Grace Jones takes the Hollywood Bowl by “Hurricane”

Posted 08.02.2009 @ 4:15 pm by Tuesday Creative
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Several of us Tuesday’ers went to see Grace Jones’ first Los Angeles performance in over 20 years…and what a better place to make your LA return, than to the historical Hollywood Bowl.

The Hollywood Bowl is my absolute favorite entertainment venue in Los Angeles. Actually, it is one of my favorite places in the entire world. To me it encapsulates all the lure of Hollywood: entertainment, extravagance, gorgeous weather, celebrity, that carefree non-stop fun atmosphere, and, for those lucky enough to sit in the box sections, glamour.

Grace Jones brought every bit of that and more to the Bowl.

Dengue Fever started off the night with fantastic sounds, followed by Of Montreal with some wild circus-like theatrics, including a marriage proposal to Keyboardist, Dottie Alexander from her boyfriend Nick. She said “YES!”

After the opening acts, the crowd was ready for anything.  Grace Jones took the stage like a stealth bomb. Cloaked in a shimmering metallic “birka-like” drape, she delivered “This Is Life” from her latest release, “Hurricane” her first album in two decades. Throwing off the drape, Jones appeared, clad in a “peek-a-boo” white zebra costume, her dark skin making up the opposing stripes, and completed with flowing mane headdress and 8inch steel point stiletto boots to perform “William’s Blood”. Every song that followed was a costume change, each more extravagant than the next, courtesy of legendary, Academy Award® winning, Japanese costume designer Eiko Ishioka, who also was responsible for the stunning art direction. I cannot stress enough how truly breathtaking the costuming was. Or how well it was worn. From the Reggae Cheerleader Uniform for “My Jamaican Guy” to a red, red rose in bloom completely void of material in the back for “La Vie en Rose” Grace Jones brought her strong personality to the fashion.

Between each song, while changing wardrobe, Jones candidly spoke to the audience about her family, Paris and a random stream of commentary that was almost as captivating as the next song…and costume.

This was not the Grace Jones of the past. No fist fights with the audience, no throwing the finger, no walking off after two songs. The 61-year-old entertainer delivered an amazing theatrical performance. Her voice as powerful as ever, her body rocking harder than most women half her age, and still full of electrifying diva energy that got the crowd at the Hollywood Bowl jamming like I have never seen before. By the end of the show, as she was apologizing for running out of time and how “the engineers were pulling the plug” on her, everyone at the bowl was on their feet, singing “Pull Up To the Bumper” as loud as they could, and roaring for the unbelievable show they just experienced.

©A.M.P.A.S.


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