at the Casablanca Event Center in Laredo. Tickets go on sale next week. The event will include music, exclusive video, VIP experiences, contests and meet-and-greets with the film’s stars.
The following month, Chapa will be back in San Antonio as a guest of the Big Texas Comicon, which runs Oct. 6-8 at the Convention Center.
“Blood In Blood Out” follows three young gang members in East Los Angeles whose lives follow divergent paths as adults — Miklo (Chapa) goes to prison, Paco (Benjamin Bratt) becomes a cop, and Cruz (Jesse Borrego) becomes an artist. San Antonio artist Adán Hernandez, who died in 2021, created the artwork in the film.
The film, initially released as “Bound by Honor,” didn’t do well at the box office initially, but became a cult favorite on home video.
More Damian Chapa: ‘Blood In Blood Out’ star talks about die-hard fans of the movie
This has been a great summer for area fans of the film. In addition to last weekend’s event, Chapa did a meet-and-greet at New Braunfels Tortilleria in June. And the film kicked off CineFestival, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center’s annual film festival, in July. More than 400 people braved the heat for the outdoor screening at Plaza Guadalupe, which was hosted by Borrego, a native San Antonian.
Fans are posting images from last weekend’s meet-and-greet online, including a handful of photos on La Onda.
Manuel Burciago wrote, “Line was long, but worth it.”
Tristen Rodriguez shared a photo with the two actors, as well as a some artwork depicting Chapa’s character flashing a gang sign. The post read, “He loved my art. Hopefully I’ll see him again in October when we’re at Big Texas Comiccon.”
There also is a short video of Chapa signing a jacket then hoisting it up so folks can see it and reciting one of his most famous lines from the movie: “Vatos Locos forever!”