By Matthew Fortuna
The Hollywood Bowl is one of the storied concert venues in the
United States. Nestled along the Hollywood Hills, the bowl is framed by the nature of the landscape and the Hollywood sign rising above in the distance. Located on North Highland Avenue in
Los Angeles, the Hollywood Bowl is home to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and can accommodate an audience of well over 15,000.
Opening
The Hollywood Bowl opened on July 11, 1922 with wooden benches in front of a simple stage in the Bolton Canyon. The first performance was by Alfred Hertz and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Bowl
The bowl was first built in 1926. It was reconstructed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1927 and then again in 1928.
Allied Architects
In 1929, construction began on the historic incarnation of the bowl, that was finished that year and stood until 2004. The bowl in over 70 years underwent many visual and acoustic changes, constantly improving the comfort and sound of the world's largest natural amphitheater.
Attendance Record
The attendance record at the Hollywood Bowl was set in 1936 by the French opera singer, Lily Pons. The show sold an astounding 26,410 paid admission, and attendance was estimated to be as high as 30,000.
1980
The bowl first surpassed the half-million mark in attendance, having hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Fred Astaire, Billie Holiday and Elton John in the preceding decades.
Recent Years
The Hollywood Bowl has become a popular destination for movie scenes, local high school and college graduations, festivals and fairs. It has incorporated some of the area's most popular dining venues.
About the Author:
Matthew Fortuna is a full-time freelance writer with a journalism degree from Wayne State University, living in the Detroit metropolitan area. He has written about a wide range of topics across varying publications, including Demand Studios, wiseGEEK.com and Suite101.com, among others. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Wayne State University.
