B.B. King Liza Minnelli at Hollywood Bowl

LIZA, LIVE: Liza Minnelli performed such hits as “Cabaret" and “New York, New York" at the Hollywood Bowl “Hall of Fame" Opening Night Concert on Friday.

As the summer heat and a sense of nostalgia permeated the air, the Hollywood Bowl kicked off its 87th season Friday night with a stirring, fireworks-enlivened tribute to three new inductees into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame. All -- flutist James Galway, singer-guitarist B.B. King and singer-dancer-actress Liza Minnelli -- were present and ready to perform.

For more than three decades, Galway's playing has been crossing classical music, dipping into jazz and bringing traditional Celtic sounds to mass audiences; King is a singing, guitar-playing icon of the blues and the namesake for a chain of music nightclubs; and Minnelli, the offspring of illustrious showbiz lineage, has starred on stage and recordings, in films, television and beyond. Further enhancing the evening, guest star Duane Eddy, the veteran rock guitarist, was cranked up and ready to recall his late-'50s hit “Rebel Rouser."

The performance opened with a fiery enthusiasm, as Thomas Wilkins -- beginning his first season as the principal guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra -- led the ensemble in a spirited romp through Shostakovich's “Festive Overture."