Hollywood Bowl

The hills are alive with the sound of music this summer – all summer long – if it’s the Hollywood Hills. From perches on high it is possible to gaze down into the twilight tableau of the Hollywood Bowl and hear echoes of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in action.

But most people enjoy the moment from the 18,000 seats and the bleachers that stretch far enough and high enough to get good views but remain close enough to get the fabulous acoustic effects of the iconic half shell staging the world’s greatest musical talents that do, eventually, come this way.

The Hollywood Bowl is almost as old as Hollywood herself. The bowl opened in July 1922 and has never looked back. Since that time it has made entertainment history again and again, hosting such conductors as Leonard Bernstein and making history with names: Sinatra, Pavarotti, Streisand, Stravinsky, Heifetz – even F.D.R., The Beatles, Fonteyn and Nureyev, Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald, Simon and Garfunkel, and Abbott and Costello have put their signatures on the stage. From Baryshnikov to Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, and Judy Garland, headliners at the Bowl have made their mark. But the all-time paid-attendance record of 26,410 was set on August 7, 1936, for a performance by the diminutive French opera star, Lily Pons.

Today, the Bowl still brings the stars and keeps the talent eclectic with top Mariachi performers one day, Broadway musical sing-along’s the next and an all-Gershwin extravaganza the next. It all happens under the stars as sunset turns to twilight, to dusk and then nightfall. And you get fireworks with that – a Bowl tradition since 1969 and not just on the Fourth of July. This year the pyrotechnics let loose on July 16 and 17 with a medley Warner Bros faves themed “Bugs Bunny at the Symphony.” Similarly, August 20 and 21 brings a Tchaikovsky Spectacular with fireworks, September 3 and 4 combines fiery fanfare with music by Earth, Wind and Fire, and September 10-12 brings the Fireworks Finale and a performance by Pink Martini. 

Other standouts include Gustavo Dudamel conducting Bizet’s Carmen (August 1), the World Festival Series with appearances by Baaba Maal and The Chemical Brothers; a full stage production of “Rent” (August 8) a show by Harry Connick Junior; a weekend with John Williams; a night with B.B. King and Buddy Guy…. The list is packed and percolating. 

Pre-concert picnicking at the Bowl is part of the local must-dos here. The hills surrounding the Hollywood Bowl provide charming spots with tables and trash dispensers and most are available to use as early as 4 hours before each concert on a first-come basis. Patina has boxed meals available for preorders and a café, walk-up counter, a market and refreshment stand on site for those who want to play it by ear. 

Expect packed lines for refreshments, libations (you are allowed to bring your own wine and corkscrews into the seating areas but live the cigarettes at home), bathrooms, tickets and just getting in but it all goes smoothly once the music starts. Gates open 2 to 2.5 hours ahead of show time. Buy tickets online or onsite.

- by Lark Ellen Gould, Los Angeles Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Lark Ellen Gould

Lark Ellen Gould has penned seven books on Las Vegas and Los Angeles as a veteran news and travel writer. Her work appears in the L.A. Times, Elite Traveler, Travel Agent Magazine and other national forums. She lived in Boston for many years, earning her masters degree and then traveling the globe for stories. Today she lives in LA and still travels the world on assignment while filling the pages of her travel site: www.wheredaily.com, along the way.