The Hollywood Bowl remains a favorite place to watch a concert. The natural acoustics of the bowl itself, the seclusion you feel from the rest of the city, and the backdrop of the mountains behind the artists add up to a unique Los Angeles experience. This night at the Bowl was dedicated to the Blues.
Bowl Parking
I parked at the infamous Hollywood Bowl stacked parking lot once and swore then to never do it again. This time I tried the Los Angeles Zoo shuttle instead for what turned out to be a stress-free ride in and out of the Bowl. It’s not a quite a short drive, nothing really is in Los Angeles.
The bus snaked hugged the backend of Griffith Park through the Travel Town railroad museum, past Forest Lawn and Warner Brothers Studios to reach Barham boulevard, Cahuenga, and ultimately, Hollywood Bowl.
The Show: Buddy Guy Turns 90
Buddy Guy is one of the kings of the Blues. He’s been on my list of artists to watch live for years. While doom-scrolling Instagram one day, I came across an ad for his 90th Birthday Tour. I knew I had to go, how many other chances would I get?
Opening for Buddy: Kingfish Ingram
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram is in the young class of Blues players but has already made a major impact due to the booming voice he pairs with guitar skills. He’s only 27 now but I remember hearing his debut album before the pandemic. The voice and lyrics sounded like those from a middle-aged man with heartbreaks and failures behind him. Instead, it was a babyfaced young man just starting his career.
Just listen to “Fresh Out” and the way he exclaims:
“I drank up my last bottle
Of Johny Walker Red
Ain’t nobody in this big house
But me and my empty bed”
Kingfish takes up space and gets lost in the Blues. His eyes are usually closed and his guitar expresses his emotions. To close out the set, he brought out Joe Bonamassa to back him up and exchange guitar licks.
Then came Buddy
The legend came out moving slowly but didn’t look tired. His hands moved much as they always do once they wrap around a guitar. He didn’t make the crowd wait for a hit song, as he jumped right into “Damn Right I Got the Blues.”
“You damn right I’ve got the Blues
From my head down to my shoes
You know I can’t win
Cause I don’t have a thing to lose”
Buddy played some covers, freestyled a bit to show he still could, played hits like “Whiskey, Beer, and Wine,” all the while weaving short stories and one-liners in between. He even took some time late in the set to walk down the stage, playing nonstop as he walked through the crowd. He then introduced his adult son, who came out to jam with his dad for a bit and held his own. To cap off the night, Kingfish and Joe Bonamassa came out to join in on the fun.
As for Buddy, the living legend made his way off stage to a standing ovation.