Last night, I made this summer's first trip to the Hollywood Bowl. Every year I say, "This season, I'm going to see everything and anything I want," and then, for some reason or another (finances, laziness, recovery time from my latest plastic surgery, et al.) I only end up seeing a couple of shows. Last week I missed the Ravel Concerto. This week, with Etta James headlining Blues Night, I was not going to miss. I was prepared to go it alone, but found some interested parties. What could be better than a little wine, some brie, crackers, the L.A. sky (a few stars were even visible) and a music legend?

Etta James is a force to be reckoned with. Raunchy and uninhibited, she can growl and purr to make you scream or she can wail and coo until you cry. My company was pretty shocked at how aggresively sexual on stage she can be, but that was what I was there for. (Besides, spend 5 minutes with FB and Ms. James would seem like a choirgirl). I'd seen her before some years ago and she was good. But she's in better health now (free of her wheelchair and 160 lbs lighter from what I understand) and she blew that performance - and everything else - away. Approaching 70, she can still tilt her head back when she begins "At Last," and give you chills. She also did a really strange, but hilarious impression of Bela Lugosi during a literal vamp at the end of "You Can Leave Your Hat On." The highlight for me was one of the quietest, least sexual moments of the evening. Etta and two guitarist brought it down a notch for "A Lover Is Forever." The oversinging "divas" of today could learn a thing or five about restraint from that performance.

Now I'm off to empty my wallet in order to actually catch everything else this summer I want to see at the Bowl. Next week is Chaka Khan & Gladys Knight & A Roaring Twenties Revue. After that, Tony Bennett makes his almost yearly visit. A little further down the road, Brian Wilson brings a SMiLE to town, The Rocky Horror Picture Show visits, and then there's a night of Hawaiian music, complete with hula dancers!

So much for that brow lift...

-J.

This post was sponsored by the I'd Rather Go Blind Than Miss Summer At The Bowl Committee.