Dana, Jaime, and John - The Hollywood Adventure

On Sunday, Jaime and I headed to Hollywood for a John Mayer concert at the Bowl. It was a total blast!!

Jaime and I rocked The Cheesecake Factory at The Grove. It was kind of miraculous that we made it there for lunch, as we battled it out for parking and waded through a crowd of spectators watching some freaky-deaky contortionists that I quickly excused as being "cool" once I learned they were Cirque du Soleil performers. Although Jaime and I are smiling in this picture, we are silently willing the waiter to stop yacking about the Springville Apple Festival and his ONE friend, Candace, in Vtown, and bring the Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake!!! Yes, Mom, we did eat more than dessert for lunch. =)

This is our Beverly Hills 90210 drive.  We were on the lookout for Brandon Walsh and Dylan McKay in the Porshe, although Steve Sanders in his Corvette would have been acceptable as well. 

We kept seeing these banners around town.  At one point, Jaime demanded to know who the heck LA Phil was.  Oh my gosh, it was fantastic!!!!!!!!  If you, too, are wondering, it's an add for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. =)

Jaime and I are certain this is a paint-by-numbers mural, each brick with its own number.  Or, we have discovered the 21st century's Michelangelo!  Little do you know that your great grandchildren will be touring Hollywood and paying money to see the wall of an old pilates studio on which is portrayed the famed Female Adonis of Highland Ave.

Our tickets!  So glad that Jaime played "Mom" before we left town or else there would have been a picture of the Hollywood Kinkos were we had to print the tickets.

Our seats in section U1. Technically the nose-bleed section, and yet totally acceptable and lovely. How can you go wrong on a summer evening? We did purchase the cushion rental for $.75. Money well spent.

We are actually in the picture!!  It's not of our children!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A closer look at the Hollywood sign that we could see above The Bowl.  I think I see Brandon and Dylan having a camp-out up there... Too bad we didn't bring our hiking shoes.

Owl City was our opening band.  These guys made me feel old.  I would say that they are in league with Hannah Montana.  Feel free to argue with me, if you're a fan, but we were seriously put off when they had a whole song dedicated to the lead singer's trip to the dentist. For reals.  And there was another one all about riding his bike.  Their lyrics had some real gems like "I've been to the dentist, so I know the drill," and "I rode my bike onto the turnpike and it took its toll."  I gagged so hard on the puns that I didn't need to eat until midnight. 
Jaime and I were floored to learn that they had a legitimate song from the radio called "Fireflies."  Seeing that this band is some kind of bubble gum rock band challenged my assumption that "Fireflies" was all about an acid trip.  I still say these kids (can you see my cane waving in the air as I call them kids?) are a step above the Imagination Movers from the Disney Channel. If they had puppets, they'd have a show for sure.  Opening for the Doodlebops, maybe? ... Too harsh? 

John gets started and rescues our sanity!!!

Lots to say about this picture.  Okay, first, John Mayer opened with four songs played just by him and a friend he brought out from New York to play on the piano.  It was different and wonderful!!  If you go to Jaime's blog, The Baeza Blog, you can hear them play a version of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."  A-mazing.

Secondly, Spike Lee, whose spikes are glistening in this photo (and many others, humph), sat in front of us and had this jet black mess going on with one wiry white hair sticking out at the back.  It was the source of a lot of contemplation for Jaime and me as we turned inwardly, retreating to our happy place during Owl City.  In the end, neither of us plucked it; hence, we were not escorted from the concert with him for brawling.

I so completely enjoyed everything about this concert!!  John Mayer was so great to listen to - a true musician!  He sounds the same as his CDs, which is always refreshing when living in this Brittany Spears generation of big boobed non-talent.  Listening to him live was a chance to hear him jam with the other talents in his band in a way that added to the song and didn't distract from the songs that we know and love and want to sing with.  The Hollywood Bowl was a great venue.  I loved being outside (it was especially handy as many of the people around us felt the need to exercise their right to medicinal marijuana - I'm sure there was no illegal activity on the premises) and even though we were far up, the screens and lights were a great addition to the music - the camera work was fabulous!!

A concert t-shirt, of course!!! "It's been a long night in Los Angeles."  So true, John.  And more to come!

What is Hollywood without the Walk of Fame?  Michael Jackson, you'll never be forgotten. 

Just like Monty Woolley and Jay Silverheels.

Then again, Jay and Monty never had such devoted fans, like Debbie.  How sweet of her to transport part of her shrine all the way from Auckland, New Zealand! Check her out at www.myspace.com/debbies4umichaeljackson It is something to behold.

Graumann's Chinese Theatre.  Yes, I am that white girl who likes Harry Potter.  No, I did not do a charcoal rubbing for my personal collection of paraphernalia.

Matt Damon and I are holding hands!!!

This is the end of the photos.  But our night continued on with a desperate search for radio stations, some Santa Clarita Taco Bell, a freak out by me believing that we were going to get shot by another driver (who was probably just another unfortunate patient with medicinal marijuana), less than three tolerable minutes of Love Line, a brief history of the town of Earlimart, and then home at 2:30am.  It was a whirlwind made wonderful to share it with Jaime.

A BIG shout-out to the hubs for caring for our kids while I had fun!  He was happy for me to go and never reproachful of my time away.  What a joy to have a husband who enjoys time with his children and is glad for me to get some time without the fam.  Thanks, Sweetheart, for your kindness to me!  I love you!!!

Now, about Coldplay tickets...