Blogocentric Formulations

Getting High at The Hollywood Bowl

Saturday night, my wife and I went to a concert at The Hollywood Bowl. Sarah McLachlan performed with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and it was incredible. The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra began with some selected classical pieces, then Sarah performed several of her songs, the Orchestra did a few more pieces, and Sarah closed out the show with some more of her songs. It was an incredible night of music; hearing popular songs with the backing of a full orchestra was quite a treat.

What particularly impressed my wife and I was how classy the whole affair was. It was more akin to a classical concert at a music hall than a rock concert at an amphitheater. We were much younger than the median audience age, and the program had a feeling of sophistication and elegance.

And yet that still didn't stop someone in the vicinity of our seats from lighting a joint and reeking of marijuana for the entire second half of the concert. Really? During Sarah McLachlan and an orchestral performance? I mean, it's not like we're watching Kid Rock or something. Could you imagine someone getting high during a symphony at Carnegie Hall? (Please don't answer that if you have... I want to preserve my fond memories of New York. )

I have to admit that Sarah McLachlan isn't my favorite artist... but the concert was excellent. She's an amazing performer live, and the full orchestra backing her was a real treat. In fact, the only bad thing about the whole evening was the parking. The Hollywood Bowl has stall-style parking, where rows and rows of cars park bumper-to-bumper in a line easily 50 cars deep. Which means that you're not going anywhere until all the cars can leave together. We spent 40 minutes waiting because one car was still parked in our lane and we couldn't get out until they came back.

Fortunately, there's a Park & Ride program that allows us to get a shuttle at any of a dozen locations (including one twenty minutes from our apartment), and it's only $5. Seems like a better deal than paying $16 to park and have to wait until thousands of people collectively decide to leave together.

All in all, though, it was a wonderful concert. The Hollywood Bowl actually allows you to bring food in, and several people around us brought picnics with them. There are quite a few good shows coming up, including John Williams conducting some of his Academy Award-winning scores, Blues night, and Moulin Rouge night (with fireworks) to close the summer concert series. We'll definitely be going again.