An adventurous evening to be sure. Did I mention that I hate the Hollywood Bowl? I stupidly didn't sign up for the shuttle from Westwood so instead it was heading east at 6:30pm for a 7:30pm show. So I finally walked into the place (after hiding my camera to get in - damned if I was going to walk all the way back to the parking lot to put it back). And found out that I had missed *all* of Elvis Costello's set.
And no food or drink as the lines were insane there as well. Thankfully I had tossed down a yogurt before heading out the door. Dinner would have to wait for the Police. They essentially did two sets, one long, then a short "encore set," then one last tune. Highlights included Invisible Sun (most of the audience didn't know it - I prefer the more obscure tunes), Next to You, and a racous version of So Lonely in the encore set. It was a very different vibe and show than when I saw them 25 years ago for the Synchronicity tour (September 5, 1983 to be exact). Tonight they seemed happy and went about their way with rather stripped down arrangements. I was dreading Roxanne but they pulled of a highly psychedelic take that was quite entertaining. Andy Summers was in the spotlight a lot, playing a fair amount of downright rock riffs, along with his more signature atonal attacks and rich chord voicings. Sting was in good voice and the mugging with the crowd (doing the call and response thing) wasn't too obtrusive. Sadly, Stewart Copeland didn't take any solos, but he did have some great percussion work on King of Pain.
Thankfully we got lucky with the stacked parking and were able to head to Thai Town for a late dinner. Hmm, real Thai food. The westside sucks for Thai.
Set list:
Bring on the Night .
Walking on the Moon
Demolition Man
Voices Inside My Head / When The World Is Running Down
Don't Stand So Close to Me
Driven To Tears
Hole In My Life
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Wrapped Around Your Finger
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da
Message in a Bottle
Invisible Sun
Can't Stand Losing You/Reggatta De Blanc
Roxanne
King of Pain
So Lonely
Every Breath You Take
Next To You
Comments (1)
checklist for the Bowl, that is, if you ever go back again:
1) shuttle reservation
2) binoculars
3) food and drinks
4) cushions
5) blankets
6) good quality pot (optional)
Posted by st | May 29, 2008 11:03 PM
Posted on May 29, 2008 23:03