30 before 30: Hollywood Bowl, The Zac Brown Band

It is late Saturday afternoon as we walk out of the apartment towards the metro gold line, heading towards our final destination of the Hollywood Bowl. Chris made us a picnic dinner of fruit salad, homemade carne asada pizza(with cilantro pesto) and a bottle of Truett Hurst Zinfindel. We had blankets and sweatshirts and were hoping it didn't start raining on us. We made it to the Bowl without a problem, the walk from the Hollywood and Highland metro station was a breeze, and I can't tell you how happy it made us to walk right by all the traffic.

You aren't allowed to bring alcohol into the Bowl so Rachel, Chris and I grabbed a curb and had dinner sitting on a blanket with hundreds of other people around us doing the same thing. Dinner was amazing, I don't really have any other way to describe it. The pizza was to die for and was a great match for the wine we brought. Thanks to Chris's friend Tiffany for giving us a great picnic backpack for our wedding, cause that's the only reason we had real wine glasses and plates! So much fun. :)

So we finish eating and head for our seats, shuffling along like cattle we get directed to a side entrance up the hill. Hardly any waiting to get in and as we come around the corner I am blown away by the size of the Bowl. It goes so far up the hill I can imagine people getting altitude sickness up there. I take a deep breath and we all start the climb, I now have a whole new definition of nosebleed section. Finding our seats is easy and we are not nearly as high as I thought we would be. We set up blankets on the wooden benches and settle in to wait for the music. The opening band is good but not great and nothing I would write home about. I did not realize till the end of the concert that the lead singer in the band not only had very long hair, but a neck bead that looked like you could braid it into his hair without difficulty. Good for him if that's how he likes it but it kind freaked me out. So much HAIR! :)

Finally the wait was over and The Zac Brown Band came on stage! We sang along and danced our hearts out. They did an amazing cover of 'Devil went down to Georgia' that got everyone in the crowd riled up. We met some really nice people in our section and some very drunk people also. Over all a fantastic concert. The sounds quality was so good, you could hear every word and never felt like you were sitting far away. If you ever get the chance to see them in concert it was worth every penny!!!

Then the merriment ends and we shuffle out of the Bowl with everyone else. We pass people trying to get their cars out of stacked parking, and people waiting for park and ride buses. One guy randomly stops pedestrian traffic, and then waves a car out onto Highland Blvd into stopped traffic. I was thinking 'wow that's so nice of him' then he opens the passenger door and hops into the car with his friends. Okay so that was the greatest thing I have seen in awhile. It proves that if you use a comanding enough voice people will listen, whether you have authority or not.

2 metros later we are home and crash from a fun filled evening. I am so thrilled that I got to experience the Hollywood Bowl, I don't think there is anywhere else quite like it. :)

30 before 30: Singing Lessons

I had my first singing lesson today! To say I was nervous is an understatement. The last time I took a voice lesson I was between 8 and 10. I remember the instructor saying she couldn't help me develop my voice until I was older, but that I should come back in a few years. Well by then I was spending all my time riding so it took me 20 years to get back to a vocal coach. I didn't want to be a waste of time and honestly I LOVE to sing. :) I grew up watching Roger and Hammerstein musicals at my Grandma's house and always thought people would be happier if they spontaneously burst into song. I even tried to put on a production of Oklahoma with one of my girlfriends when we were about 8. The project was scraped due to not enough actors. So I walked up the stairs to my first singing lesson in 20 years with no idea what to expect.

The waiting room had a few couches and chairs full of parents waiting patiently for their children banging away on a piano or practicing a song from Le Mis. I took a folding chair against the wall and waited. Suzanne Lukather opened her door and welcomed me into her studio. Hardwood floors, vibrant red walls filled with Broadway posters, a stage in the corner with lights, a mic and a single bar stool met my sweeping glance. So much more than what I expected.

Suzanne's easy laugh quickly put me at ease as we discussed my history, what I did for a living, what music I liked and why I was there. We jumped into warm up exercises and I began to realize that my diaphragm was out of shape. We worked on breathing technique, how to hold mouth as we went through several exercises. She was supportive and always willing to explain how something was supposed to feel or why I had missed a note. I appreciated her clear and supportive teaching style and the 30 minute lesson flew by. We finished by singing 'People will think we're in love' from Oklahoma, one of my personal favorite musicals.

I of course got homework to improve my breathing, but I can't wait for next week!!

If your interested in voice lessons check out Suzzane at http://www.musiclessonstudios.com/alhambra-voice-teacher-suzanne-lukather.shtml