The Force Is Strong At The Hollywood Bowl For Star Wars In Concert With The LA Philharmonic

On Friday night, WAMG had the awesome opportunity to attend Star Wars in Concert at the Hollywood Bowl.  Fans got to watch Star Wars: A New Hope – the mother of all Star Wars movies – while it was accompanied live by the LA Philharmonic.  Just seeing the movie itself on the big screen will always be a fantastic experience, but with the full live orchestra, it was out of this world.

Throw in tons of super-fans and 15,000 lightsabers and you have a full-out-of-body experience!

From the minute the gates opened, we were off and running. Fans got to meet and take photos with some of their favorite characters, including the iconic C3PO and R2D2, Darth Vader, as well as Imperial Storm troopers. There were also lots and lots of fans who came dressed as some of the most well-known characters in film history.

Once the skies darkened, it was off to a galaxy far far away. Equipped with lightsabers handed out to us upon entry, fans lit up the Hollywood Bowl, as if choreographed…no cues necessary for these diehard fans that knew exactly where and when to wield “the weapon of a jedi knight – not as clumsy or random as a blaster – an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.”

Photo Credit: Dustin Downing

Conducted by David Newman, the LA Philharmonic Orchestra performed the classic John Williams score to perfection, each crescendo and soft nuance piercing the night air to the delight of fans who were eagerly anticipating favorites such as the Imperial March and Binary Sunset. As many times as we have all heard the score, it was truly magical to hear it played live.

If you haven’t yet, we highly recommend catching one of the movie nights with a live orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. It’s more than a movie, it’s an experience not to be missed.

John Williams made his Hollywood Bowl conducting debut in 1978, as a late substitute for an indisposed Arthur Fiedler. Leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the program included several soloists (William Lane, Michele Zukovsky, and Glenn Dicterow). Among Williams’ own music were selections from Jaws and Star Wars: A New Hope.

2018 marks the 40th Anniversary of Williams’ Bowl debut, and celebrations were programmed throughout the summer season.

First was Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece of suspense, Jaws, followed by two nights each of George Lucas’ Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, with David Newman leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the two blockbusters’ countless unforgettable movie music moments.

The celebrations will culminate with three nights (Aug 31, Sep. 1 & 2) of John Williams: Maestro of the Movies, featuring famous selections from Williams’ incomparable film music. Both David Newman and John Williams will conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic for these special performances.

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