ALONG COMES MARY

The hottest ticket in town last night was at The Hollywood Bowl to catch chart popping sultry crooner, Lana Del Rey & one of my favorites, 90s survivor, Courtney Love! At first, a co-headlining tour with these 2 gals seemed like an odd pair; yet, after seeing their performances, I can completely see it. They’re both real at their craft. Courtney screams & roars lyrics like “I’m Miss World/Somebody kill me/Kill me pills” or “I don’t do the dishes/I throw them in the crib.” While Lana is full of life, always smiling & laughing, & taking long pauses between songs for selfies & chats with fans in the front. Her voice at times is like that of a sexy whisper, as she sings such lines as “You fit me better/Than my favorite sweater” & “Watchin’ me get undressed/Take that body downtown/I say you’re the bestest/Lean in for a big kiss/Put his favorite perfume on/Go play a video game.”

While the event was listed to start at 7:30, I was getting antsy as Courtney didn’t begin til after 8pm, greeting us with a heads up that she had to make it quick due to the venue curfew. Launching into the ruckus Plump, from the 1994 classic, Live Through This, I definitely felt like these beauties of 3 minute quips & riffs were a little rushed, yet Love did the best she can emphasizing on such favorite lyrics like “Someday you will ache like I ache” from one of my favorites, Doll Parts.

She also managed to make her limited appearance personable, yelling back with that infamous growl as fans shouted that they loved her, as well as cursing like a sailor & making sexual silly, comments about Del Rey. Courtney makes her time memorable!

Lana graced the beautiful stage promptly at 9, opening with Cruel World & looking gorgeous in a white dress, with her famous big hair all done up “Beauty queen style”. It was great to feel the audience’s vibes & excitement as she launched into some of her hits, like Blue Jeans from her breakthrough album, Born to Die.

I will admit, I don’t feel The Hollywood Bowl was the best fit for these 2 extremely talented artists. Having seen Love a few years back at The Fonda Theatre, her songs & energy are greatly captured in a smaller, intimate atmosphere. While Lana definitely can hold her own, I felt that the sound at The Bowl drowned out her vocals somewhat, also with Courtney. I also was disappointed that their screens didn’t have any close-ups of Courtney or her band; it looked no different to us than watching her on stage, & we were in Section Q, so, some enlargements would have been nice. Lana they organized much better as we were treated to multiple close-up’s of her & the band.

The crowd was especially fun, yet there as a hardcore Courtney fan, it was interesting to see the seats reach their capacity once her set had finished & Lana was inching closer. Courtney also poked fun at the endless amount of flower crowns among the crowds. It was a real Coachella meets Lollapalooza vibe….yet no fist fights broke out a la 1995 😉

Lana  will continue to be on the road through June 6th, with Courtney joining on select dates & popping up with some shows of her own. Get all the skinny on Lana’s web-site & Courtney’s Facebook. xo

(*Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. I purchased my tickets to this performance & as always, all opinions are my own.)