I have no scientific research to back up what I am about to say but I am sure that it must have been quite the revelation to the first cave people waaaay back in the day when they discovered that the same sounds that they made out in the open air sounded different within the confines of the stone walls of their cave dwelling. Further to that bit of speculation, I wonder who the first smart person was who came to understand that they could manipulate those sounds to make them louder or to have them reverberate like an echo? It really must have been a monumental intellectual step forward for humans to understand that sound could have meaning and could be used in a purposeful way.
I have always harboured an interest in acoustics. My first inclination that this was something I found interesting was when I used to go to church on Sundays with my parents as a child. Even from a young age I was aware that the physical construction of the church helped to make the sound of the organ and the choir bigger and grander. The space where the choir and the organist sat was in an area with high, vaulted ceilings that reached to the Heavens. I wasn’t particularly enamoured with the content of the hymns that we sang but I do recall enjoying the glorious sound of organ notes in concert with voices that filled every available nook and cranny inside our church. So even as a child, I knew that music worked to fill the spaces in which it produced and that higher, rounded ceilings had something to do with spreading the sounds around in such a way that it seemed they were coming from everywhere all at once. By contrast, my first experience with poor acoustics happened when I attended one of the very first rock concerts of my adult life. In 1983 I saw Pat Benatar perform at that old barn known as Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. As much as I adored Pat Benatar and was blown away by the power of her voice, I found myself completely distracted by the poor acoustical setup of the arena we were in. Maple Leaf Gardens was designed with flat walls on all four sides and an arched roof over top. The stage for Pat Benatar was placed at one end of the building where one of the hockey nets would approximately sit if the ice was in and the Leafs were playing. Because the wall directly across from the stage was a solid brick/cinder block wall, whenever Pat Benatar’s drummer hit his drums, the sound carried across the floor and smashed hard against the wall opposite to it. It sounded like blasts from a cannon all throughout the concert. What made it worse was that there was a delay of a second or two before the sound wave hit the back wall. So there was a continuous thump of the drums and a bang against the back wall a split second later…thump/BANG! Thump/BANG! Thump/BANG again and again. I did enjoy the show and I still love Pat Benatar but her concert was a reminder to me that the design of concert or performance spaces matters in terms of the quality of the acoustics that we, as an audience, need in order to truly enjoy music when it is performed live. This brings us to the focus of today’s post, The Hollywood Bowl.
The Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural amphitheatre in California. It is nestled at the base of the famous Hollywood Hills that Bob Seger sang of in his song “Hollywood Nights”. Not unlike the cave people of olden times, I imagine that once upon a time, someone must have stood at the foot of those stone hills and noticed that there was a natural amplification process at work. There are photos of plays being performed and recitals given in the exact spot where the Hollywood Bowl now sits, long before it was ever built. In those days, people used old barn doors laid flat on the ground as a stage. The natural amphitheatre provided by the stone backdrop took care of the sound system for those performers. And so it was after WWI had concluded that a group of women who were interested in the Arts in the greater Los Angeles area got together and began creating a proposal to buy a piece of land and erect a proper performance space for the citizens of L.A. The process came to fruition when a woman named Christine Stevenson (heiress to the Pittsburgh Paints fortune) purchased several acres of land in a spot known as Beachwood Canyon. With the land deal secured, plans were made to build a proper stage with a shell-type design to act as a backdrop and to aid in the acoustical flow of sound forward from the stage toward an audience who would sit facing the Hollywood hills in the background. Frank Lloyd Wright was one of a series of architects who worked on the construction of the shell. Lloyd Wright’s design would just be the first in a series of upgrades and retrofits that have continued up to this very day. The first staged production at the Hollywood Bowl was Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night in 1922. For most of the first half century of its existence, the Hollywood Bowl was used primarily as a performance space for classical music recitals and for the staging of classic plays. Frank Sinatra became the first “Pop star” to ever perform at the Hollywood Bowl as a featured act when he appeared in the 1950s.
And speaking of the 1950s, the Hollywood Bowl almost closed down due to lack of revenue and the need for renovations. It was at that time that a lady named Dorothy Chandler stepped up to lead fundraising efforts that eventually saved the building. Dorothy Chandler was a strong feminist and a champion of the Arts. Chandler was the wife of the editor of the L.A. Times and had her own role in using the newspaper to promote other strong women and to promote the Arts as well. You may have heard her name before because it graces a building known as The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion which is where the Academy Awards have often been held. In any case, Dorothy Chandler suffered no fools when it came to saving the Hollywood Bowl and then modernizing it so that it would be able to attract newer and more consistent audiences going forward into the second half of the century. For a while, a reflecting pool was installed in front of the stage. It was eventually removed. The seating area has been tweaked in recent times to incorporate flexibility when it comes to the experience you can have while watching a show. There are regular theatre style seats that all face forward toward the stage. But there are also sections of four seats together where the front two seats can be turned around and a small table installed between them so patrons can enjoy a small meal and some wine during the show. In keeping with trends across the state of California, the Hollywood Bowl has worked hard to become as environmentally friendly a public space as possible. A simple example of this is that shuttle buses are provided for every event held at the Hollywood Bowl. These shuttle buses depart from various points all over Los Angeles. The idea is to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic needed to attend events at the venue and to cut their carbon footprint to as small a number as possible. The way people come and go from the Hollywood Bowl is an example of the type of future that people who care about the environment talk about when it comes to reducing the use of single owner vehicles by investing purposefully in public transit that functions well. The Hollywood Bowl really promotes recycling and water conservation, too. When you get a chance to click on their website below, you can find all the information about how forward thinking they are environmentally speaking.
Once Frank Sinatra appeared at The Hollywood Bowl and Dorothy Chandler became involved in a fundraising and promotionals capacity, the types of acts that performed there grew and became more varied. While the Hollywood Bowl remains the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and many of the events held there revolve around classical music, the scope and range of artists who have played there has grown exponentially. Jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Oscar Petersen have made beautiful music at the Hollywood Bowl. The Beatles played there as part of their first tour of America in 1964. The 1960s also saw Los Angeles area bands such as The Doors record live albums there. Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Kinks, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Willie Nelson, The Rolling Stones and many more artists and bands from that era graced the Hollywood Bowl’s stage. My favourtie band Radiohead played multiple sold out shows there in the early 2000s. So did Morrissey, Alicia Keys, Linkin Park, along with comedy acts such as Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld and the gang from Monty Python’s Flying Circus all played there. Basically, the list of performers who have performed at the Hollywood Bowl, under the stars, with the famous “Hollywood sign” in the background is almost endless and includes everyone from The Muppets, to live musical renditions of movie scores such as Encanto and 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars with John Williams conducting, to cultural acts from around the world, to rappers, rockers, violinists, opera singers and theatrical productions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, a full century later.
Acoustics matter. The Hollywood Bowl has been renovated multiple times in an effort to create the crispest, clearest acoustical environment possible. At present, it is as lovely an outdoor space to watch a concert as possible, with the clearest acoustical properties of any place imaginable. That it is the centre of a vibrant and expanding environmental revolution is a tremendous bonus and an example of what is possible when we truly try to think of how our actions today affect our future tomorrow. I guess it is possible for us, as humans, to have nice things after all.
As is always the case with the posts in this series, it is my hope to provide for you as complete an introduction to the Hollywood Bowl as possible within the confines of our shared computer screens. In the first few links that I will post, I will give you the chance to visit the official website of the Hollywood Bowl, find out how the shuttle bus programme works and show you a short video on the whole history of the space. Following that, I will give you links to a series of videos that capture noteworthy performances. By no means are these the only noteworthy performances that have taken place there nor are they just performances by bands that I happen to like. In each case there is something about the performance that I want you to take note of so that your awareness of the venue can grow. This may be how it looks inside or outside, how the acoustics function and so on. So sit back and get ready because we are going on a virtual road trip to the Hollywood Bowl. All aboard!!!
The link to the official website for the Hollywood Bowl can be found here.
The link to a video of a news report that chronicles the history of the Hollywood Bowl can be found here.
The link to a video that shows a fan taking the shuttle bus from the L.A. Zoo to the Hollywood Bowl and back again can be found here.
Now here come the music videos. Please note that most do not have lyric versions that match the non-lyric video from the Hollywood Bowl. Sorry. If you want to see the performance as it happened inside of the Hollywood Bowl then, watch both versions so you can follow the song but also see the Hollywood Bowl. If I can find versions that do both, I will include them. Here we go.
Video #1: Hey Brother by Avicii.
The reason I am starting with this video….and believe me, there are 1000s of them on Youtube (just Google “Live at the Hollywood Bowl”)…is that the first two minutes or so show fans of electronic dance music DJ Avicii coming to his show at the Hollywood Bowl. It is a real behind-the-scenes look at The Hollywood Bowl. This video will give you a sense of what it feels like to approach the venue, how the ticket entry process works, what the seating area looks like before it is filled up and so on. Once the actual performance starts, if you’re not a fan of this type of music, feel free to bail at that point. For what it is worth, I like the song and enjoyed watching so many people having the time of their lives. Click on the song title above to activate the video link. ***The lyrics version is here.
Video #2: She Used To Be Mine by Sara Bareilles. ***I dedicate this song to my girls.
The reason for this video is to give you a sense of the acoustical properties that are present at the Hollywood Bowl. Sara Bareilles is a wonderful, wonderful singer. Her voice is crystal clear wherever she sings. However, this video gives you a special opportunity to hear it because it was recorded during the recent COVID pandemic. As you know, many public spaces were closed because of limits placed on crowd sizes. This put a huge dent in the revenue streams of all musicians and music-based acts. In order to carry on, the Hollywood Bowl hosted a series of audienceless concerts, where only the performer and their band were allowed to be in the venue. This is the case for this video by Sara Bareilles. It is just her singing in an empty venue. It is kind of eerie in one sense but it allows for her voice to soar without being absorbed by the bodies of the audience that normally would be there. “She Used To Be Mine” is a beautiful song, too, which is a bonus in this instance. Enjoy the sound of Sara Bareilles with “She Used To be Mine”. ***The lyrics version is here.
Video #3: In The End by Linkin Park.
I have always been a sucker for live recordings that feature the audience belting out the song along with the singer or band. This is arguably my favourite sing-along video ever! What makes it more than a simple audience participation video are the circumstances that surrounded it happening in the first place. For years Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington had been co-lead singers for the rock band Linkin Park. As the band achieved success, Bennington was very public about how hard he found the fame and the pressure of it all. His open dialogue about the toll it was taking on his mental health resonated with many who felt he was a role model in this subject area. So, when it all became too much and Chester Bennington committed suicide, fans of the band were shaken to their core. A few months after his death, a “celebration of life” concert was held at the Hollywood Bowl. The song “In The End” was the final song of the night. Fans were invited to sing along as the evening’s “most favourite special guests”. They took on the role of singing Bennington lines from the hit song. It is as cathartic and joyous a performance as I can remember seeing. If there was ever a doubt that bands and fans form a community, let it be put to rest here. And remember, it all happened at the Hollywood Bowl and it is always ok to ask for help. ***The lyrics version is here.
Video #4: Twist and Shout by The Beatles from 1964.
The video and sound quality are not the best but, this video stands as a historical record of what Beatlemania was like as it was all unfolding. The screams from the audience are as prevalent as the music itself. Enjoy. ***The lyrics version is here.
Video #5: The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl.
There have been many live albums recorded from the stage of the Hollywood Bowl. This was one of the first and stands as one of the most famous. The Doors were an L.A. band so performing here was a sort of homecoming for them. They gave it their all, that is for sure. This is the whole concert!!! There are many concerts shown on Youtube in their entirety. Feel free to check that out for yourself to see if your favourite artist has concert footage available. In any case, here is the complete Doors concert that was used to record their epic album The Doors: Live at the Hollywood Bowl. Enjoy. ***No lyrics version for this entire concert.
Video #6: A Day in the Life as covered by Jeff Beck.
As you may know, “A Day in the Life” is a song made famous by The Beatles. Jeff Beck was a contemporary of the Fab Four. He was an extraordinary guitarist. He was especially noted for his love of the Blues. In this performance, Beck delivers a cracklingly crisp and clear instrumental cover of this timeless track. The acoustics of the Hollywood Bowl make this a real treat to listen to. What a great player Jeff Beck was. This video is a joy! Enjoy. ***The lyrics version of The Beatles song is here.
Video #7: How Soon Is Now by Morrissey.
I could do this all day! “How Soon is Now” is one of the most famous songs in the last forty years. *(I wrote about it in a post that you can read here if you are so inclined). In any case, Morrissey does an excellent job here, even without Johnny Marr being on hand. As you can tell from the reaction of the audience, the song was well-received. ***The lyrics version is here. This is the Breakfast Club lyrics version in case that holds meaning for you.
Video #8: The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky as performed by the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra.
I will end the videos with this performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The Hollywood Bowl is their home base so it is only fitting to give them the final video. I also wished to close with this video so as to belie the impression that I may be giving that the Hollywood Bowl only showcases chart-topping musical acts. That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you were to take a quick glance back to their website and the list of upcoming events, you would see a wide assortment of music genres represented. There truly is something for everyone at the Hollywood Bowl, including lots of oohs and aaah in this video as fireworks light up the sky above the concert shells. Pretty cool!
Thanks for hanging out with me during this post. I have never been to the Hollywood Bowl but I will be adding it to my “one day” list for sure. If you have been lucky enough to go there, please share your experience in the comment box below. As always, thanks for being here and for reading my words. Your presence is appreciated. Bye for now.
***As always, all original content contained in this post remains the sole property of the author. No portion of this post shall be reblogged, copied or shared in any manner without the express written consent of the author. ©2024 http://www.tommacinneswriter.com
Never been there but I am aware it’s a pretty iconic venue. No idea about the history of it from the humble barn door no less! How important was Dorothy Chandler as it turns out to music and entertainment history. That Sara Bareilles is such an amazing vocalist. Great post Tom.
Sara Bareilles is amazing ! She is truly an underrated talent. I was pleased to discover the role of women in the creation of the Hollywood Bowl. I also liked how much effort was being put into making it as eco friendly as possible. All in all, I found it all interesting as well.
A worthy and various compilation of muscians to feature one of the iconic venues in North America. Well done, sir.
Thank you. It was a pleasure to put together, let me tell ya! 👍
Such a storied and magnificent venue! When I first came to the U.S. as a tourist with my parents in the summer of 1980 (I was 14 at the time), we visited their longtime friends in Los Angeles. On one of the three days we spent there, we saw different parts of L.A. and, if I recall it correctly, at my insistence, briefly stopped by the Hollywood Bowl.
To say I was excited was an understatement. After all, my all-time favorite band The Beatles had performed there, so it felt a bit like stepping on holy ground.
About four years ago, I did my own post about the Hollywood Bowl – not as detailed as yours but in case you’re curious, here it is! 🙂
https://christiansmusicmusings.wordpress.com/2020/06/28/the-venues-hollywood-bowl/