Hollywood Bowl – August 31, 2025
Where to begin with this one…..
I kept seeing clips of Leo P with the Summer Horns so I decided about a week ago that I would go see this show. Julie is packing and didn’t have time to join, so no problem – it’s not the first time I’ve gone up to the Bowl by myself. The cheapie tickets weren’t super cheap, but whatever. Section W2 is fine. It’s at the top but it’s in the center and also THERE ARE NO BAD SEATS at the Bowl. There were 3 seats together so I bought the middle one hoping that no one would buy the single tickets on either side of me. Then I went to buy my bus tickets and Culver City was sold out. Sold out!! A week in advance! I’ve never had that happen. I was under the impression that the presales just determined the number of buses they booked. I happened to be going to the Bowl that night so I decided I would talk to the guy there (I really should find out his name). I asked him what he thought of trying to get on the bus the day of (usually not a problem) and he said, “I wouldn’t.” It turns out there is limited parking at the Culver City Metro station. Mind you, this is the same guy who once told me after a particularly packed show, “You think this is bad? Just wait until Dave Koz.” Maybe I should have heeded that warning before buying this ticket. I ended up buying a ticket for the Santa Monica bus even though I already know I don’t like Santa Monica because 1) it takes forever to get to the Bowl from Santa Monica and 2) you have to walk through the tunnel to get to the bus after the show. I was a little worried because the bus departure was 4:30. I have never had a departure before 5:00. Ever.
I left super early and got to the bus in plenty of time. I mentioned to that Bowl guy that Culver City was sold out and he said it was about to get a whole lot worse because the Santa Monica bus would cease on the 15th when classes start. When I got on the bus there were a lot of single riders so I felt sure that someone would get on and sit next to me, but the bus left a little early and that didn’t happen. Woo hoo! And by about 4:40 we were passing Universal Studios (this bus line takes the 10 to the 405 to the 101). We were there before 5:00. I actually got inspected and wanded at the side gate. First time this year! I saw that Toyota was sponsoring free popcorn so I headed over to the Toyota Lounge to get mine. They also had tote bags for anyone willing to follow them on Instagram, so I did. The final escalator to the tippy top wasn’t working, so I got my steps in. By 5:25 I was in my seat enjoying my popcorn. As the people in my section arrived I knew I was in for an adventure. They were celebrating a birthday and chose the very top so they could do whatever they pleased without anyone interfering. The birthday girl was sitting next to me (well not directly next to me – I still had that empty seat because my plan worked and no one bought it) and she kept yelling, “It’s my birthday!!!!” to everyone she knew. Many of them were behind us, but some of them were 3-4 rows up and on the opposite side of the section. They had joints and blunts and the alcohol was flowing. In addition to shots, they brought several bottles of Costco margarita. Their cooler was a couple of rows in front of us sort of out of their way but in the way of anyone trying to get out of the front few rows. I decided I’d enjoy myself more if I just rolled with it, so that’s what I did. They were loud and obnoxious and one of them was smoking a cheap stinky stogie, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it, so why fight it? The Bowl staff was no match for them. There was a woman smoking a joint in the next section down from us and I watched a little teenage usher approach her and tell her she couldn’t smoke in her seat and point to where the smoking section was. The woman just smiled and nodded at her and continued smoking her joint. It was THAT kind of an evening.
The first artist was Kayla Waters. She played keyboard and piano. Very smooth, very mellow. And she smiled the whole time. The host, Pat Prescott had said it was her first time playing the Bowl and she looked like she was truly enjoying herself. Not that anyone in my section knew that because they were busy with their shots, weed and full volume conversations. Oh and beach balls. Did I mention the beach balls?
Up next was Johnathan Butler. His set opened with violin played by his wife. He came out with his guitar and did a pretty long set. Every time he started to leave the stage he turned around and said, “I’m going to play another one.” Until Pat Prescott finally had to come out and tell him he was done.
There were no intermissions since they had the turntable going. From my vantage point I could actually see some of the load out and load in going on behind the screen. When they turned it around for the Ohio Players, they had the attention of the majority of the partiers. One woman kept yelling Skin Tight!!! and a gentleman only wanted to hear I Want To Be Free. I have to say they were pretty great. Super funky. They did indeed do Skin Tight (first) and I Want To Be Free (last), with some Love Rollercoaster, Jive Turkey and Fire thrown in.
Onto Dave Koz and friends. They were very entertaining with their matching vested leisure suits and slick dance moves. They played a nice set with songs mostly from the 60s and 70s. Each of the Summer Horns had a solo piece. Leo P played Tower of Power’s Squib Cakes and it was fantastic. Regina Belle joined for several songs and she sounded great. It was a really good show. And at some point during that really good show, they presented the birthday girl with a cake topped with 2 fountain fireworks. ACTUAL FIREWORKS on the cake! Her response was, “Oh, you got me again this year!” Did the Bowl staff show up for that? Nope. Was I still just rolling with it? Yup. A few minutes later someone tapped me hard on the shoulder and when I turned around I was being offered a slice of cake. And when the band got everyone swaying in their seats, birthday girl made sure I joined in. I definitely enjoyed myself, but if I ever go to Dave Koz night again, I probably won’t sit at the very top.