My good friend, Mondo, of the Lowdown Radio Show informed me that he had an extra ticket for the She and Him concert and asked if i wanted to go. I agreed to attend this show immediately. I got ready, got in my car and went forth on my last minute Sunday adventure. Had I known what was about to occur ahead of time, I would have driven to my destination just a little bit faster.
I had arrived to Ashley's house and all the attendees were there ready to go to the show. We were well equipped with snacks, drinks and the essential ingredient to make any concert just a little bit better. Mondo, Oscar and I ventured to Mondo's car to begin the festivities. We began smoking a freshly packed bowl of California's finest herb and began conversing about what the day had in store for us. We were trying to figure out how we were to continue our little ritual in the venue and that's when Mondo, like a seasoned magician, brought up his hand to reveal that he had acquired two nicely rolled joints for the special occasion. Needless to say, our concerns floated out out the car window like the smoke that was filling it. Our problem was solved.
Our group proceeded to fill Melissa's car. With everybody in place and Katt sitting on the floor of the van, we took off to the Hollywood Bowl. The trip was a pleasant one. There was no traffic and the vibes in the vehicle were positive. We spent the entire trip doing what we know best: talking shit to each other. Once we arrived to the Hollywood Bowl, we dispersed and began the long crawl to the top of the concert venue. If you have never been to this particular venue, one of the perks of this amazing place is that they allow outside food and alcohol in the concert! We were more than prepared. Oscar took charge of the group and we set forth to our designated seating area. One thing about the Hollywood Bowl is the long uphill walk. We were fortunate because the sun was beginning its decent and the night air was beginning to breeze through, the walk was easier than anticipated. Then we began walking up the hill.
As we slowly climbed the steep concrete hill, a noise filled the air. It wasn't a boom, it wasn't a crash, but it was something that took hold of us and made us turn around. That sound was the sound of our cooler bursting open and unleashing what was inside! A clutter of ice, food and alcohol decorated that blacktop floor as onlookers gasped at the event that just took place. The onlookers, sympathizing with our dilemna, stepped up and prevented our alcohol from getting away from us. We began laughing and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of kind concert goers helping us out. After the laughing had died down, we continued on our trip. We finally arrived to our seating location which was the very last row: perfect. The best thing about the Hollywood Bowl is the amazing acoustics in this place. All of my experiences there have been some of the best live shows I have ever seen and that reason was the killer sound that fills this place. This is one venue where it doesn't matter where you sit, you will be entertained. We were finding our comfortable spots when a woman asked Oscar if she can use his lighter. Oscar passed his lighter to the woman thinking a cigarette was about to be lit. Instead, she used the lighter to light her joint. She gave the lighter back, said 'thank you' and returned to her friends. Was it rude that she didn't offer Oscar a hit for his efforts to helping her light her joint? We believed it was.
Once we had settled into our awesome seats, we began the concert with a few drinks and snacks. I cooled off with a Sam Adams and enjoyed that last few moments of The Bird and the Bee's performance. During our down time, we enjoyed more drinks and snacks and an unwanted visitor joined our party: a creepy-crawly spider. There was a slight uproar coming from Lex as she exclaimed: "Kill it!". Then, without hesitation, Mondo took charge and, with his magic hands, exterminated the eight-legged party crasher. Mondo was praised for his bravery, but this would not be the last time Mondo would be in the spotlight, for the night was just beginning.
I noticed that Mondo had brought with him a new beverage: Red Stripe Light. This was a new beer that had just hit the market and it was a hit with our group. She and Him took that stage and, once the alcohol began coursing through our bladders, some of us had to go to the bathroom. Mondo, Oscar and I had begun scouting the area for a good spot to smoke our joints. There was no better place than where we were sitting because there were no security personnel to be seen on the path. So, we decided on the spot where our ritual was to take place and Oscar and Mondo went to take care of business and I stayed to enjoy She and Him's music which was really mellow and it went perfect with my combination of Sam Adams and the greens we had before. Mondo walked down the hill to get a glimpse of the band when I noticed a beautiful woman leave the facilities. She was brunette and was wearing a red dress with white polka dots, awesome stockings and some kick-ass heels. She looked very cute and very vintage, that's a + in my book. She looked like a real live version of Minnie Mouse. She began walking towards Mondo's direction and noticed the Red Stripe Light which he was holding in his hand. I watched in awe as this girl was taken in by this man's beer! Mondo began charming the girl and smiles were exchanged. I observed and thought to myself: "Fucking Mondo!". That is when Oscar exited the facilities and joined me where I was standing. He noticed that my attention was drawn towards Mondo conversing with this striking woman. We looked at each other and began laughing to ourselved. We saw the exchange in numbers between the two and Mondo walked back to our spot with a grin that stretched from ear to ear. We praised his efforts and began our ritual. There was no rush, no crowd and no worries as we smoked our joint in peace. We each kept an eye out for anything that might disrupt us, but there was no threat. We finished our joint and joined our friends to enjoy the show.
As you can see in these photos we were definitely the music and the herb.She and Him played a great set which included an amazing cover of I Put a Spell onYou which made their performance just a little bit sweeter.I was not aware that the band had a classic sound OR the fact that Zooey Deschanel was the vocalist! I guess I was the only one who'd thought that because my friends looked at me like I just said I didn't know who Michael Jackson was or something. Sorry guys.The sun had set and we awaited the next band to take the stage. While we waited, a member of the venue's security reprimanded Ashley for smoking a cigarette in an undesignated smoking area. We laughed and pointed at her misfortune and she gave us a 'Fuck Your Lives' stare. Shortly after, Mondo began to light the other joint that was in his possession. Our spot was amazing because we were up against the wall and it was dark: perfect. We smoked the joint, shared a few laughs and then the Swell Season started their set. Their music was different than what I'm used to hearing, but I appreciated some of the elements in their songwriting. The music was mellow but very dramatic which I thought was a great way to balance out their sound. Then, the female singer of the group, Marketa Irglova, sang a beautiful and haunting song called If You Want Me . This song pierced right through me and made me sit still and take in every note that escaped her body. I, along with the entire audience, were cast under her spell of meloncholy but soothing voice as it filled the Hollywood Bowl. The show continued with great music. There were many quiet moments throughout the show and during one song, the singer was gently strumming to a slow song, the audience was feeling it and then the sound of a creaky ice cooler abruptly took over his soft melody. We looked back to see who the culprit was and it was none other than Katt who contributed to the song. We put her on the spot and we all 'shhhhhhhshhh'd' her and we all had a good laugh.
The show came to a conclusion. The food was eaten, the beer was drunk and we had the night ahead of us. What to do now? I suggested we go to Jumbo's Clown Room , a burlesque bar in Hollywood. Everyone agreed with this choice and we ventured toward the famous bar. Katt didn't have her license on her, so she had to borrow Lex's license to get into the bar. After a few slips of the hand, the license was back to its rightful owner and we entered Jumbo's. The dancers were entertaining like always and we were all able to get a seat at the bar which was a nice treat. As we began drinking our Pabst Blue Ribbons and were enjoying the performances on stage, we noticed that Mondo had begun conversing with an unsual woman. She had a red t-shirt with writing that I was not able to make out what was written across her chest, but I'm sure Mondo got a front row view of what it said. She had short hair and we then noticed her unusual makeup choice. She had a giant streak of blue makeup that went across both eyes. She looked like a modern-day version of The two were laughing and then Mondo managed to take our attention from the beautiful dancers to him as he was about to set up a joke. Mondo, in all of his drunken wisdom, felt it was time to unveil what is one of the worst jokes I had ever heard in my life. He began with saying, "I don't usually do this. i don't drink and...". At this point, Mondo made a gesture as if to seem like he was driving and automobile. During this pint in the joke, the person is supposed to contribute to the joke by asking "driving?" Mondo's punchline was "no, I drink and drive. I usually don't drink and Jack 2Guys Off"! We were stunned and disappointed at his attempt at humor. We quickly turned our attention back to the girls. One of the dancers, Katy Cupcakes performed an awesome dance number. She is known to take over that stage and just dominate it with her acrobatic style of dancing. During her routine, one of her 8-inch heels broke off, but that did not slow her down one bit. She finished the dance like a champ and got a very well-deserved round of applause.
Just before we were getting ready to leave, we noticed that Mondo had been unusually quiet. We look to see what was wrong and we witnessed Mondo making out with the girl who, as described by Ashley, looks like Michael Stipe from REM. We were confused at how, after listening to that HORRIBLE joke, that she still decided to get down. All I know is, is that Mondo had a good time. We ALL had a good time. After we left Jumbo's Clown Room,we stopped to get some late night food at Del Taco and after we arrived to our final destination. We exited the van and that's when the alcohol and motion of the car began to hit those who might have had a little too much to drink. Melissa, the owner of the van, took a short trip to the neighbor's bushes to regurgitate the vodka that had upset her stomach. Mondo staggered out of the van and began making insults and telling everybody to shut up and demanded his crunch taco. The way Mondo attacked that taco reminded me of a pack of hungry hyenas preying on a fresh carcass. What I didn't notice was that he was simply eating what was left of the taco: a shell and a few pieces of lettuce and sauce. Ashley then yelled out,"Hey!". We looked down to see that all of the ingredients that were supposed to stay in the shell were now scattered on Ashley's driveway. I began to laugh hysterically and then decided that I was in no condition to experience any more craziness. So, we advised Mondo to sleep it off in his car, Ashley took Skylar and Melissa home and I returned home and was analyzing all that had happened in those few hours that we were away. And it all began with a phone call.
**To hear a recap of that incredible night, listen to the Lowdown Radio Show**
Listen to the beautiful studio version of If You Want Me !
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