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Music Review: Sheryl Crow at the Hollywood Bowl — Eat. Travel. Go.
It was another beautiful night at the Hollywood Bowl, one of my favorite venues to experience live music in LA. I am a longtime fan of Sheryl Crow (nine-time Grammy Winner) and thought Keb’ Mo’ (five-time Grammy Winner) was a great choice to warm up the audience. He did just that with his charm, smooth vocals, and exceptional understated guitar playing, all of which were well received.
One of my top picks from his set was “Good to Be (Home Again).” It had a special meaning to him that night. He explained that he was happy to be back playing in his hometown. He gave a shout out to Compton High School, while he scanned the audience looking for old friends. Find out more about the artist on his website — https://kebmo.com
Sheryl Crow opened the show with “If it Makes you Happy.” Like Keb’ Mo,’ she was glad to be back home in LA at the beloved outdoor theater…the Hollywood Bowl.
One of my favorite songs…”Leaving Las Vegas,” (from her debut album) made for a fantastic live presentation. The haunting background vocals swelled as the lights of the bowl provided the perfect backdrop for the song. As the colors transitioned through hues of blues, pinks, purples and a soft orange, it added to the whole experience. Four light structures stood directly behind the band, bringing even more depth and colorful accent highlights to the stage.
“Strong Enough” was raw and vulnerable — the organ had an ethereal quality as if it were crying out. In this interpretation, Crow strayed from her previously recorded vocal melody line riffing high above the original.
When it was over, she deadpanned to the crowd — “That’s why I never got married…but I also never got divorced.” She giggled and added “I kept all my money.” The women in the audience howled with hoots and cheers.
