On the Town: Starlight Bowl bringing in bigger-named performers this summer to put a spotlight on the local venue
For those who believe the perfect summer night consists of listening to live music under the stars, there is no better place to live than Burbank.
With two of the country’s most iconic amphitheaters located just 4 miles to the south and 7 miles to the southeast of Burbank, there is never a shortage of opportunities for making any summer evening a perfect one.
Not only are Burbankers lucky to have the legendary Hollywood Bowl and the historic Greek Theatre close by, they are even luckier to have an amphitheater of their very own nestled in the Verdugo Mountains.
Originally built in 1950, the Starlight Bowl was shuttered during the 1980s and reopened in the summer of 1992.
An intimate venue for just 5,000 concert-goers, the Starlight Bowl offers great sight lines, grassy picnic areas, box seats, the opportunity to go right up to the front of the stage to dance or take photos, family entertainment and prices that are a fraction of what one would pay at the other two amphitheaters.
While an evening at the Starlight Bowl has become a summer tradition for many Burbankers, it is still amazing how many residents have never been to the hillside venue or don’t even know it exists.
In hopes of getting the word out to those folks so they too can enjoy an evening of quality entertainment, this year, along with the regular Starlight Bowl Summer Concert Series, the venue is also presenting special-engagement evenings.
“We made the decision to increase the season with the special-engagement shows to increase awareness of what we are doing with those from Burbank and the surrounding areas,” said Paul Paolone, with the city’s parks and recreation department, who oversees the bowl’s operations.
“It is our hope that by presenting bigger name artists from a wider variety of genres, we can attract those who have never been here before, so they can see what they are missing,” Paolone added.
The special-engagement series kicked off last Friday evening as saxophonist Kenny G took to the stage, or to be more accurate, the audience.
As the crowd awaited the show to begin on Friday, they were shocked to all of a sudden find the Grammy-winning headliner right in their midst, giving many an up-close treat of having him play directly to them from only feet away.
Dazzling the audience with his signature circular breathing technique that allows him to produce a continuous tone without interruption, Kenny G held an E-flat on his saxophone for a good 10 minutes as he fist-bumped fans while making his way through the audience and then to the stage for the remainder of his show.
Following the performance, Kenny G greeted fans and signed CDs as they left the bowl.
This is just not something that can be done at larger venues with huge crowds, but it is what can and does happen at the Starlight Bowl.
Throughout the remainder of this summer, along with the regular series of shows, the bowl will present a slate of popular artists and bands including Air Supply, Tower of Power, the Average White Band, Kris Kristofferson, and Ara Malikiana, a violinist of Armenian descent widely regarded as one of the world’s top violin virtuosos.
For detailed information, visit starlightbowl.com.
David Laurell may be reached by email at dlaurell@aol.com or (818) 563-1007.
