HEAR: k.d. lang @ The Hollywoood Bowl

Well, first I must say something about the newly remodeled Bowl shell. At first sight, I didn't like it one bit. I missed the spheres that looked like they were floating ethereally above the musicians. And I was also grossed out by the giant four screens that flanked the sides of the amphitheatre. How tacky, I thought. Anyway, after Saturday night, the Bowl makeover is starting to grow on me.

I am sooooo grateful I got to see k.d. lang in concert. It's the best show I've seen period. She gave an unforgettable tour de force performance. Wow, does the woman have some pipes or what? I liked every song she performed, so I wasn't bored for a single second which means that every penny I paid for the concert was well-spent. The best song she delivered by far was Roy Orbinson's "Crying." That woman has made it her own. I also feel fortunate to have heard her singing live her signature hit, "Constant Craving," which is my favorite song of hers. She had fun with it by doing a jazzy rendition of it.

The highlights were when she sang some of the songs from her new album, Hymns of the 49th Parallel. The songs are all written by Canadians. These songs are not only beautiful, but they very much tug at your heart strings. My favorite one is called, "Helpless," which makes you want to cry because it's so exquisitely melodious - it's downright sublime. It's apparent that those Canadians really know how to write a ditty.

Those giant TV screens that I mentioned before aren't so bad after all. They helped make the concert more intimate by showing the performers up-close, and intimatcy is hard to achieve in a huge venue like the Bowl where the musicians resemble ants for those of us sitting in the nosebleed benches.

Lastly, today I read the L.A. Times review of lang's performance, and Robert Hillburn was not very kind to her. Oh how that man exasperates me! Maybe the night he went wasn't as good as the night I went. Anyway, this was the first time I read a review by him in a long time, and I'm no longer going to bother reading his crusty, jaded reviews.

::5 stars::