Fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl

I know! Fireworks at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, and, tonight, fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl accompanying the "Hallelujah" chorus! How do I possibly top that?!

Let me start with the way-back machine, and my watching Warner Bros. cartoons as a child. Not only was that my primary introduction to classical music, but it was my first looksie at the Hollywood Bowl. Remember the one with Bugs Bunny conducting the pompous opera singer? (It was "Long Haired Hare" for the aficionados out there.) Bugs makes him hold a note for so long that the band shell starts to crack. That was the Hollywood Bowl to my naive little eyes. Now it all makes perfect sense.

Flash forward many years, and a lot of shows at the Bowl. I try to go at least once each summer season, and I've never seen a bad show. Of course, some are better: Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis performing together comes to mind, and one time Liam ó Maonlaí from Hothouse Flowers played the piano with a collaborative ensemble and left me speechless on many fronts!

And, returning the the cartoon thread, it's great fun on the nights the orchestra performs live to the animated pieces. "Kill the wabbit" takes on a whole new meaning in that venue!

So pick a night, pack a picnic basket, and get out to the Hollywood Bowl! It's certainly hard to top the experience.

Click here to go to the Hollywood Bowl's Web site.