seen elvis play maybe 8-10 times? but never saw a show at the remodeled united artists theater and mama mia is that place killer
i originally bought a pair of tickets the day they went on sale, but they were terrible and no one jumped out and said take me take me so i sold them saturday and bought a single ticket in the third row balcony
took a lyft over. driver was indian. super nice guy but horrible driver. says he lives deep in the inland empire but he always gets one ride that takes him into LA and then hes stuck here.
so he drives around until he gets to downtown and then hopes some asian guy wants to go to san gabriel, but he can also get unlucky and a tourist wants to go to the beach
he said he wasnt going to risk his luck and said as soon as he dropped me off he was heading home.
elvis had a big fake tv behind him. most of the show it was just him solo with one of his dozen guitars. he played on the piano a little too.
i gotta say, as much as i love him, i always thought that he was a weak instrumentalist but after this show im glad to say i was wrong wrong wrong. he was perfectly good all by himself on guitar or piano and added with his incredible vocal range it was quite a treat.
wisely he brought opening act Megan and Rebecca Lovell of the Larkin Poe to accompany on a generous amount of numbers. one was on mandolin played like a rhythm guitar the other on a type of lap steel that emitted some haunting leads
their background singing were lovely and it spiced up the presentation a tad harking back memories of when Prince played with those twins a few years back
the best moments were when Elvis moved away from the mic and the amplifiers and just sang to the crowd within the perfectly acoustic 90 year old theater
everyone hushed up as one of the finest songwriters with one of the best voices
cried out to the full house
who loved every second of it.
that starkness, intimateness, that Jungian throwback to the campfire or the cliffside
it was so raw so natural and the type of thing you can only do with a great song
elvis played like four encores, many with the girls
i ran into broome, brendon and kpcc’s alex cohen.
the couple in front of me couldnt stop talking or moving. i know it was a concert, but come on.
afterwards i avoided the mob scene of ubers and the one taco stand, walked a few blocks. weather was perfect. like a summer night. found an empty taco truck got two tacos and ate them right there.
took a lyft home. mexican guy. he complained how someone wiped his hotdog fingers with ketchup all over his seats and how another lady spilled her red bull and lyft wouldnt pay.
i said, no food or drinks in the ride, g. and he looked at me like i was an a martian.