We are the first "pop" act to play the Disney Hall, the Frank Gehry-designed theater in downtown LA. It will be a bit of an experiment, for us as well as the audience.
On arrival in town, I become a booster for downtown LA, an area most in the band have never visited. Bands are usually sequestered out in West Hollywood. Judging by the view from our hotel, there is nothing but banks, hotels, and freeways overpasses here. I maintain this is the best part of LA to visit. I recommend Little Tokyo, Central market, the Bradbury building, east LA, and the Geffen Temporary Contemporary. Chinatown is not far, either.
"Sport Anglers Catch More Fish Than Thought" was a headline in the Times. I stared at it and misinterpreted it as if sports fishermen were not garnering enough philosophical insights while standing thigh-deep in mountain streams.
For guinea pigs, we do extremely well. There are some audio bugs to get out of the PA system in this hall. (We are playing sort of in the round. The seats behind have a view of our backs and probably less than perfect sound.) But over all it goes incredibly well, especially for LA, a pretty jaded bunch. The audience give us a 5-minute standing ovation about 2/3 through the set, so I guess they liked it.
A pal of David Hilliard, our drummer on the last tour, asks if he can propose to his girlfriend from the stage. I am open to these "gags," but in this hall, it proves a logistical can of worms. The hall manager, the union, the lighting director — everyone is involved in coordinating this little addition to the show.
But it works! The guy, Brad, is brief and sincere; he brings more than one person to tears — his girlfriend, now caught in a spotlight in her seat, hands over her mouth, is completely surprised. He gets down on one knee, just like in the movies, and an usher approaches her with a wireless mike so all can hear her response. (She accepts.)
It could have been a bit of silliness, but it turned out to add a lovely bit of true heart and realness to the show. Even some band and crew who have had bad experiences with the institution of marriage said later they caved in.
