This was a wonderful first concert to see at the imfamous Hollywood Bowl. Finding our seats took just a few moments, no difficulties at all. The stage was just a few hundred feet in front of us, so we weren’t in the very front but we were close enough to see all of the excitement.
One of the more surprising activities to do before the program begins is to eat food. And I don’t mean going to the concession stand and buying the usual hotdog and soda. Going to the Hollywood Bowl is somewhat of a ritual for the LA regular joe or jane. He or she knows that when you go the Bowl for a concert, you pack yourself and your friend(s) a picnic basket full of goodies to be shared after you find your seats.
I ended up being shuttled from one of many parking lots in Universal City. Round trip fare was $3, which is minimal compared to the lots adjacent and housed by the Bowl costing you a heavy $10-20 fee. I highly recommend taking the shuttle in the future because it’s a no hassle way to go to the Bowl and it runs as early as two and a half hours before show starts, plenty of time for you to get there, find your seats and enjoy your meal.
The venue itself is huge. I always imagined there being seats in the very front and a big open hilltop in the back. To my surprise, there were seats in the front and wooden benches spanning the rest of the way to the top. The stage looks exactly like it was drawn in the old Bugs Bunny cartoons. And the view of the stage from our seats is exactly as you see it in the photo above; very clear and easy to see.
The evening started out with the orchestra performing a few classical/folk pieces from Leonard Bernstein and Charles Ives. The first selection, Overture to Candide, was particularly exciting to hear because I performed that piece in high school! It was so easy for me to recall and hear all the melodies I once knew and practiced over and over so many years ago. Just for a moment, I missed playing in the orchestra or band. Maybe someday I’ll have a desire to pick it back up and perform once again.
The last half of the evening was spent with the feature performers Nickel Creek. I was so happy to hear all of the familiar tunes almost immediately as they improved a few familiar songs and performed almost perfect reproductions of their other songs. It was very interesting comparing what they did on stage to what I’ve heard over and over from their CD. I now realize how much production and really awesome mixing was done with the CDs. Their live performances were great but, to me, a different kind of flavor than what you hear on the CD tracks.
I realize that if I had decided to see this group at a local club, a smaller venue, I believe it would have been much more personal and lively. The three of them (and their bassist) looked so small being on such a huge stage by themselves for most of their set. For the last few songs, the LA Philharmonica Orchestra backed them up. It was really interesting hearing the songs with an orchestra and I know the three of them were having a blast! At least, if it were me up there and an orchestra behind me, I’d be eating it up!
Great night, wonderful music, very nice company, definitely worth my time and money. Hope that there are more evenings to be spent this way in the near future!