The Hollywood is the best venue in Southern California. Where else can you roll up with three bottles of wine, 10 beers, a fifth of Jack, a grip o snacks and get a ticket for an amazing show for twelve bucks. Sunday at The Bowl featured David Byrne, Arcade Fire, Si Se, and Extra Action Marching band. One hell of a line up and one hell of a good time.
We did our best to arrive on time and we figured an hour after they said the show started wouldn’t be that bad. Lucky for us we weren’t any later. Right as we made it up to the top of the stairs, Arcade Fire took the stage. The sound wasn’t great from section Q but but it progressively got better as the band warmed up and became more comfortable with what might be intimidating surroundings. This is a band that was playing Spaceland 6 months ago and now they’re playing to a near sold out crowd of fans who have mostly only heard good things about their live show. From the distance we were at, it took me a bit to realize that the Tosca Strings were joining them on stage. They did have the largest crowd I’ve ever seen for the second stage at Coachella and they are showing no signs of slowing with their universal appeal. They rolled through “No Cars Go” early and that’s when people first started to move. I felt a bit bad for our new friend Bob who was sitting next to me cuz I was shaking the bench while trying not to obstruct the view of the fans behind. Eventually I couldn’t refrain and had to jump back a few rows to join the handful of other folks in Q and P who had to get their groove on. “Neighborhood #1 (tunnels)” which kicks off their debut album, Funeral was familiar to enough to get folks up and singing along. It’s hard not to feel like you’re a part of these catchy songs. Especially when everyone on stage is living like this could be the last show they ever play (let’s hope not). Regine did a beautiful job with “In The Back Seat” and “Rebellion (Lies)” was another perfect sing and dance along for those willing to participate.
When The Hollywood Bowl finally got around to renovating the decrepit bandshell that haunted musicians, conducters, and fans for years, they were bright enough to put in a carousel that would allow for quick transitions between bands. David Byrne took the stage in what appeared to be a pink or lavender suit. “Glass, Concrete, and Stone” soothed over the audience and slowly drew everyone in. The Tosca Strings were back as well and with a percussionist and vibe player in the mix, the music didn’t quite sound like what most people would be accustomed to. Most of the songs seemed to come from his new album “Grown Backwards” or from the Talking Heads back catalog. With a curfew in check, David tried his best to stay within the boundaries of most of his recorded works. Last year I saw him play at The Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon and when he played “Psycho Killer” it took me a few minute to even realize what song it was. This time the band instantly jumped into it and everyone squealed with delight once they heard the first few notes. A cool new song that he wrote with The Thievery Corporation and a couple older tracks like “Sad”(?) made some fans especially happy.
Arcade Fire came out to join the crew on one song but due to a lack of mic’s it wasn’t really apparent they were even there. The real fun came when Extra Action Marching Band blasted through the crowd belting out tunes while on their way to the stage. The crowd was on their feet and as the spot lights followed them to stage, you knew this wasn’t your average marching band. By the time they got on stage and everyone joined in on Cole Porter’s “Don’t Fence me in” you could tell The Bowl was built for power in numbers. Cheerleaders of all makes danced upon the crescent and the horns and the strings blended with perfection.
Words can’t explain what happened next, but of course I’ll try my best. hmmm. So there’s about 25 people on stage and instantly everyone rips into Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”. The crowd was on their feet, the cheerleader’s moved from the rainbow pier to the feet of the man, and the band blew their brains out. The film crews who were broadcasting video on the side screens for the folks in the back weren’t sure exactly what was going on either. It looked like an orgy was taking place center stage while David Byrne was belting out the lyrics. I can just imagine the thoughts going through their heads…”should I get this on video or will it get me fired”. Either way it was beautiful. Black and White pom-pom’s and mostly naked bodies pulsated to the beat and brought the evening to an energetic close.
Lucky for us we were able to avoid the stacked parking and got to use Capitol Records as our garage. Once we got back to the car we were fortunate to get a tour of Capitol Studios. I’ve been in there a few times and I will never get tired of playing Nat King Coles piano or sitting in Frank Sinatra’s chair. The history of the building and the studios is mind boggling. Just about every famous musician in the world has walked through those doors. A trip to Capitol wouldn’t be complete without a trek to the roof for a view of the city. Everything looks peaceful when your 13 stories up. The traffic looks friendly and the skyscrapers in the distance somehow make you proud to be from LA. We took a handful of pictures then called it a night. We all knew how lucky we were to be there that night, at the show and at the studios and we can’t wait to be that lucky again.
Have you tried this site? http://yanginsondurmeistanbul.com/