An Evening With Diana Ross

Miss Diana Ross Brings It To The Hollywood Bowl.
(With apologies for the blurred photos)



This is truly a once in a lifetime event. Miss Diana Ross has made herself scarce after the failure of her Return to Love "Supremes Reunion" tour and subsequent brushes with the law and alcohol. She did release an album last year featuring a cover of the song "More Today Than Yesterday".

The last time she performed at the Hollywood Bowl was in 1967. Needless to say, the anticipation and expectations were high.

And Miss Ross did not disappoint!

Miss Ross made her appearance after the LA Philharmonic did the requisite opening act with two pieces that she helped choose. The pieces were "Slaughter on 10th Avenue" (Rodgers) and "Harlem" (Ellington). An intermission was necessary to set-up the stage for Miss Ross' appearance. There was room for a ten piece band, back up singers, stairs and a landing.

The opening strains for "I'm Coming Out" started and the crowd goes wild. Then we hear Miss Ross' disembodied voice floating through the amphitheatre. Where is she? She appears in what seems to be a red, strapless Bob Mackie gown with an enormous wing-like tulle boa and an abbreviated and bouncy version of "that hair" - and we have takeoff!

Her voice, if a little smokey with age, was still pleasant to hear. She started with some hits from Supremes which she delivers one after the other, seemingly without exhaustion, and prodding the audience to sing along with her, which they did.

First costume change was this sequin bathrobe for the hits of the 70's like "The Boss" and "Endless Love":


Second costume change was this 30's camellia gown for the "Lady Sings The Blues" segment:


Then she re-appears with the Big Bird Yellow dress for the finale and greatest iconic hits like "Theme from Mahogany" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough":


She returns for the encore/finale and sings "I Will Survive" in yet another gown. This time it's a lime green dolman sleeve number with a matching enormous tulle boa (not pictured):


It wasn't very long ago when I wished I could see Diana Ross perform live and now I have! Be careful what you wish for!

Here's a short clip from this most memorable evening:

At The Hollywood Bowl

July 26, 2008.

Guess who's performing tonight!


The Muses fountain was designed by Geoge Stanley in 1938. He's the same guy who designed the Oscar® statuette. The statues represent the Muses of Music, Dance and Drama:


We brought a picnic lunch and ate at the terrace. There are plenty of places to have a picnic around the bowl including the Highland Camrose Park, greenbelts across the bowl and several, if not all pathways going towards the gate and seating. You can also eat in your seat but I suggest you limit that to snacks and light refreshments since it can get tight. Unless you're in the box seats or VIP seats (then you'll get a waiter as well):


Tip: Best parking is at the church on Franklin and Highland. Parking is $10-$20 (depending on the event). Easiest to get in and out of, plus the money goes to the church.  Click here for more info on the church and parking.

They started giving concerts at the "Bowl" (what used to be referred to as Bolton Canyon) in 1922. Here is an aerial view of how the Hollywood Bowl currently looks like:


This is the section we are seated in. This is also where the cheap seats start.


As it becomes darker, the crowd gets eager with anticipation: