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In the springtime when the Hollywood Bowl announced their schedule, a friend of mine made sure to secure tickets to the “Sgt. Pepper’s at 40...a Beatles Celebration featuring Cheap Trick”. For some reason he agreed to go camping at Catalina Island for the weekend with friends, so I ended up with tickets for Saturday night's performance.
Looking around the audience in our Section R1 seats, the audience was what was expected for a bunch of people who grew up with Beatles’ posters tacked to their walls while imagining being devirginized by John.
Surprisingly I got no response and a couple of glares when I asked where the pot and acid were.
The show was broken up in two acts, the first being a bunch of Beatles’ numbers and the second being Sgt/ Pepper’s in its entirety.
Let’s just say the first act was mostly devoid of emotion. Rick Nielson Robin Zander (as you can tell I'm a huge Cheap trick fan) singing “Magical Mystery Tour” was great and all, but Joan Osbourne’s rendition of “Long and Winding Road” nearly put me to sleep. Even when Ian Ball of Gomez sang “Strawberry Fields Forever”, I was ruing the fact I didn’t bring a pillow.
The highlight of the show was near the end of the first act when Al Jourgensen of Ministry came out to horribly sing “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”. He came out taunting the audience calling them old and rich. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would see Al performing on the Hollywood Bowl stage, and from the laughs and gasps of the audience no one else did either.
During intermission there were people mumbling, “Who are Ministry?” I couldn’t help but laugh recalling the show they did in 1996 at the Palladium on the SphincTour. Ah those were the days.
The reminiscing continued in the second act for me during the recreation of Sgt. Pepper’s complete with sitars, tablas, double violins and tanpuras for “Within You Without You”. Back in my senior year of high school, my friend Arshad and I would ditch school every Monday. A lot of the time Sgt. Pepper’s would be in the tape deck as we went to Oceanside for a hamburger, Santa Barbara to see the campus and Temecula just because.
And that was what made this show great despite the stiffness of the performers or the horrible mixing. This show gave us an hour to recall what it was like in our hey day smoking our pot, dropping our acid, drinking until our brains corroded.
Yeah I know that I’m becoming an old fat fuck, but after seeing Al Jourgensen on stage I realize I’m not the only one.
Set list thanks to Mr. Andy Sternberg:
Act I
1. Orchestra Medley
2. Magical Mystery Tour (Cheap Trick)
3. Strawberry Fields (Ian Ball of Gomez)
4. Lady Madonna (Joan Osbourne)
5. Long and Winding Road (Joan Osbourne)
6. Norwegian Wood (Rob Laufer)
7. Blackbird (Rob Laufer)
8. Eleanor Rigby (Orchestra only)
9. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (Al Jourgensen)
10. Carry that Weight (Cheap Trick)
Act II – Sgt. Pepper’s Recreation
Encore – All You Need Is Love
BTW, I'm a little upset Cheap Trick didn't sneak in "He's a Whore" or "Surrender".
Image courtesy PoconoPCDoctor via flickr
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My experience on Friday was similar. No need to ask where the pot was, though. It was everywhere. Aimee Mann really struggled through Blackbird, too. The second act was much better than the first, though it felt like neither was rehearsed quite enough.
(And I was also a little disappointed that the encore didn't make it all the way to becoming 'Love is All You Need Me to Need You' or somesuch.)
It's Robin Zander that sang Magical Mystery Tour; Rick Nielsen is the guitar player.
I was at Saturday night's show, and I had a great time. I thought Cheap Trick did a fantastic job, and I have no sound complaints. I'd have preferred more Robin Zander and less guest vocalists though.
Even the security guards were friendly and let me search for a guitar pick after everyone had left. And there was quite a bit of pot smoke in the air.
Sorry about the inaccuracy. As you can tell I'm a huge Cheap Trick fan.
What section were y'all in? Up in the nosebleeds, we only got a faint whiff of a joint. Quite disappointing I tells ya.
Section U. Far enough back to be particularly surprised when Ministry's Sin showed up to take his seat and watch the second act.
We went to the beatles show at the hollywood bowl, it was better than expected. I was amazed to see ministry.
Being on vacation & from the right coast, I was particularly amazed by the unbelievable yuppiness of the show, picnic on the grass with foie gras & wine.
Not a hint of any substance or whatever.
We brought beer & stuff . Really out of place.
A very strange experience, must be LA LA land.