This fall,\u00a0An Evening with John Legend\u00a0was everything the program promised: songs and stories. Joined by a full orchestra and gospel choir, Legend moved easily from storytelling into song \u2014 speaking about growing up singing in church, working in finance before answering music\u2019s call, and making art that travels the world.\u00a0I went with Sage<\/a>; watching him at the piano, hearing the choir swell, and feeling the crowd lean into every lyric made the night feel intimate and grand at once. His message \u2014 love, courage, and taking chances \u2014 landed like a soft benediction under the stars.<\/p>\n The season\u2019s Fireworks Finale paired horn-driven rock with smooth \u201880s gold. Chicago \u2014 together since 1967 and still going strong \u2014 delivered brass-laden anthems that made the Bowl sway: the kind of songs that bring back teen angst and first crushes in one chorus. Christopher Cross opened with his signature, mellow sweep, the voice that makes you sigh and smile. I loved sharing the night with Michelle, Adam, and Eva \u2014 and it was extra special spotting my parents with friends, plus Jessica, Shimon, and their crew. Fireworks, horns, and community: a perfect LA farewell to summer.<\/p>\n 2025: Jurassic Park in Concert \u2014 A Roaring, Symphonic Ride<\/p>\n One of the season\u2019s most cinematic nights was\u00a0Jurassic Park in Concert. Watching Spielberg\u2019s 1993 classic while the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra performed John Williams\u2019 score live-to-picture transformed the film into a full symphonic adventure. Nearly three decades on, the audience still gasped at the brachiosaurus and laughed together when the park touted its \u201ccutting-edge\u201d CD-ROM tech \u2014 cutting edge in 1993, delightfully retro now. With 18,000 people beneath the stars, it felt like the best of summer: community, nostalgia, and cinematic wonder.<\/p>\n The 2024 season shimmered with color and range.\u00a0Barbie The Movie: In Concert\u00a0was pure, pink spectacle \u2014 featuring the Barbie Land\u2122 Sinfonietta, an all-women (mostly women of color) orchestra dressed in vibrant pink jumpsuits. It was playful, empowering, and so much fun \u2014\u00a0plus a fireworks finale\u00a0<\/a>to match.<\/p>\n Opening for\u00a0Pink Martini\u00a0that August was the\u00a0Andrew Bird Trio<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a delicate, melodic warmup for an evening of global, multilingual music led by China Forbes. The Bowl at its best: inclusive, joyous, and culturally curious.<\/p>\n Paula Abdul proved that star power only refines with time; at 62 she danced through hits like\u00a0Straight Up\u00a0with kinetic joy. Boyz II Men followed with velvet harmonies:\u00a0End of the Road,\u00a0I\u2019ll Make Love to You, and\u00a0Motownphilly\u00a0felt like a communal time machine, singing along with thousands under the sky.<\/p>\n 2023:\u00a0Star Wars<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 Return of the Jedi in Concert & Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks<\/p>\n A rain-soaked\u00a0Return of the Jedi in Concert\u00a0became a legendary Bowl memory: rain, lightsabers, and John Williams\u2019 score performed live by the LA Phil. It was wet, raucous, and thrilling \u2014 the kind of night where a city\u2019s collective fandom can be heard in every cheer. Soon after, the\u00a0Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks\u00a0delivered the\u00a01812 Overture\u00a0in cinematic fashion, complete with marching band and pyrotechnics. Both nights proved the Bowl is unmatched at marrying music and spectacle.<\/p>\n 2022 brought roots and rhythm. John Fogerty \u2014 the man behind Creedence Clearwater Revival\u2019s swampy, southern-fried rock \u2014 served up anthem after anthem:\u00a0Proud Mary,\u00a0Born on the Bayou, and\u00a0Have You Ever Seen the Rain. His set was a reminder of rock\u2019s earthy, storytelling power. That same summer, Ricky Martin made his Hollywood Bowl debut with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil, turning the amphitheater into a massive, dancing celebration that pulsed from\u00a0Livin\u2019 La Vida Loca\u00a0through every chantable hit.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n My modern Bowl ritual began on a fairy-tale note:\u00a0The Princess Bride in Concert\u00a0<\/a>(introduced by Rob Reiner), where the Los Angeles Philharmonic performed Mark Knopfler\u2019s new orchestral arrangement under conductor David Newman. Jessica joined me, and the fencing, giants, true love, and perfectly timed music made the night feel like stepping into a beloved book brought to life. It was \u201cinconceivable,\u201d in the best way.\u00a0Have you read the book<\/a>? It is AMAZING!!<\/p>\n Why the Bowl Endures<\/p>\n From the reverberating brass of Chicago to the intimacy of John Legend\u2019s piano; from dinosaurs stomping across the big screen to the cotton-candy glow of Barbie night \u2014 the Hollywood Bowl is where Los Angeles gathers to mark the seasons, milestones, and friendships with music. It\u2019s where generations meet: where my parents and I hum the same chorus, where friends like Sage and Jessica become co-conspirators in memory-making.<\/p>\n Now, as the Bowl moves past its first 100 years, it still offers the same thing it always has: nights that transform the ordinary into the unforgettable. Under those arches, with the canyon as our witness, music keeps telling our city\u2019s story \u2014 note by note, summer after summer.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to another season under the stars.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0Hollywood Bowl<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Hollywood-Bowl-photo-2025-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n