Beyoncé's Formation Tour At Dodger Stadium - Seriously Slayed

I have never been a member of the BeyHive, but after seeing Beyoncé live for the first time last night at Dodger Stadium, I think I might be in there. Destiny's Child was never my thing, and I've had a bit of a chip on my shoulder for Beyoncé for her past instances of trying (TRYING) to upstage Prince (See that one Grammys. See surprise dropping her Lemonade album like a day after Prince died. Please.), but I went because you should see everyone once, right? I even felt bad because I know how many people out there LOVE her and would have sold their souls to go. So, I adjusted my attitude and went. And I'm so glad I did. WOW.

The traffic getting to Dodger Stadium was so bad I don't even know if I'd attend a show there again. Like people were getting out of their Übers and walking the rest of the way it was so bad. We left before 7 and didn't park until shortly before 9. Then had like 5 miles of parking lot to walk, which seemed tough for the many men in drag that showed up. Once inside and in the eternally long bathroom line, the stadium went dark and everyone lost their ever loving minds at the beginning of "Formation". I've never heard such screaming from grown women - and men. This show is a SPECTACLE. Skyscraper-height video screens. Fireworks. Regular fire. Aerial artists. An army of dancers. And Beyoncé.

What an impressive woman. I got into it pretty early, as I'm always down for badass women, and Beyoncé is taking names. She is a Boss. She is Fierce. She really is all of those things. As I watched her perform flawlessly- and look like she was having a blast doing it - smiling and tossing her giant mane around, I finally got it. But I was still thinking wow, that's a pretty big ego right there. The whole production is very, very self-aggrandizing ... I mean, she calls herself The Queen. OK.

But then it was time for yet another (amazing) costume change, and the lights went out. except for a giant blank purple screen. The opening chords for "Purple Rain" began, and the entire Dodger Stadium lit up and sang along for Prince's recorded version. I will admit that I have now cried at a Beyoncé concert. It was extremely moving, and also very classy, that she would concede the stage to the memory of Prince, and not even try to sing it herself. I finally got a big public memorial moment. That did the trick. I'm a fan.

By the time Beyoncé and her dancers stomped around on the water stage for "Freedom" ... I was strongly considering getting copycat braids and strutting around with a fur coat and baseball bat every day. It really was an incredible show. Standing there dripping wet, singing and dancing her heart out, it's hard not to appreciate the absolute ALL that this entertainer gives it.

"This is LIFE!" yelled the total superfan sitting next to me, and while I think there might be a bit more to it, I can agree that it was a pretty cool part of it.

Thanks, Beyoncé! Love, A freshly converted Fan

Clothing Optional

I passed this vehicle while walking down Venice Boulevard, and while it was super tempting ...

... I left 'em on. This time.

This reminds me of the days when surfers and beach bums parked up and down the coast, having fun parking/crashing close to where the waves were good, and nobody cared. Freedom. The Wild West. The Golden State. Good Vibrations. Simpler times. Clothing optional.

Jeff Lynne's ELO Live With The L.A. Philharmonic - Roll Over Beethoven!

Jeff Lynne's ELO and the L.A. Philharmonic just shared a three night stand at the Hollywood Bowl and those shows were something to behold. The truly nightmarish Friday night traffic (Thanks, Vice President Biden!) came close to road rage inducing, but the show served as an excellent balm to frazzled nerves once inside the Bowl. We were late, but we were not alone, as hundreds of people were pouring in still behind us. The Bowl staff holds you from your seats until there's a break in the music, so we missed the National Anthem and the first orchestral selection, but it sounded lovely from the concourse.

Once settled in to our seats, the pastoral sounds of a Vaughn Williams March, "Seventeen Come Sunday from English Folk Song Suite played beautifully by the L.A. Phil (conducted by cool cat Thomas Wilkins), instantly relaxed the vibe. It helped that the entire Bowl was a light show, so all senses were fully alert and stimulated. It was awesome right from the beginning, and only got better as the night progressed. Wilkins has a great way with explaining classical music, and a sharp wit, so you look forward to his commentary as much as the music. "You an almost smell the fresh air of the English countryside," said Wilkins, and he was not wrong. that led into two pieces from Sir Edward Elgar, the first being "Nimrod" from his Enigma Variations. It was written for his best friend, and as Wilkins described it, was "Music inspired from true love." You could absolutely feel it.

As the gorgeous sounds swirled around us, so too did all kinds of lasers and prisms and spaceships not only on the jumbo screen, but projected on to the actual Bowl bandshell as well. It felt like we were actually WITHIN the music, and it was excellent. When they closed the first part of the show out with Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March No. 4 in G, Wilkins said it was not only one of the most beloved works in England, but in all music - and it was clear to see why. It was so transcendently beautiful that even Wilkins raised his firsts in triumph at its conclusion. What a joy.

Intermission was fun as we met and chatted with our very cool box mates and people around, all of whom were thrilled to be getting to see ELO after like 30 years since they've played the U.S.  When Jeff Lynne and the current line-up of his ELO came out with the L.A. Philharmonic players, the place just went nuts. They lit right into "Evil Woman", stoking everybody in there, but none more than the man a few rows in front of us who turned into a dancing machine the moment it began. He was almost as entertaining as the very trippy light show, and that's saying a lot. I've never done acid, but I kind of felt like I had when watching this light extravaganza.

I was also having strong childhood AM radio memories, as all of these ELO songs were hits from back in the day. "All Over The World" featured a world map of lights - and more strong dancing from the Dancing Man, who at this point jogged up the aisle and bumped fists with us all. STOKED. I was happy for him, and maybe a bit jealous that I didn't share his dancing nerve. Lynne addressed the crowd (with his sunglasses at night), saying it was his first time ever playing the Bowl, and that it was beautiful and marvelous. He was fully correct. Before jumping into "Love and Rain", Lynne introduced his daughter Laura, who was performing with him on backup vocals. It was sweet, because you could tell she wasn't all that into being thrust into the spotlight, and also tell how proud he was to be doing it. "She's a lovely girl, and she sings good too!" Dads.

"Livin' Thing" was a real highlight, as it was clear it was many in the crowd's favorite song - but then that was a phrase I kept hearing throughout the show, so there were many highlights for many people. Everyone was up and dancing, and it really was as magic as the lyrics imply. The screen turned into a lava lamp-like projection for "When I Was A Boy", and I thought how awfully similar Lynne sounds to Paul McCartney at times, but especially on this one. "Don't wanna work, just wanna play my guitar instead" probably inspired many young boys, like the one that was now all the way grown and shouting, "YEAH JEFF!" the moment it was quiet. I get it.

A woman sang an operatic aria to open "Rockaria" and the Orchestra really shone on this one too (as they did on every single moment, to be fair. They're incredible!). "This is my favorite song!" chimed in my friend in my box for the opening chords of "10538 Overture" that also featured virtuoso playing from Orchestras, both electric and regular. SO good. "Can't Get It Out Of My Head" was extra dreamy, probably made more so by the pretty much required and massive clouds of ganja floating overhead. There were all these new prism like lasers flying around and when I mentioned that I'd never seen those light show things, the guy next to me said, "Oh, that's just you, I don't see anything" - just to mess with me. Which was appreciated.

"Shine A Little Love" turned the Bowl into a complete Disco dance party, and the ushers pretty much gave up hope of keeping people out of the aisles, as a LOT of love was being shone. "Wild West Hero" might have been my favorite, as it was accompanied by stunning visuals on the screen, and wonderful a cappella harmonies. It was super inspiring, and made me and everyone else really, really want to be wild west heroes. Of course. Lynne introduced his longtime piano player, Richard Tandy (who also shone on a voice box ala Peter Frampton!), but left the introductions of the rest of the players up to his band leader (it must rotate fairly often). They resumed with "Telephone Line", and it was here that I noted that the entire show was a veritable feast for every sense, with all the music and lights and fresh air, and wonderful food for the belly as well. The Bowl is the best and that's just that.

The classic rocker "Turn To Stone" was rad (as were the asteroid field visuals), and "Sweet Talkin' Woman" was equally great, but the place REALLY went off for "Don't Bring Me Down" which changed my mind and was now my favorite (my notes say "Everyone LOVING it!"). "Mr. Blue Sky" was equally joyous, maybe even more so. The band took a triumphant bow with Wilkins after this one, and they all turned their backs to the audience to get a selfie with us in the background. I'd like to see it, because everyone must have looked SO happy.

Everyone came back for the Fireworks Finale, that really was spectacular. "Roll Over Beethoven" was the selection, and the Orchestra began with the very serious/famous tones of Beethoven's 5th, then the ELO came in with the rock, and had there been a roof, it would have been obliterated off at this point. The Fireworks burst in the air above the Bowl, the screens were full of spinning records and more trippy lights and the crowd was absolutely thrilled. All the players were working so hard that I thought to myself how weird it must be to not be seeing how very cool it all looked above and around them. As the last notes rang out, the performers were met with such an ovation that their ears are probably still ringing today (especially after two more nights of this!). It was simply wonderful, and I didn't even know how much of a fan I was until I experienced this show.

Another fantastic show at the incredible treasure that is the Hollywood Bowl. Many thanks to all involved in creating a unforgettable night of music and spectacle. ELO!!! Awesome.


* Photos courtesy of The Hollywood Bowl and Matthew Imaging.

Blogtown Is Seven Today!

WHOA. I just realized that Blogtown turned seven years old today!

That's an awful lot of stories (807 so far, to be exact), and I've loved writing every single one. Thank you to anyone who has ever read anything I've ever written ... it truly means so much to me.

CHEERS! And may the good times continue to roll ... !!

Say NO To The Abbot Kinney Hotel - Please Sign The Petition TODAY!

UPDATE!

In another shady Developer move, the hearing for this project was rescheduled in the 11th hour, and will now be held on SEPTEMBER 22! PLEASE keep the petition going until then, and I sure hope you're not there right now, all mad and disappointed. Mark the 22nd and continue to Fight The Power! Thank you.

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Man. I thought the proposed hotel for Abbot Kinney Boulevard stupid project had gone away (read about the original story in 2013 HERE), but it's rearing its head again, and there will be a meeting to oppose it tomorrow. Ugh.

It's hard for a lot of people to make it as it's during the day and there's that work thing, but if you can't attend, PLEASE PLEASE sign this petition TODAY to make your voice heard.

https://www.change.org/p/mike-bonin-stop-the-venice-place-hotel?recruiter=7562865&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-reason_msg

PLEASE. The petition tells you all about how dumb and not well thought out the plan is, and how poorly it will affect the surrounding neighborhoods. The school across the street. The already way too narrow Electric Avenue. The traffic on Abbot Kinney already making it hard for bikers and skaters in a biker skater town. The even more douchebags it will bring to our streets. It's just dumb, greedy, gentrifying b.s. and no one that has any idea of how great Venice is/was before the selfishness came in could possibly be for this mess.

So please don't let it happen. Sign this TODAY or attend the meeting TOMORROW.

Thank you, Venice! Let's keep it real.

John Williams Live At The Hollywood Bowl!

Composer John Williams is known as the "Maestro of the Movies", so it was fitting that he conducted the L.A. Philharmonic in a celebration of film music for three nights at the Hollywood Bowl this Labor Day weekend. Williams has been nominated 50 (!) times for the Academy Award and his compositions for such classic films as all of the Star Wars films, E.T., Jaws ... are some of the most iconic scores of all time.

It was a perfect night out as the audience filed into the Bowl with their picnics ... and it appeared as though nearly everyone in the crowd was carrying a light-up light saber with which to conduct from their seats. Some took it even further, showing up in full Jedi costume, letting you know what they were really there for.

The first half of the program was to be conducted by David Newman, of the illustrious Newman film composing clan. He came out to conduct the Star Spangled Banner, and I can report that I believe all of us stood up for it - and even felt a bit choked up over it (at least I did). From there it was a pure celebration of cinema, specifically a salute to films from Paramount Pictures. As the orchestra began the suite from Forrest Gump, a montage played on the big screen above, serving as a reminder of everything that we love about the movies. Classic clips were met with laughter, sighs of recognition, and if you were the charming little boy sharing my box, constant oohs and ahhs over the wonder of it all. It was seriously great. We got a suite from Sunset Boulevard with the overly campy clips from that black and white gem, the theme from Sabrina, North By Northwest, and one Newman said he was sure we'd recognize, that turned out to be themes from The Godfather, that everyone ate up. As you watched the screen, you really forgot that you were listening to a live orchestra playing, so perfectly synched were they with the clips. It's real impressive.

Newman is a good storyteller as well, and explained how music for film  is truly an art form, as you try to help tell the story with music vertically, while the visual is horizontal, and that it really is a collaboration with the film itself. It was interesting, but more than anything it made me want to see every one of the films shown all over again. Newman had nothing but the highest praise for John Williams, and spoke to what an honor it was to share the stage with him, before launching into his final piece for the night, the opening sequence from Star Trek: Into Darkness, with the scenes from the film playing above. I'd never seen that show, and this made me want to. I was happy to realize that I'm starting to know the faces of various orchestra members, which makes me happy. These people have made their careers at something that most of us dropped after high school, and I'm endlessly impressed with each of them. As they took their bows, Newman shouted, "Bravo to John Williams!", and conceded that stage to him to take over after intermission.

The INSTANT the lights went down again, all of the multi-colored light sabers came out and it was magical (but I can't show you due to the Bowl's very strict photo/video policy. Sorry. Check out Youtube.) It felt exciting ... and it was. A massive ovation spread across the Bowl as Williams strode on to the stage, with the entire place showing their reverence. Williams thanked everyone for being with him at "the Summer home of the L.A. Philharmonic", thanked Newman, and told everyone how Newman's father, Alfred, had given him his first gig as a piano player for his first film, South Pacific, in 1954 - the year the younger Newman was born. Full circle.

Williams and the orchestra kicked things off with the "Flight To Neverland" from Hook, followed by the suite from his latest Spielberg collaboration BFG. Both were met with great applause, but nothing like what was to come. By way of introducing the Star Wars portion of the night, Williams cracked, "Many of you will have seen this film ...", bringing much laughter as these fans had their hearts vividly on their sleeves. The big screen filled with images from the films, and the place just went nuts, as all conducted along with Williams with their giant glow sticks.

All the most memorable pieces were played, from the Jedi anthems to the Imperial March. Williams revealed that on the first film he didn't know there would be others, so initially thought Luke and Leia would end up as lovers - not brother and sister - and composed it as such, with a kind of hot climax. It still worked, obviously. He also shared that he had just signed on to compose the next film in the series, as he had become "smitten" with the character of Rey, and couldn't imagine anyone else creating music for her. "Rey's Theme" is beautiful, and flowed wonderfully into the "Throne Room" and "Finale" pieces. When the last notes of the finale rang out, people lost it. Clapping, whistling, hollering, begging for more. Some members of the orchestra how had light sabers that they waved back, and Williams waved back along in time.

Williams left the stage, only to return for the Harry Potter theme. Then left again and came back for the theme from Superman. Then left again and returned for the theme from E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, which nearly killed everyone with happiness. The crowd would not let Williams go. He left the stage again, and we all thought it would probably be for Jaws when he returned, but he made the international hands together with cheek resting on them sideways symbol for "I'm going to sleep".

We'd already been given so much that that was o.k. The charming little boy sharing our box had made it through the entire show without falling asleep, and when I turned to ask him how he's liked it, he said, "Wasn't it beautiful?!" I could not have agreed more, about the night and about the fact that a young boy had been so moved by music and film - and probably light sabers. I added that I liked his little bow tie, and he said, "I'm fancy on the outside, and awesome on the inside!" ... again, kind of like the night, and orchestral music in general. It feels fancy and proper and grown up, but how it makes you feel on the inside is exactly that word - Awesome.

Thank you to John Williams, David Newman, the L.A. Philharmonic, and the wonderful Hollywood Bowl, for another magical night under - and among - the stars.

*Photo courtesy of John Williams

The End Of Summer In The Endless Summer

Lots of people think there are no seasons here in Southern California, but they're wrong. I can already feel the shift into Autumn, both in the changes of the light and the temperature. There is a new crispness to the air, and a more golden, lower light.

This precious time of Indian Summer, when the tourists leave and the days stay warm for a while longer are just about the best time to live here. It's always poignant to face the end of another Summer, even in a place where it at least looks like Summer all of the time. I come from Minnesota, so I know the weight of Autumn approaching, and Winter looming. I came across this quote from Yoko Ono, and thought it was pretty perfect for now ...

Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence.

Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance. 

Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence. 

Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance. 

Yes. And all of them are great in their own ways. Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone, as we all create new end of Summer memories - with exuberance!