05.29.08
The Police, 2008 – Hollywood Bowl, Night #2 (of 2) = Same Hits, Different Year / * 1/2 out of *****
I took a few photos and of course recorded the whole thing, plus ran into a Venerable Hollywood Celebrity, however since my return from Cannes to the States I have been working my slave job, about which I genuinely don’t care (it’s not the people, it’s the CRAZINESS and POOR COMMUNICATION), thus — much like a prom night kerfuffle — here’s a brief entry.
Hollywood is still a toilet; it’s now a polished toilet — but it’s still a toilet.
Unless you count hearing a few weird notes from the security queue, I missed “opening act” “Elvis Costello” entirely; allegedly, he and his band went on at 7:26. Who does that???
The Police energetically performed their Greatest Hits album from the mid-’80s. There were no surprises whatsoever. It was gratifying to see them, but being an Honest Critic (which most editors are too lame to handle), I must report that the show was delivered 100% as expected. Nice. Not thrilling — but nice. But a rock concert shouldn’t be merely nice. Thus the low rating.
I have never smelt more marijuana at any concert — nay, anywhere — in my life. What’s wrong with you people?
The band gave nothing personal of themselves, and “Sting” even gave a sort of “Vegas grin” in the middle of “King of Pain.” Most people were probably too stoned to notice, but I noticed. Mean it, or get off the stage.
Best songs came early: “Walking on the Moon,” “Demolition Man” and “Invisible Sun.”
Afterward, I met a nice woman who was stalking “Sting”; that was pretty fun.
A FREE “Elvis Costello” concert was announced (by the man himself) at El Rey at midnight — however my trudging and missed buses did not allow me to attend. I’m sure — beyond question — that this would have been the best part of the evening — but I was so tired from my recent travels and hideously draining day-job that I nearly fell asleep sitting on a wall outside a Carl’s Jr. waiting for a bus. At that point, I decided that my dangerous delirium outweighed even the best “Elvis Costello” could deliver.
The Police have much merchandise for sale; they even have “The Police” disposable plastic shopping bags into which you can put their merchandise.
~Gregory
P.S. Maybe a fuller report later.
P.P.S. Despite the lacklustre approach to the material, Stewart Copeland’s drumming is still The Greatest Thing In The Universe.
P.P.P.S. HILLARY CLINTON FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; SHE IS THE ONLY PREPARED AND QUALIFIED CANDIDATE.
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