Bowling with John

Since moving to Los Angeles and taking on new employment, my schedule's been a bit irregular, as I can find myself working at any time between 8 AM and 10 PM, seven days a week. So between work and writing, the missus and I haven't had that much time to really get out there and explore the area as much as I'd like. We've been to the Getty Center, which is beautiful, and gone hiking in the parks around the CIT Jet Propulsion Lab, which are not, and we've gone hiking at the Resevoir a couple times; but for the most part, we've been happy to just spend time together and enjoy our house and our neighborhood, away from festering summer traffic and crowds of annoying Angelinos.

But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see John Williams conducting some of his film scores at the Hollywood Bowl. So last night, we packed up the picnic set we received as a wedding present with cheese, crackers, cookies, and rice cakes, and off we went.

The Hollywood Bowl on a summer evening is a splendid thing. The Bowl is wide and open, hence the name, and the noise and bustle of the city is kept at bay by the surrounding hills and vegetation, and with the darkness and the chorus of crickets, there's a feeling of calm isolation akin to being on a remote island. The show was popular, but not crowded, and we were able to spread out on our benches and snack on pepperoni and Wheatsworth as the orchestra warmed up. And as John strode on stage, launched into "The Star-Spangled Banner," then moved on to some of his Olympic themes, I sat there full and very content and let the music flow over me. Though I stood for "The Star-Spangled Banner," of course.

The first half of the show was Williams' music from the Olympics, which was perfectly enjoyable, but it was the film scores were what filled the Bowl. I think the trend as of late has been to dismiss John Williams' themes as sugary and overtly sentimental, but it's impossible to deny the power of his music when hearing it live: the instantly recognizable opening beats of his SUPERMAN theme that drove the crowd wild, the ominous Imperial March from STAR WARS, the lifting of the E.T. score. This is the music from the movies that brought me here, and if it's a bit hammy or repetitive, I don't give a damn. I love it.

And I wasn't alone; the audience brought Williams back out for multiple encores, until he finally finished up with his iconic STAR WARS theme, made a gesture that he was going to sleep, and walked off to a standing ovation.

All in all, a perfect way to spend an evening.