Remember in elementary school when you returned from summer vacation & your first assignment in your new class was to write & draw about what you did over the break that seemed eternal? You hated being in school & you hated being out of it. You would then present your story to the whole class & it would account for the first week, or so, of school. This was always a must. Icebreaker, my ass. Intended to make new friends, that eventually turned to frenemies, then enemies, & when you finally fought you did become friends?!? Maybe lifelong friends?!? The assignment was probably because all the teachers were like, fuck, back to reality with these bastards. I’m not ready, so I’ll continue to get drunk all day & just have them do that one assignment every other teacher is doing, that one assignment they’ve done their whole elementary career. I also remember hoping I didn’t have to deal with the idiot classmates I dealt with the previous school year & hoping that I got a cool, easy teacher. When that didn’t work out, I just moved schools.

School may not be in-session for me, but there’s still some lessons to learn. That’s life. No matter how old we get & grown we think we are, there’s always something new to learn. & sadly, at times, we learn the hard way. For some, that’s the only way. Anyhow, this summer, a lot of my entertainment fun was spent at the Hollywood Bowl. I felt like each concert event I went to talked to me in some way or another. Summer isn’t my favourite season. I think it’s overrated. This was a HOT summer. On top of always being hot in Los Angeles, it was REALLY hottt.

Gustavo Dudamel

Paris Opera Ballet

La Philharmonic

&

Beethoven’s Fifths

Gustavo Dudamel

Seong-Jin Cho

The first 2 concert events at the kick of my season, I got wasted! I was like, oh! It was fun. I was thrilled to be there & I knew it was going to be the start of a journey, so I had time to enjoy it however without becoming bored & repetitive. Truly make each event unique & a different experience. OK, I’ll give you a pass for calling me “nouveau riche.” I’ve been to the Hollywood Bowl before!

It amazes me how people forgot to act, in public, especially in a venue where performing artists or performing arts are going on! No one paid to hear you, dumb shit! Go watch the event online! Or when you’re in a sound meditation class!!! You are NOT the president, you can turn off your phone for a bit! I was thisclose to going up to 2 guys at the Bowl  & shout to them, STFU! But, I kept my cool & did the more “adult” thing: move. There were plenty of other seats available, I could’ve snagged a closer one to the stage that would’ve cost 4-times what I paid for mine. Plus, I wasn’t in my seat to begin with. Those lame fucks seemed like they were. Still! Be mindful & respectful of the people around you. Your voice travels in the Bowl, idiots! Yeah, they were entertained. But serious, idiots be doing that in the movie theatre, too?!?! I’m like, hello! I won’t throw popcorn. I won’t even put my hair back! I’ll just throw bowls! The movie nerds I do volunteer around aren’t bad. It’s the normal people who go to any & all theatres because that’s what people do, I guess?

There was one time this big fat guy was chomping on his popcorn LOUD! Louder than louder. I mean loud! I thought there was other food involved, but no. One of the many times I looked over at him & TRIED to give him the shut-the-fuck-up-face –in the dark! I saw popcorn all over him! WTF was he chewing on then?!?! Air? It was at the New Beverly, so an old, super rare movie is playing, of course, & you can’t just borrow it from the library. FML. This mother fucker would not shut up. I must’ve turned around five times. His fatass saw the people around him walk over him to move seats. I kept turning to him, so did this guy. Or maybe I was being checked out on? IDK, but he was looking, too. Fucker still ignored us. I finally got up & moved. I made a comment as I passed by. Still nothing. This fucking boulder! That one guy followed, so maybe he wasn’t checking me out? Whatever! I wanted to enjoy the movie, & I got to. The animals are acting like they haven’t been out of their cage in IDK, 10+ years! Not 2. We get it people! & with now being a time of voicing you’re opinion & being right & accepted & heard, even the agoraphobics want to chime in?!?! Via Zoom, of course! & when they want to get straight to you, they’ll just FaceTime you, even when you’re in public & want a full on convo, because again, the animals are out of their cage… If the 2 of you were in public, that’s a different story. Save the call for when you’re in private. No one wants to hear your stupid conversation! Or when people bump the shit out of their Bluetooth while driving in the car. I can hear their conversation with a bus passing by honking its horn! OMGaga! Introverts my ass! Your freak side wants their voice heard, too! Nouveau riche who?!? Back to the Bowl, both bowls. 😉

Sheryl Crow

At the Sheryl Crow concert, she shared a handful of her personal stories. No, she didn’t bring up Lance Armstrong, out loud, but I’m sure she alluded to him subtly without really knowing so. There was a mention of bad people & douches in her day. I mean, we’ve all crossed them, & some of us are them. There was one story I REALLY resonated with. One of the biggest things for me this year is: resonance. What do you relate to? What do you feel? What do you vibe with? Sheryl shared there was a time when she lost all her work, her creative work, her music. Sheryl shared all her cassettes were stolen. She was so devasted, she could only rewrite one song. Seriously, tragic. I was like, HOLY SHIT! I hear you, universe, loud & clear, thank you for bringing me here. There was a time when I lost all my work. I was naïve & stupid & a little still drunk from the night before. For a period of time, while living in Los Angeles, I didn’t drive. Yes, by choice, & for a certain time, no, not by choice. You’re not the only rockstar, Sheryl. 😉 How, you ask? I don’t know. I made it happen. & it retrospect, I feel like I travelled the most then. Literally. Anyhow, there was one instance where I had all my short stories, photo collections, & the first draft of that little book series I created title, The Cubicle Diaries. It wasn’t finalized at the time. I was old school then. I am little newer school now, especially when it comes to backing up your work! While on the bus on my way to work, when we HAD to report to an office Monday through Friday at a specific time or your ass was fired, I accidently left my flash drive on the seat of the bus I was on. I was planning to go to Costco after work to print some of my photo collection. That was also when Costco printed pictures at their warehouse. I’m not THAT old. I was cleaning out my pockets after throwing everything in them hoping not to miss my bus, leaving in a rush, & somehow managed to leave behind my flash drive. Couldn’t I have lost my keys instead? Those’re replaceable, not my flash drive. I didn’t have the content backed up. I know, SHAME ON ME! Anyhow, I noticed when I was at work & freaked out. I didn’t just lose the flash drive anywhere, I lost it on a bus in Hollywood where out-of-town wannabes are by the masses hoping for a career in Hollywood & here I am handing over a potential photography career, because there were goooood pictures on there, no not nudes, & a near finished story of what could become a best seller or an adaptation of a future hit TV show. I’ll admit, The Cubicle Diaries is a great story, it just hasn’t had its time just yet. I was pissed. Yes, your life CAN change within a blink of an eye. I cried for about 10 minutes & then thought, fuck it! This is an opportunity to exercise my writing skills. Turn something good into something better. It gave me the opportunity to exercise my writing skills & an excuse to circle the globe again to recoup all those pictures. I still wonder, ‘til this day, where is that flash drive? & I’m also still keeping my eye out in case some plagiaristic wannabe who has my intellectual property to call it their own & make a name for themself appears out of nowhere. I’m from the hood & can & will go ghetto on you, but the whitewash in me will go full on legal by the book on your sorry ass. I may have broken the law a few times, but I still abide by it. Sheryl Crow didn’t let the theft of her music set her back. She thrived off it & look at the rockstar she is today!

Then, the part that made her a real badass was when she alluded to how many guys she’s slept with while on tour. She then said, I am a rockstar for crying out loud! Yes, you are, Sheryl. She has aged so well. I can tell she has a genuine soul.

What also resonated me with her, & my space & place in time, was when she shared that once upon a time she lived only a few blocks from the Hollywood Bowl [before her “break”]. Um, HELLO! Me, too! Currently! Not the sexual harassment movement, I mean I currently live a few blocks from the Bowl. & as a local & an artist, I feel obligated to come & get the most of my time at this historic, iconic venue. I feel lucky & privileged to be a local. People can say what they want about Hollywood & I am aware of its flaws, but to me, those don’t supersede its beauty & charm & history, its livelihood. All her nods to all the shows she’s seen there: magical, to me. There’s something about being in the mountains! I get the same good feeling while at Runyon Canyon, also. I sometimes forget there’s a whole other world on the other side of those mountains. & one of the more important things that have me resonate with her? The food for thought she praises on, if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad. If it makes you happy, then why the hell are you so sad?

The Splendor of Saint-Saens

Paolo Bortolameolli

Pablo Ferrandez

This was an interesting night. A night of discoveries. The cellist-soloist was sooooo into it! After he concluded his first number, I thought he was going to collapse from orgasming. I learned this music has that effect on you. It drives you. This show pushed me to have more appreciation for classical music. I always have, greater now! I felt a different connection. I was introduced to a beautiful looking harp. It looked expensive! & heavy, built solid. I could tell it produced beautiful music, before it started being played. I couldn’t stop staring at it. It had a devious, angelic look to it. Like, I am the biggest, & baddest, bitch on stage. It was like crimson red met beige at a white gate. That crimson red was so pure it looked velvety-ish, from far away. I was close enough to see the actual colours. & when it crept into the music, OMG! It floated in one ear, through my at-times thick headed skull, through the ear wax, & out the other lobe. I was so in tuned. I had contact high. It was almost as if I had poppers. I noticed I was really into that harp. Then, I discovered, unknowingly, I was checking out the orchestra-mates, the members. I was on that bandwagon. First-class. With an ass. There was one specifically that was playing the clarinet, a true looker. I could tell the camera person was into the individual, too, giving him extra screen time. I was like, OK, it’s not just me. Either way, they can all be butt-ugly & in the dark, but the music they create, together, they were all beautiful, talented. This was by far the best classical night. There was a moment where I got annoyed by someone I was accompanied with. She crashed. I exercised patience. I didn’t allow her idiocies to get to me. I was like, go die. You are not fucking up my night. & you won’t be hanging with me at events like this anymore. Curse the humidity that causes that stupidity.

Side note: I think it is so rude & disrespectful to not stand up during the national anthem. Whether you’re from here or not, agree with everything that’s going on here or not, coloured or not, I don’t care. You’re still currently on this land & you should show it some form of respect. If you can’t, what’re you doing here?!?! If you have to, show up to the event late. If you’re handicapped, you get a pass.

“Back to the Future”

David Newman

Los Angeles Philharmonic

I think “Back to the Future” is a cool movie. When I learned it was going to be featured this season, I was like, hell yeah! I’m in! My ticket for this event was the costliest. A few shows combined. The things we pay for to go back into time, or back to the future. I wonder if the producers were upset they didn’t, maybe couldn’t, copyright or patent certain things they “created” or “predicted” in the movie [franchise]. For instance, even though it didn’t come from the first installment, but overall, video phone. Who knows?!? Those were some creative mo’fos on that team. Truly, ahead of their time. Pun intended. They also did a good job at not making Michael J. Fox look as short as he actually is.

I like watching old movies. I’m like, holy crap, that’s right, life WAS like that. Simpler times. Kind of. Coffee was that cheap, gas was that cheap, going to the movies was that cheap. I’m not really vibing with a lot that’s out there today, now. The live score from the orchestra did give the movie a good boost. I took my goddaughter to this event. It was a beautiful night. Packed. It was a hot night this evening. It was humid. It’s been a humid summer.

Dvorak & Bjarnason

Dalia Stasevska

Pekka Kuusisto

OK, on one of the previous shows, one of the performers looked like he was going to collapse from orgasming after his number. This violinist looked as if he was going to orgasm & collapse during his performance! I was like, holy cow! I was like, that shows you how powerful music is to the body & soul! OMGaga! &speaking of OMG! OMG! It was a hot, August night! Heat was sure in the air. Beautiful. By this time, I felt like a regular. I had already been to the Bowl six times in a row. Plus, I came from a local bar. I’m certified regular! Platinum!!! No, sadly, not ‘19 times!!!’ I was a little upset when I noticed the help was taking an extra-long time telling me, oh, yeah! I’ve seen you here before! No need to go through the metal detectors! I was like, you do know my dollar tickets are contributing to your wages, right?!? Show me the respect I deserve! There is no such thing as customer service anymore. I was going to regulate at patron services, but their hours were cut due to COVID.

The moon was near full. Around 92%. No, not my ass. A bitch is going to burst soon. “Let go what no longer serves you.” That’s still a work in progress. I’m getting better & better every moon phase. This time I noticed Polaris, maybe Betelgeuse was right in the middle of the X the beam lights projected that the Bowl puts on at every show. Thank you, Local Group of Santa Clarita for the astronomy tips. 😉 ‘X’ does mark the spot. That was exactly where I wanted to be. My X. No, not with an ex. OMG! [I reference that so much you would this I was orgasming!] The conductor was soooooo into it. A true storyteller. Beautiful! I could hear suspense in the music. Screw the body motions & words. There was a form of nostalgia with this one. Back to my junior high days in the school band. I tried the bells, the clarinet, the drums, the trombone, as a cross over to the eventual trumpet I ended up playing the most. I enjoyed it. Mary had a Little Lamb was always my warmup. I only played 1 year. My feet were wet enough. Again, I had heard classical music before & could “follow it,” but I feel like I was understanding it more now. I was more in tune. I couldn’t help but think, does everyone hear what I hear?! The beauty! & no, not the LAPD helicopter overhead looking for some hoodlum. The thing about classical music is a lot of it is about unity. Yes, we loves our soloists. Everyone has a part & when everyone does it, the harmony is sooo beautiful! I gazed up in the might sky & was so thankful for being there. I swear! On multiple occasions, I saw fireflies. There was LOTS of energy in the environment. The conductor was young and attractive. Female. & boy, did she go to town! She also went over the river & through the woods!

Scheherazade

Lina Gonzalez-Granados

This was a beautiful night. I’ve said that every night. This was different. It was the last super-full moon of the year. In honor of it, of course, I had moon wine. This time, Moon X. Funny, because X marks the spot. I said beautiful. I meant magical. Coincidence, maybe? Sure. We’ll call it that. But when I also mean “beautiful,” it’s for the return of the red harp. OMFGG. It’s soft, beautiful flowing intro was on point. Its music blossomed, it sung so beautifully. It floated so delicately but controlling, taking your energy, reeling you in, & it was beautiful to look at. & with looking & admiring the harp, you can’t help but start looking at all the lookers in the orchestra. Geeze! Speak nerdy to me, please! Speak classical! If you whip out Shakespeare… There were hot people. Back to the music. While listening to the music, you begin to hear the “story” that you think is being told. Following its beautiful rhythm.

Punctuality-wise, for me, it was the best tonight. I was really early. I try to be on time every time, but sometimes I’ll push it. Local privilege. & opening timing. It’s annoying when you gotta wait for people of your party though. The show is timed, you know. It felt good showing up early, but I’ll probably just go back to arriving a few minutes late. What a way to enjoy the full moon! Loves it! Insert cat emoji with the heart eyes here.

As I grew into the “season,” – Bowl season! Although, maybe it can be part of the next “Untitled Otter Holmes Project?!?!” My wardrobe got better. I started rocking OtterPotter. Not going to lie, I looked fly! I need to run 12.5 miles a lot more! Wrapped in plastic wrap! Then, the music was like a climax. You should start calling me ‘Max.’ Seriously. It, the music, was so beautiful! In hindsight, it’s like rubbing silk on my ear. Softly. I felt like I was under the sea. Not “The Little Mermaid” style, although I think I was a merman in a past life. I’ve had a few. The music made me feel like I was in a cave discovering wonders, riches, gems. I think I might’ve been reincarnated as a merman who was already an adult. I think I’ve time travelled. No, I wasn’t on drugs then, I’m on drugs now. Don’t worry, say’s it’ll wear off in a few hours. The Children’s Tylenol label is up-to-date.

& not only is the evening beautiful & magical, it’s ironic, again, coincidental, synchronistic & nostalgic! I wanted to kiss the floor as I thanked the universe for such a fun time! As I was hanging out during intermission, I was looking at the large screen I sat under. Yes, I still had my binoculars. I saw a piece of artwork, historical, of course, appearing from my jr. high days. It was of the Bowl! I was like, holy shit! Because relatively recently, I passed that piece of artwork & now it had resurfaced. I really like that piece of artwork. Hell, I’m going to print it on paper! Photo paper! It’s an ad for the Hollywood Bowl. A moon conducting music while a UFO is flying overhead & beaming on it. The ad is intended for something else but I LOVES the artwork. One day, my teacher came into class excited & said, I have gifts for all you. He told us they were free & he got us all one, more if we really wanted them. They were orange folders of that artwork from the Hollywood Bowl. He took the time to laminate them all so they would last longer. I was like, Hollywood Bowl… I love that folder. Anyhow, twenty-something years later, it resurfaced. Being at the Bowl, 100 years later.

Also on the large screen, I saw: the Hollywood Bowl is an outdoor auditorium. An iconic one. It is, actually, the largest outdoor setting in the United States. Thank Dionysus for BYOB! –Only at the L.A. Phil events, not for concerts that rent the space. FYI. You’re welcome for the tip, even if it was just the tip. Something I saw with my eyes in-person that was SCARY: $18 for a 24ozer of beer?! WTFQ?!? I swear though! The concession stands are expensive like a mo’fo! & of course they, too, want a tip for service, as does everyone else now. This isn’t a bar. It’s a concession stand. I’m tipping you for handing me a beer I have to open. All you did was turn around. I didn’t even have time to check you out! Hmmm…

As I looked up in the night sky, I continuously saw fireflies. I watched them zing around during intermission. Could it maybe be the meteor shower occurring simultaneously?!! The air was magical. I thought, could the sound bath I had today helped? OMG! During that session, I started to go anti-namaste on a bitch! She didn’t silence her mobile beforehand. Not after the instructor said so, not even after the 5th time it went off, did she. Seriously, WHO DO YOU THINK ARE YOU?!? Some publicity agent?!? Who does that?!? Idiot!!! What’s funny was, in the beginning of the session, her coworker, helper, minion, IDK… was like, oh, be careful, she’s the boss…! Whatever they were talking about when they killed the energy of the room by walking into it. Um, excuse me! Bitch ain’t my boss! When her mobile went off for the fifth time, after waking from the mediation stage I was in, I shouted, “that’s the 5^th time already! God!” She felt stupid, bad, normal, important, unimportant, IDK, but she crept out a before the instructor dismissed us. Seriously! Not in a damn mediation-like environment!!! No consideration of others. I did get the most of that session though. It was a good one.

It’s sooooo amazing what the violin can produce! It takes you. It takes me. I got nods to mariachis! Hey! The animal IS out of his cage! Collapsing music, harmonizing it, to me, is ssssuuuuuccchhhh a talent! Music is a lot!! It’s powerful. It turned out the main performance was about the sea! I knew it! Felt it! & I didn’t know much was about was being performed. I’m in a learning, discovering process. The main one was, The Sea & Sinbad’s Ship. Then, there was the prince & the princess. What a story! What an orchestra! I’m telling you, those lookers… Don’t speak, just play! & after the show was over, as everyone walked to either their car, their ordered car, or public transit, I had the luxury of walking home, a few blocks away, to my atelier & flaneur along the moonlight. Super-full moon light. So arioso. To Graybrook atelier de Otter Holmes I went. It’s a privilege. One of the greats for living in Hollywood. 😉

An Evening with Rachmaninoff

Louis Langree

Nobuyuki Tsujii

Bramwell Tovey

Out of all the concert events thus far, I don’t know if the air ever felt so great. I might’ve said that before, a few times. The heat was coming down, kind of, & the cool was trying to find its way into the air but couldn’t. It was a cool, OK, cool, comfortable heat. Some still screamed “bloody murder.” Babies. & you call yourself an adult. Adults tend to shut their mouth. Prior to everything & all the events I ended up crashing, when I first bought those “presale” tickets, this was the night I was looking forward to the most. It was just something to look forward to. I mean, I looked forward to the whole season, but this one stood out.

I was so relieved when I sat in a random seat after all that walking. I wasn’t all sweaty like the last few events. & then I got hot again. Return of the hot clarinet player. Through the music, the piano drove the first half of the show, pre intermission, I guess. Whatever you fancy, sophisticated people say… Seventh inning stretch? Half-time? Piss break? Coke break? Whatever. OMGaga! I hadn’t seen anything like this prior to this. This wasn’t my first rodeo, BTW, I’ll tell you! But, seriously, OMG! I was SUPER calm & chill, naturally high. Also, mainly because I had killed 2 bottles of fermented grape juice prior. Oh well… That’s life. This is the life I chose! One of the perks for living in Hollywood & taking advantage of the resource.

When I started to think of the rapidly declining number events I had with the Bowl left on the calendar, I was like, oh, shit! I got a little bummed. My bum was bummed. After this, I only had 2 more shows planned for “my season.” The end was approaching. The Hollywood Bowl was going to still rock on & I was going to go back to being another annoyed local because the streets are blocked off & traffic is worse than it usually is. I am soooo thankful I finally got a parking space in my complex. Moving on up, baby! OMFGG! I am SOOOOOO OVER seeing people text & drive. Don’t get me started on that.

My claws started to come out a little. I could hear chatter going on in the background. There were people who wouldn’t shut the fuck up. I wasn’t high, but I was like, don’t fuck up my high. My music high! It was a pretty packed house, bowl I mean. I exercised my ongoing goal of completely blocking out idiots around me & zoning in on one thing to really understand it: the music. Then, that’s all I heard. Time was ticking, I needed to savour the flavour of music. I sensed the drama –in the music, not those jackasses’ convo. I sensed the drama in the music of the story that’s being told. Just as I was getting good, the season is ending!?! With that said… if I were a part of a TV show, as in timeline-wise, I am sooooo a season finale! I would leave people high & dry & keep ‘em wanting more. Give them something to chat about. & come back for more. One time I asked someone that & before he could answer about himself, I described me. He was like, you’re a season finale. I was like, am I that obvious?!? I’m more than a pretty face!  I like TV production overall.

Beethoven’s Ninth

Eva Ollikainen

I took a 2-week hiatus. That’s what a show does before the finale. Get your viewers going, build the hype, & anticipation, then give it to them good. It’s only a matter of time before streamers follow the pattern of broadcast television. They already have. Before, all episodes of a season were flushed out all at once online. Now, it’s once a week. Sometimes, some streamers don’t air all the episodes of a series, so bingers can’t binge. You can’t catch up like you would like to. YadaYadaYada… Yes, I did miss out on a few dollar ticket shows. It’s OK. I still had other things to do. I live in Hollywood, Los Angeles, not the Bowl only. I don’t have some encampment under the freeway, or something.

I was reminded the end was near when I saw the last 2 tickets, the current show being one of them, the pen-ultimate show. Ovation here I come. No, not the new Hollywood & Highland complex. It was going to be a bittersweet ending. I spontaneously ran into a friend there. I was like, OK, let’s hang & shoot scenes. I forgot my binoculars! And water. Oh, the drama! But I sure didn’t forget me wine or its opener! I would’ve walked home to get it. Run home. It would’ve been cheaper & probably more convenient than to buy at the Bowl. Yes, it would. I rocked Burberry this night. I was casual but sleek. Casual glam.

The conductor was intense & the band followed. Super great performance. I didn’t see my clarinet crush, so no distractions there. It’s OK. There’s still the finale. There was a full-on choir this time. They didn’t sing until the very end. I was like, why not come after half-time?!? You stood there sweating for no reason!?! Intermission was super early. The sweat from the heat & walk up there was barely drying. Oh, gosh. Seeing all those people on stage coming together to create something so beautiful, what a treat! & to channel something so beautiful. It was truly harmonious. There were all sorts of beautiful people on stage. It was a night of beautiful people creating beautiful music! I felt beautiful listening to it, watching it come to life. Beautiful & expensive. You’re welcome, universe! I was transformed into another world. Historic, classical music as the background music, the score did its thing. Elysium. Fire. A starry canopy. It felt very operatic to me. In my world, whatever dimension I was in, everyone around me was dressed glamorous.

Finale

Mozart Under the Stars

Nicholas McGegan

Martin Chalifour

Tonight, was the night. My personal finale night for the season. This was the hottest night, temperature-wise. Everything else was a breeze. If you don’t believe me, resort to the almanac for Christ’s sake. Even he was sweating! We were amid an ongoing heatwave. Like COVID, I think the whole globe felt it, too. I know I said “An Evening with Rachmaninoff” was the night I was looking forward to, yes, that’s true, but this one was truly, truly the one I had been looking forward to. Aside from being the finale, to also see “Mozart under The Stars” was something else. I’ve enjoyed the entire season & all the performers, the performances. I was literally going to be under the stars.

I made the choice to wear white after Labor Day. I know, shame on me. But I’ll admit, I looked damn good! & hey, the musicians, the orchestra wore white, too, so I wasn’t the only one. & they all looked good. It was humid AF. It was an unexpected white t-shirt contest. When those small breezes came through, ode the joy! I was tempted to wear shorts, but I couldn’t come to it. I tried a new wine. I sat in my usual section. About 20 rows down from my original ticket. I will look back at these days, & be like, remember when…?

The violinist’s solos were so good. The orchestra followed well. It was like a sea of violins. The orchestra was smaller this time. I wonder how hot they were in all that clothing?!? Throughout all the shows, I never caught any hiccups or mess ups or errors on their behalf. Are they that professional? That subtle? The thought of off-stage/ behind-the-scenes drama did cross my mind. But they’re probably trying to be cautious of everything like that right now, especially given the time, & that you’ll be blacklisted if you step out of line twice, fifty-plus times, & deemed as difficult to work with. I mean, no one wants to work with a jackass, but c’mon. Remind me how you’re perfect, again? They probably go in & out. Not like the band geeks would before though.

I felt so grand & sophisticated being there. I learned more about music. The conductor, an older gentleman, was giddy & fun. Out of all the shows, I only recall him giving an introduction & little story to the music he was going to conduct. Aside from thee Sheryl Crow, but that was a different setting, atmosphere. Still great but different. There were a few new faces in the orchestra.

There are a few shows at the Bowl that I would like to see, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. This isn’t just some summer fling or something. OK, maybe this hoorah was, but it doesn’t always have to be like that! Am I getting attached? Maybe. Sprung? Let’s not get ahead of the game here. There are plenty of venues out in the city. Some big, some small. Some fancy, some rundown. If I were to return this season, I would soooo see Stevie, the white witch. She’s playing at the Hollywood Bowl while I’ll be on holiday! I won’t be able to see her. I’m a little upset, but there’ll be better days ahead of us.

It’s been a fun adventure with my partner is crime, attending nearly every event with me: my binoculars. They come in more use than spying on people & looking at the moon. I gotta give shout outs to my corkscrew & wine tumbler. I’m thankful I snagged those dollar tickets when I could & did! I was pissed when I learned I paid more for the tickets I thought I was paying less for. That damn presale. I was also a little pissed when I couldn’t get dollar tickets for other shows I would’ve liked to go to. But, that’s life. You don’t always get what you want, & no, that doesn’t apply to people who only live in Hollywood. Sorry, Charlie. I’ve wondered if the Bowl was only doing dollar-tickets for their centennial & won’t be doing it next year? One-dollar-&-one-cent-tickets? We’ll see what inflation does to that then. I wonder if the Bowl regrets that now? I’m thankful I took advantage this year & had the opportunity to do it. Every show was a new adventure, a different experience. It was my me-time, my good space, happy place.