Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Hollywood Bowl - Dinner and Jewel

So this season of the Hollywood Bowl wasn't too inspiring to me. The only person that I was excited to see happened to be playing on the same weekend that I was going to New York. Awesome.

But we love the venue, so on Friday Mr. Insom bought some tickets to see "The Art of Song" featuring Jewel, Michael Feinstein, and the Hollywood Bowl orchestra. Okay.

Off we go.


The joys of stacked parking.

Photobucket

Photobucket

I love all the picnic boxes, coolers, and backpacks.

Photobucket

...although they make for a lengthy line at the entrance gates.

Photobucket

Before the concert, we picked up some amazing cheeses at Wally's (Rogue River Creamery Smokey Blue, Andante Dairy Figaro wrapped in fig leaves, and Marieke Young Gouda) along with a bottle of Rombauer and some Marcona almonds. We didn't bring much this time as we were planning on actually eating food prepared and served by the Patina Group for the first time.

We got a late start and barely made the cutoff for ordering food. Everything was brought out in a mad dash so we could get stuff before the concert started.

He got some sort of fishcake garnished with a mango salsa in a bowl of chilled corn soup.

Photobucket

I got the heirloom tomato salad with burrata, olive oil, and mixed greens. It would have been nice if this had some basil with it, and it needed some salt.

Photobucket

He got some chicken.

Photobucket

One of our companions got cod. I got one lobster ravioli. It was a large one, but still. lol

Photobucket

Time for the show.

Photobucket


Thomas Wilkins was the conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and did a great job, especially with providing accompaniment to the vocalists.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket


Michael Feinstein did a nice medley of songs from the American Songbook... some Sinatra, some Gershwin.

Some were kind of Vegas cheesy.

Photobucket

But one song in particular was pretty beautiful - a stripped down version of a Henry Mancini song that I've never heard before. It was just him at the piano without the orchestra accompaniment, serenading Mancini's widow (it was her birthday and see seemed very touched). I love quiet moments like these at the Bowl.

Photobucket

Intermission.

Photobucket

Apparently according to Mr. Insom, intermission is when celebs walk around and chat to their friends. It becomes quite the scene. lol He knows this because on Sunday night he went back to the HB with some friends and he met Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, and Apollonia (she of Purple Rain fame - my first glimpse of a "bad girl" as a kid! I wonder what she looks like now... Oh.). I couldn't go as I had already committed to chatting up homophobes in Glendale. Fabo.

But for me, intermission means dessert.

Berries with vanilla creme.

Photobucket

Assorted cookies, biscotti, and macaroons.

Photobucket

Pear tart with homemade ice cream.

Photobucket

Chocolate mousse.

Photobucket


All in all the food was presented well, but it tasted just so so. I did like my lobster ravioli, but I don't know... to me the Bowl means taking your own stuff. Our cheeses tasted better than anything we were served.

But now it's time for Jewel.

I thought she looked pretty. And her dress looked very comfortable, which is always a plus in my lazy fashion book. She sounded good too.

Photobucket

Photobucket

I would have preferred if she did just classics from the American Songbook too, but she sang her own stuff. Set list: Anything goes, I'm sensitive, Foolish Games, Meant 4me, Hands, Over the Rainbow.

Photobucket

She and Michael did a duet of something I don't remember. I'm not saying it wasn't good, I'm saying that I had drunk a lot of wine.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Some items from her twitter feed:

RT @jeweljk: Wow-what a rush! I LOVE the conductor! He saved me several time 2night-but what an honor 2 play @hollywoodbowl ! Woohooo!

RT @jeweljk: Thank you @hollywoodbowl & thank u audience! Wanna do this more-feels so good 2 really sing-the orchestra pulls it out of me :)


All in all, it was an enjoyable evening.
Next time though, I'm going to bring my own food.


Oh and there were fireworks! How bout that?

Photobucket

4 comments:

dapotato said...

ONE ravioli? lame-o.

wally's, how i miss you.

can't wait to go to the bowl...in october. yep, i'm gonna be cold. too bad it's for a leased event, so i won't be able to bring booze & food, either. :(

Sarah said...

Tom Wilkins is the Omaha Symphony conductor too - holler! And his twin girls go to my church (actually, they were on the trip that I led a couple of weeks ago). I now feel like I know a celebrity since he has been on your blog, lol (forget all of his other publicity).

weezermonkey said...

Incredible seats with incredible food make for incredible photos!

We're going to talk camera talk Thursday!

10yearstogether said...

Ditto - ONE ravioli? For a glutton like me that would be unacceptable, kinda. I didn't know they served such fancy food there. Looks like you had a nice night!