Evening of Chinese Splendor @ Hollywood Bowl

High Notes:

1. Not just one, but FIVE dragons before the show even started,  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   one dragon during the show, 
   
   
   and a flaming dragon with fireworks at the end of the show.  
   
2. Perry So conducted the LA Philharmonic and looked unexpectedly young for someone so talented.
3. The concert brought together generations with classical pianist Rueibin Chen, beloved folk singer Song Zuying, and pop star Wang Leehom.  The lineup made for a fun family activity. 
4. Wang Leehom's cover of his uncle, Li Jian-fu's, hit song Descendants of the Dragon  
5. All the performers on stage together for Time to Say Goodbye.  Wow, Song Zuying's voice is amazing 
   

Low Notes: 

1. I know it was an outdoor concert, so you can bring whatever you want to eat, but stinky tofu definitely should not be one of them.   
2. So this is just a personal low note, but seeing Wang Leehom play piano, violin, AND sing really made me wish I excelled at something, anything!
3. I've never seen so many Chinese people in one place outside of China.  Having been to China, I know people don't seem to follow any traffic rules (or rules of courtesy in crowds).  It was a pushy, rough herd of people.  First time I've ever gotten stuck in the tunnel while exiting...

More:

• Can Leehom Wang transcend China and America's pop cultures? - LA Times 
• Wang Leehom's video diary of that day 

Barry Gibb, Jared & the Mill @ Hollywood Bowl

Jared & the Mill
On the ride up to the Hollywood Bowl, Jennio and I were the youngest people on the shuttle...not accompanying a parent (it's so sweet that these kids took their moms to a concert).  At the Bowl, we did see even younger people...working the event.  I think it's safe to say that Barry Gibb draws an older crowd.  So, I'm not quite sure how the opener, Jared & the Mill, was chosen.  Don't get me wrong, they were good, but their Mumford & Sons sound would've been a better fit at an indie music festival.  After reading their AZcentral interview, I was impressed to learn that Gibb selected them out of 70 acts.  The man recognizes talent.


Barry Gibb

Barry Gibb with son, Stephen

When I went through a Bee Gees phase in my early college years, I never thought I would get to see any of them live, so I was excited when I heard Barry Gibb was touring and that there was a show at Hollywood Bowl (one of my favorite venues).  I mostly knew of disco era Bee Gees, so I was pleasantly surprised by their pre-disco hits (such as Spicks and Specks) and collaborations (like the album Guilty they did with Barbra Streisand).

The concert was a family affair with a duet with his niece, Sammy Gibb (who I like to imagine is a punk rock jazz singer.  Her voice was amazing) and a performance by his son, Stephen Gibb (who has a gritty voice fit for death metal).

Barry Gibb's voice, by the way, still sounds fantastic after all these years (zero old man voice).  And he has a sense of humor.  He put up a photo of him with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake on the Barry Gibb Talk Show skit (start at 4:22 to skip the weird Madonna part.  I wish he had actually been on the show and had a sing off with Fallon).  Then he went into Nights on Broadway.  The only thing that could've improved the already outstanding performance was if he had started the song with the skit's lyrics or shown the end song from the video.

Photo via Dailymail

The tour was a wonderful way to pay tribute to his brothers.  You could tell Gibb really missed them when he told stories while showing old family photos.  He even did a duet with Robin on I Started a Joke.  The video of Robin made it feel like he was there.

The show was a brilliant display of the Bee Gees' extraordinary musical career.  I never knew they originated To Love Somebody.  Everyone knows that song, but that night was the first time hearing the original.  And Grease live was amazing.  I didn't even realize Frankie Valli sang it, but I'm not surprised that Barry Gibb wrote it, definitely has his sound.  So many of Bee Gees songs have been sampled and covered.  Islands in the Stream was used in Ghetto Supastar, for instance.  The only song missing from the concert was Emotion, one of my favorite songs (written for Samantha Sang and covered by Destiny's Child).


More Reviews:

• Hollywood Reporter
• Fox

Coachella 2014 Packing List

Sadly, no Coachella for me this year, but since I saw so many Coachella packing guides going around, I figure I should add to them with something more than just "cute outfits".  These are the essentials I would bring to Coachella (or any festival).

1. Vapur Bottle:  can be rolled up when empty and takes up way less space than a plastic water bottle.
     
2. Mophie Juice Pack Plus:  protects your phone AND provides 120% extra battery to keep your phone functioning all day long.
    
3. Phone charger:  With the above Mophie case, you can charge your phone and the case at the same time. If you're lucky there will be tents with charging stations like the amazing H&M tent last year with AC, cold water, outlets, sunblock, and wipes to clean your sweaty face. That tent was an oasis in the afternoon heat.    
4. ETY Earplugs:  a friend changed my live music life with these earplugs.  They don't muffle the voices or instruments like other earplugs.  I remember using them for the first time and I kept taking them out to compare because it sounded like I wasn't really wearing earplugs.  The sound was amazing.  More details about how they work here.  
   
5. Bundle Monster Waterproof Beach Blanket:  folds up into the smallest of pouches.  Doesn't take up much space in your tote bag and you'll be glad you brought it because the grass can get dry and itchy in the desert and at night you have no idea what has been tossed on the ground throughout the day.  Plus it's huge unfolded, could fit 2-3 napping people.
6. Neutrogena SPF 100 Sunblock Spray:  yep, high SPF still exists and now in the form of a convenient spray!
7. Eos SPF 15 Lip Balm  
   
8. Hand sanitizer
9. P-mates:  if porta potties gross you out as much as they gross me out (I've gone all 3 days without using them) then these are a precious commodity.  They look weird, but they work.  I've used them in Tibet and China where a hole in the ground is considered a toilet...
10. American Apparel Thigh High Socks:  I tend to wear shorts during the day, so these are nice and warm for nighttime desert temps.  
11. Bandana:  for the dusty walk to and from parking / shuttle and a little extra warmth for the cold nights.
12. Fjallraven Totepack:  you have to have a bag to throw all this stuff in.  This tote bag converts into a backpack, which is great when you want to be hands-free while dancing.
      
13. Comfortable shoes:  my black Converse are my go-to, but if you're old like me you might also want a cushy, lightweight sneaker, like the Nike Air Pegasus 83 (if I have to wear sneakers I like them retro), for the next day when your feet are in pain from Day 1.  

Bands I would check out: 

Friday

• Outkast
• The Knife
• The Cult - okay, so I still love Painted on My Heart
• The Replacements
• Chromeo
• Broken Bells
• AFI - for old times
• HAIM
• Grouplove
• Jagwar Ma

Saturday

• Muse - hey, they are extremely entertaining live
• Pet Shop Boys
• Skrillex - out of curiosity even though it mostly sounds noisy to me...
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Empire of the Sun - theatrical stage show and great music
• Pixies
• Foster the People
• Solange
• Fatboy Slim
• Lorde - curiosity
• Kid Cudi
• Washed Out
• Chvrches
• Temples
• The Internet
• Foxygen

Sunday

• Arcade Fire
• Beck - classic
• Calvin Harris
• Neutral Milk Hotel
• Blood Orange
• Superchunk
• Classixx
• STRFKR
• Poolside
• Flight Facilities

Sound Bites 19.0: Central Florida

The last time I was in Central Florida was about 20 years ago.  A lot has changed over the years (hello Wizarding World of Harry Potter!), but some things stayed the same (like my unwavering love for Epcot).  Revisiting the places I went to as a teenager was even more fun as an adult, and part of the fun was discovering new food and drinks.  Here are some of my favorites. 

Food:

• mug of Clam Chowder, Oyster Roll (Celebration Town Tavern) - the restaurant is located in Celebration, a town that thinks it's in New England and is so perfect and clean it's no surprise that it was developed by The Walt Disney Company.  Now I've seen cups of chowder on menus before, but I've never had the soup come out in an actual cup.  I have to say, I liked it.  Having a handle made it easier to pick it up and scoop every last bit of clam chowder.  It was creamy and hearty.  I don't usually eat oyster crackers, but I really loved the saltine cracker flavored ones served here.  The Oyster Roll was overflowing with delicious fried oysters on a delicate split top hot dog bun. 
• Chicken Filet Sandwich, Chili Tots (Moonlight Drive-In) - eating a somewhat disappointing burger the night before turned me off to burgers that day (even though Moonlight's burgers sounded great).  The better-than-Chic-fil-A sandwich was ideal with its perfectly crispy and moist chicken.  And how have I never had chili tots before?  Loved it!   

• Braised Pork (Be Our Guest Restaurant, Magic Kingdom) - since we were unable to get dinner reservations, the quick service lunch was the next best thing.  We ordered our dishes on a touchscreen, and our food magically (well by a homing beacon rose) found us.  The 8-hour Braised Pork, chef's favorite, was extremely tender and the gravy was good on everything.  The dishes were a bit inconsistent with one out of three having hardly any gravy, but the server was nice enough to bring out a whole bowl of gravy (yes, I was jealous!) just for Jennio.  I was glad she shared some of it with us.  With three elaborate dining rooms based on Beast's Castle, we couldn't stop ourselves from taking photos of everything.  
• Pineapple Float with Orange Vanilla Dole Whip Swirl (Aloha Isle, Magic Kingdom) - pretty much an Orange Julius Dole Whip in pineapple juice.  Drool....  Wish Disneyland had this.  Oddly, you're not allowed to bring in Dole Whips, or any food for that matter, into the Enchanted Tiki Room, which is one of my favorite pastimes at Disneyland. 

  

  Jennio holding Dole Whip float

• Italian Chili Cheese Fries with Granma's Classic meatballs (Jimmy Meatballs Truck) - I feel like meatballs are the drunk food of the moment, so having them on top of fries with our Cigar City beers was perfection. 

Drinks: 

• Butterbeer (Butterbeer Cart, Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure) - tastes like butterscotch whipped cream atop cream soda.  It was so good, I had to have a second one before the night was over, regardless of the high sugar content.  Worth it.  
• Real Pineapple Milkshake (Moonlight Drive-In) - like having an Orange Julius milkshake, but with pineapple and pineapple pieces.  Mmmmmmm....
• Schöfferhofer Grapefruit Beer (Sommerfest, Epcot) - refreshing for the warm Florida weather.
  
  
• Cookie Dough brown ale (Cigar City Brewing) - if Disneyland was a beer it would be this.  It smelled and tasted like whatever they pump through the air on Main Street.  I regret not bringing a growler of this home.  

Song Pairing: 
Believer by American Authors

Trinidad Senolia @ Riviera 31 Lounge, Sofitel

Xperiment USA presents HDG (House Disco Garage) every Friday night at Riviera 31 Lounge in the Sofitel Hotel.  I don't often hear this type of music at lounges, so I was curious when HC and I were invited to check out the residency of Trinidad Senolia.  Unfortunately, Mateo Senolia, the other half of the DJ-duo, was unable to make it that night, so we only heard the sounds of Garth Trinidad.  I don't listen to much EDM, but I did enjoy his set and their past mixes on SoundCloud, especially the one at Moonshadows. 

Riviera 31 has changed my mind about lounges.  In the past, I thought of them as places where the music is terrible, but not as terrible as the drinks.  At the stylish Riviera 31, I couldn't stop myself from bobbing to the music, and who could resist ordering from a list of cocktails designed by famed Cocktail Chef Matthew Biancaniello?  My most memorable drink of the night was the Byblos (Plymouth gin, local wild arugula, pressed lime juice, agave).  The arugula was noticeable, but in a good way.  HC's tagline for the cocktail:  Detox while you tox.