Pop Reviews : Feinstein, Clooney, Fireworks at Bowl

Michael Feinstein was just the spark that was needed Thursday for the first night of the Hollywood Bowl’s annual Fourth of July celebrations.

After an opening half in which the concert--also starring Rosemary Clooney--seemed on the verge of fizzling away into blandness, Feinstein’s firecracker presentation was the perfect trigger for the final pyrotechnic display.

Clooney’s solo set was mildly pleasant. Never a high-energy performer, she now sings with a stately elegance that neither gets in the way of such songs as “Sentimental Journey” and “Our Love Is Here to Stay,” nor adds much to their interpretations.

Feinstein, however, was all pepper and vinegar. He romped through the tongue-twisting lyrics of “Sister Susie,” paused for a sweetly nostalgic reading of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” then enticed the audience into an enthusiastic, sing-along sharing of “Lydia, the Tattooed Lady.”

The L.A. Philharmonic’s portion of the evening was devoted to a series of dreary variations on patriotic songs. Given the alternatives available in the music of Copland, Ives, etc., it’s difficult to understand why the orchestra--under the baton of David Alan Miller--would make such choices.

Even more curious was the oddly awkward departure of most of the ensemble at the program’s conclusion, leaving only the wind players to perform a climactic medley of Sousa marches as accompaniment to the spectacular fireworks.