Arctic Monkeys @ Hollywood Bowl
w/ The Lemon Twigs, Mini Mansions
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
AHEAD OF ARCTIC MONKEYS’ DATE WITH PERTH ON FEBRUARY 23, X-PRESS HAD A LOOK AT THEIR RECENT HOLLYWOOD BOWL SHOW.
Sometimes an opportunity comes up that is far too good to pass up – even if you only landed in Los Angeles at 8am that morning after a 15 hour flight (not including the time spent getting from Perth to Sydney) and you don’t sleep well on the plane; if at all. For this reviewer, the opportunity that arose was getting to see Arctic Monkeys play at Hollywood Bowl with support from Mini Mansions. Now tell me – would that have been an opportunity you could say no to?
There is something innately exciting about attending a concert in another state, another city or another country but when the venue is as gorgeous as Hollywood Bowl? It’s something else altogether. Think Red Hill Auditorium on steroids. The venue (all outdoors) is absolutely stunning and surrounded by the Hollywood Hills.
Mini Mansions was first on stage and, unlike venues here – opening time means start time which meant they started right at 7pm as people were still walking up the hill to get to their seats. They started their set with Freakout!, Death Is A Girl, Creeps and new single, Midnight In Tokyo.
They put on an excellent show despite the venue being half empty at this stage and Michael Shuman (aka Mikey Shoes – bass player from Queens Of The Stone Age) puts on a performance that is not to be missed. Shoes commented that it was their hometown show and that they were born and bred in California before screaming out “Go Dodgers!”. They finished their frenetic set with Vertigo, Works Every Time and Mirror Mountain. The only bad thing about their set was that it was far too short. Don’t miss these guys when they are here in Perth supporting Arctic Monkeys, you won’t regret it.
The Lemon Twigs were next up and while they weren’t bad, the audience were clearly not there to see them and the band reacted to that in the way a band really shouldn’t. They opened with Never In My Arms, Fooling Around and Small Victories. They started strong but really lost the audience with their frustration.
It was finally time for the main act, Arctic Monkeys, to arrive and they came out all cylinders firing with Four Out Of Five, Brianstorm and Snap Out Of It. Now, Hollywood Bowl is mostly seating with a small area for the dance floor and during the first two acts, most people remained sitting – until Arctic Monkeys came out that is, and everyone stood up, unable to sit still any longer.
They played a good mix from all their albums and the new songs fit nicely indeed so no need to worry when they play here in Perth. They finished their set with Don’t Sit Down Because I’ve Moved Your Chair, Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?, Do I Wanna Know? and I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor. For their encore, they finished with Star Treatment, Arabella and R U Mine?
As always, Arctic Monkeys put on a brilliant performance. In fact, as someone who has seen them play quite a few times, they have never put on a bad show. It really was the perfect way to spend your first night in LA.
KAREN LOWE
