The Season Begins

Last night was our first show at the Hollywood Bowl for this year. We have had season tickets for the Friday night 5 show series for over 30 years. We also have valet parking so we pull up next to the bandshell, get out of the car, grab the food, and walk right in. They park the car close by and bring the keys to our box. Nothing could be easier.

Thirty years ago each show was classical music performed by the LA Philharmonic. Over the years the shows have changed to the point where now the "Phil" performs two or three of the shows (the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra plays the other times) and they always have a "talent" perform.

Last night was Faith Hill. Now, I am not a country music fan, but I know who she is. I was pleasantly surprised with her performance. One, she did a mix of music. It was not all country. Secondly, she does have an amazing voice and was backed by a great bunch of musicians. It was a very enjoyable performance, but I was surprised that she did not come out for an encore.

The Hollywood Bowl is a fun place. We get there about 2 hours before the performance. We have a 4 seat box so we almost always bring along two other people. And we bring lots of food and booze, so it is like having a picnic before the performance. The evenings are usually very mild. The heat of the day has passed and the bowl is situated such that we are in the shade. There is usually a nice breeze also. So we eat, drink, talk and just enjoy ourselves until the show starts. We see many of the same people around us each year, and that's kind of fun also. We have watched the kids of the people behind us grow up and the gay guys across the aisle are always entertaining.

Our last show is in the first part of September. That kind of signifies the end of summer for us.

I hope your summer is pleasant.