CARVED into the side of a canyon, the Hollywood Bowl has the majestic permanence of a geological formation. Yet as the Bowl officially starts its 87th season Friday, musical change is afoot.
The opening night gala features a new principal guest conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Thomas Wilkins, leading a lineup that includes flutist Sir James Galway, singer Liza Minnelli and bluesman B.B. King. In July, Bramwell Tovey begins his tenure as the L.A. Philharmonic's new principal guest conductor at the Bowl, succeeding Leonard Slatkin. The season will also see the less-than-predictable Stone Temple Pilots, Gnarls Barkley, Radiohead, Nick Cave and Cat Power, plus a concert version of “Les Misrables," featuring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Rosie O'Donnell in August.
But in exchange for such pleasures, the capricious Bowl gods often demand pain. During any given pilgrimage, you might encounter some unholy combination of snarled traffic, stacked parking, overloaded buses, insane lines and general crowd chaos. We're here to help guide you though it.
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