Glen Campbell at the Hollywood Bowl

Glen Campbell was my first pretend boyfriend. You regular readers know about my wildly varied PBFs, and you can take note that the musician thingy started with Glen and his Goodtime Hour television show. (Derek Longmuir from the Bay City Rollers kicked off both the Scottish and drummer thingies for those really keeping track!)

When I heard Glen had Alzheimer's Disease and was doing a Goodbye Tour, I had to find a show. Luckily, he was performing at the Hollywood Bowl as the final LA performance.

The first half of the concert was all tribute, with Jackson Browne, Kris Kristofferson and the rest of the bunch performing classic Glen tunes and sharing tales of his impact on Elvis, the Beach Boys and The Monkees. The second half was all Glen, who was still the guitar maestro of his hey-day. It turned into a sing-along, with the packed Bowl audience chiming right in to the hits. My fave is "Try A Little Kindness," and the words come out from the depths of my musical rolodex. It was awesome! Glen had a few slip-ups, but his guitar playing was amazing, and his kids in the band kept him on the mark. So glad I got to see the show, and hear "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston," and all his other tunes live. Thank you, Glen, for all the memories!

Click here to go to Glen's Web site.

Click here to learn more about Alzheimer's.

California Fiesta Tamales

I'm at the Burbank Town Center for a screening of the Glen Campbell documentary "I'll Be Me," about his amazing Goodbye Tour following his Alzheimer's diagnosis. Click here for the post from June, 2012. If you see "I'll Be Me," and I highly recommend that you do, be prepared for the full range of emotions: jubilation to tears. The ride is definitely worth it.

But, knowing the emotional roller coaster ahead of me, I needed some food. I grabbed these fantastic tamales at California Fiesta Tamales at the mall's food court, honestly not expecting much. Wow, was I surprised! This is a combo with a carnitas and a cheese and green chile version. Delicious!! Everything tasted homemade, fresh and delicious; their spicy salsa had we weeping with joy to get the night rolling. With Christmas coming up, who wants to split a dozen tamales with me? The chocolate variety may be the sugarplum dancing in my dreams!

California Fiesta Tamales does not have a website. Address is 201 E. Magnolia, space 374, in Burbank. Phone is 818-567-6100.

Brent's Deli

So I've posted on a number of LA delis: Canter's, Billy's, Jerry's, and Art's. I think I've found my new barometer: Brent's Deli. This is the Hot Brisket of Beef sandwich served Sky High with cole slaw and Russian dressing. The bread is what sends it up into the stars; it is double-baked rye which means it's all toasty-crusty outside and all soft inside. WOW!! And the potato salad was almost a mashed consistency and totally smooth.

Then there was this black and white cookie, almost the size of my Glen Campbell "Gentle on My Mind" 45! Luckily I got it to go, so the other folks at Brent's didn't see me embarrass myself scarfing it down!! It was gentle on my taste buds, all the way down!

Click here for Brent's Northridge location, where I enjoyed this fantastic food!