Bowling for Dollars

The account of how programs for the Hollywood Bowl are put together was of interest to me, despite the fact that my family and I have pretty much given up on attending events there (“Puzzling Out Summer at the Bowl,” by Diane Haithman, July 3).

Why is this so? In the realm of classical music, the Bowl seems to want to include itself in the category of music festivals, when the truth is that it is really nothing more than a glorified municipal band shell for pops concerts. The “1812 Overture” accompanied by fireworks (and light planes and helicopters) is hardly groundbreaking programming. Music is so overamplified one might as well stay home and listen to a good CD.

As for other musical types, including jazz, which might not suffer too much by overamplification, the audiences around us during our last few ventures to the Bowl were so rowdy and rude that we left in disgust. They seem to think the Bowl is just a large jazz club where talking (loudly) is OK, along with smoking (tobacco and other products).

DIANA PALMER

Pasadena