Hollywood Bowl

Recently, my husband and I attended the Hollywood Bowl after an absence of some years. We were impressed by the many improvements that have been made, but were also appalled to discover that patrons can now consume alcoholic beverages during as well as before the concerts.

As a rule we enjoy alcoholic beverages as much as anyone, but the bowl’s lenient policies toward uncontrolled drinking spoiled our evening, and we wish to register our objection in the strongest possible terms.

When we arrived at 7:45 p.m., the people around us in the $16.50 seats were so far gone on beer that they weren’t in any condition to enjoy the Ella Fitzgerald concert, and we weren’t able to enjoy it either. The constant clanking of bottles was annoyingly intrusive, and the boozy chatter punctuated by loud whoops and hollers ruined the performance. We left during intermission in disgust, tripping over empties as we went.

It’s clear from our experience that things have gotten out of hand, and that the artistic principles upon which the bowl was founded are being overrun by purely commercial concerns. There’s no question that this misguided and mistaken policy should be changed, and that the same restrictions which govern indoor theaters should be reapplied to our most famous outdoor concert hall.

Admittedly, picnicking with wine and gourmet food is an important part of the Hollywood Bowl experience, but it seems only reasonable to expect management to set some limits by requiring that all bottles be corked five minutes before the performance begins.

BETTY A. WESLEY

Hollywood