The following are select
venues that we have visited and or attended an event at - in the Los
Angeles area. Some of these venues are also discussed on our
Hollywood page. Also note that sports stadiums and arenas often hold
live performances and host major entertainment stars. We provide reviews
of the major LA area stadiums and arenas
here.
The Egyptian Theatre
is located in the heart of Hollywood at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.
This is one of Hollywood's very historical buildings; it dates
from 1922 which coincidentally happens to be the year King Tut's
tomb in Egypt was discovered. As a result this building is very
Egyptian looking from hieroglyphics on the outside walls to
statues and large columns. This theatre is set well back off of
Hollywood Blvd so it sometimes can be easy to miss - the open
courtyard is an excellent place to take photos. It is right next
to the historic
Pig'n
Whistle Restaurant and near to the Ripley and Guinness
museums.
This theatre specializes in showing films not often discovered
by the general public. Historical tours are available by advance
reservation only. Sometimes the stars of the films will be on
hand to discuss roles.
Visit:
www.egyptiantheatre.com or call: (323) 461-2020 x 7 |
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The Ford Amphitheatre is located at 2580
Cahuenga Blvd East just off the 101 (East side) not far from the
Hollywood Reservoir. It is a small outdoor theatre owned and operated by
the County of Los Angeles. The setting is beautiful; it it surrounded by
the hills of the Cahuenga Pass and due to its intimate location, aside
from standing in their parking lot you hardly even know you are next to
one of LA's most major freeways, the 101! The total seating is under
1300 which when compared to the nearby 17,000 seat Hollywood Bowl, is
quite small. In addition all seats are less than 100 feet from the stage
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which if you've been to the Hollywood Bowl you know
about the "nosebleed" seats, hundreds of feet from the stage! You can
actually see the Ford Amphitheatre from some of the higher seating at
the Hollywood Bowl.
Due to weather restrictions the Ford Amphitheatre is open from May
through October, although there is an additional indoor theatre for
extremely small events (less than 100 seats). Whereas some of the other
venues in the LA area focus on big name entertainment the Ford
Amphitheatre strongly focuses on International performances including folk and bluegrass,
as well as dance
troupes, theatre and film. The strong point of this venue is their
excellent selection of International music. Parking is on site or during
their summer evening performances, can be via several shuttle options.
Excellent student prices. Check their website for the latest updates:
www.fordamphitheater.org
Geffen Playhouse is
located at 10886 Le Conte Avenue in Westwood Village right next
to UCLA off of the 405 Freeway. This is a premier live theatre often
holding shows containing fairly famous actors. We have not yet attended
a show here but have plans to do this during a future visit to town.
Stay posted! Visit:
www.geffenplayhouse.com
| The Greek Theatre
is located along North Vermont Ave off of Los
Feliz Blvd. This, along with Griffith Observatory was built in 1929
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from money left by the founder of Griffith
Park,
Griffith J. Griffith. The location
is in a canyon and was chosen as the outdoor acoustics are very
good.
Griffith was a character
who during a vacation to Santa Monica shot and severely wounded his wife, and as a result spent time in
San Quentin. He also had a generous side as he donated 4000 acres to the City of Los Angeles for
Griffith Park. The Greek Theatre is a beautiful intimate outdoor small
theatre set against the hills - many famous performers have sung here.
For
more info visit:
www.greektheatrela.com |
The Hollywood Bowl
is the quintessential big time outdoor concert LA
experience. Since 1922 the bowl has played host to some of the worlds
greatest rock stars. Outdoor theatres don't get much better than this
one. Big name entertainment regularly plays here. This amphitheatre
seats more than 17,000 people - as a result bring binoculars if you are
seated in the distant seats as the musicians will look like ants from
this vantage point. Pre-concert picnics have always been popular here
and parts of the grounds open up 4 hours before the concert actually
starts.
The Hollywood Bowl is nestled in the hills that make up the Cahuenga
Pass just up from the 101 freeway and the Hollywood sign is clearly
visible from the amphitheatre as is the nearby Ford Amphitheatre. On
warm summer evenings it does not get much better than this. When night
falls you can also see the lighted cross on Cahuenga Pass which seemed to
especially dominate the background during the song "Losing my Religion" at an REM concert we
attended here.
Be sure to check out the free museum. Tons of exhibits chronicle the
bowl's history. Many photos are on displays of past shows, backstage
moments and other memorabilia.
The Hollywood Bowl is also home to the
LA Philharmonic and the Hollywood
Bowl Orchestra. Outdoor summer classical music - a warm wind, picnic in
hand - not bad! Parking can be challenging - the high priced parking is
available in the several lots that surround the bowl. Some performances
have 1 or 2 opening bands. Often the majority of the crowd will come
closer to when the lead band performs. As a result, if a show is sold
out and you wait until the last minute to park, some of the main parking
lots that surround the bowl may be full. Note that all parking in these
lots is stacked, so you cannot leave before the end of the show should
you want to make an early escape from the exiting crowds. All nearby
streets are also blocked by security to keep visitors from parking. The
best bet is to use one of the bowl's park and ride shuttles. We've used
the Hollywood and Highland shuttle - this is a nice spot because of the
large parking garage found here, and it is also within walking distance
of the bowl, should you want to leave early (almost all downhill on the
way back!). The shuttle is free the day
of the concert if you show the driver your
Metro ticket. Its mostly a downhill walk from the bowl to the
parking lot.
Visit:
www.hollywoodbowl.com
Kodak Theatre
located almost next door to Graumann's Theatre
is home to the Academy Awards as well as many other star studded events.
This is a relatively new theatre having opened in 2001. Over 94 million
dollars was put into the construction of this - its unbelievable inside
- this is one of the highlights of Hollywood and we highly recommend
taking a tour. Be sure to stop at the Hollywood Visitor's center (ground
floor of the Kodak center on Hollywood Blvd) to pick up a coupon for
several dollars off admission to the Kodak Theatre.
During the Oscar Awards a huge red carpet is rolled up and down
Hollywood Blvd outside of the theatre and it goes to the main entrance.
Public admission to the Academy Awards is by a lottery only and there is
a very careful background check - and you have to go through heavy
security the night of the actual awards. Preparation and rehearsals for
the Academy Awards takes at least 3.5 weeks before the actual "big
night".
Your tour will take you inside the VIP room which is contained on one
the side of the main lobby. The architect used "soft glass" so that when
you walk on the outside of this room the windows instantaneously turns
fuzzy and you cannot make out the features of those inside. However at
certain angles you can see who is inside; this was done so those outside
of the VIP room have at least a glimpse of who is inside there, but at
the same time gives the celebs their privacy. Be sure to check out a
real Oscar award on display in the VIP room. During the Academy Awards
there is no VIP room and this room is not closed off from the main
lobby.
Unlike other theatres the Kodak was specifically designed to be a studio
as well as a theatre all rolled into one building. This is very unique
as in LA you have specific studios or you have specific live theatres,
not both. The stage is enormous (one of the largest in the world) and
you will have a chance to walk across it during your tour. The main room
is high-class - with balconied sections and plush carpet and seats. You
will have a chance to sit in the front row during your tour and there
may be large photos in the seats indicating where celebs sat down during
the latest Oscar Awards.
The tours last 30 minutes. No recording equipment
including any type of camera is allowed (must be turned off as well as
cell phones). We snuck in one photo of the main lobby which appears here
but for other photos you have to visit their website. Perhaps next time
we will take a hidden camera - its not like this theatre is ever
photographed. The easiest parking is at the garage at
Hollywood and Highland. Advance reservations are highly recommended
especially for weekends and summertime. Visit:
www.kodaktheatre.com/theatre_tours.htm for more information
about tours and this theatre.
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Mann's Graumann Theatre
is in the center of "tourist" Hollywood
& the fairly new, already very famous, Kodak Theatre. You can
start your walking tours here - parking is available in a garage
almost directly behind this theatre. Be sure to purchase
something as when you show your receipt to the parking attendant
you will receive discounted fare. Tours
of theatres may not count towards discounted fares. Since you are in the
heart of the film industry, to cover your parking cost, consider buying
a cheap movie at the Virgin Megastore located next door to Graumann's
Theatre in the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex.
The front of Graumann Theatre has the handprints and words from the most
famous of actors and actresses over the years. Squares of
concrete are reserved for individual actors. Current |
actors and actresses continue to press their hand prints and
write small notes into the concrete squares here.
Its always a big hoopla and red carpet event when
an actor/actress puts their handprint in the concrete here. You can
return a few years between visits and you will see new handprints. In
addition some movies use this venue for their worldwide premier and if
its an A list movie you will probably see a plethora of Limos parked on
Hollywood Blvd and you most likely be in worse traffic than normal as
one lane of Hollywood Blvd will probably be closed to traffic. The front
of this theatre is an excellent place to take photos and is always highly crowded,
especially in the summer months. This theatre is probably the most
popular movie theatre for new movie premiers and is highly sought after
by studios. There are several "movie characters" hanging around, who are
in costume here - be careful for the one that looks like Freddy Kruger
leaning against the wall without arms showing and no eyes. He looks like
a sculpture. However when you walk in front of him he will jump out and
wave his plastic knife excitedly - most tourists are completely shocked
when this "statue" comes to life in front of them! Highly recommend
putting yourself in viewing distance of this character and watch the
tourists reactions. These characters will ask for tips if you take a
photo with them. $1 per photo is probably fine. They do real well I
imagine based upon all the tourists who take their photos with them. Chewebacca is another popular costumed character here.
Tours of this famed theatre are well worth the money and are given seven
days a week. You can buy your tickets at the ticket booths to the left
and right of the main entrance. The tour lasts about 30-40 minutes and
takes you inside the front of the theatre as well as the main
auditorium. A tux clad tour guide will provide many details about the
theatre's history. If a movie is playing you will be taken inside for a
few minutes, but photos are not allowed of course until after the show
is over (you can come back later). One of the highlights of this tour is
the VIP room - where parties for movie premiers are held and famous
Hollywood celebs do hang out here on occasion. For more information call: (323) 463-9576
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Nokia Theatre
is part of the huge LA Live mega entertainment center and is
located near downtown Los Angeles next to the Convention Center and the
Staples Center. This is LA's hottest new theatre and already
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has hosted a number of well-known performers,
celebrities and comedians. With the amount of entertainment
persona who live in Los Angeles its no wonder you have an
amazing number of choices of events here! There are often live
public entertainment in the similarly named Nokia Plaza in front
of this theatre. There is also a huge outdoor screen that often
shows sporting events. In the meantime visit:
www.nokiatheatrelalive.com |
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The
Orpheum Theatre
is one of LA's venerable landmarks located in the south part of
the downtown district at 842 S. Broadway (LA's Broadway
District). It first opened in 1926. Judy Garland performed here
as a youngster and more recently it has served as home for one
of the American Idol episodes. It is also |
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available for renting out for private events. Check their events
page for the latest info and performances. Parking is fairly
plentiful in this area with a number of ground parking lots
available within walking distance. Visit:
www.laorpheum.com |
The
Pantages Theatre
was built in 1929 and was home to the Oscar awards for 10 years. It is
located at 6223 Hollywood Blvd. Today it specializes in live theatre
entertainment ranging from Broadway musicals such as Wicked, Rent,
Grease and many more. More information here:
www.broadwayla.org
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Walt Disney Concert Hall
is located at 111 South Grand Ave in downtown Los Angeles
(between 1st and 2nd Streets). Exit Grand Ave as you drive north
bound on the 101 (just before the 110 interchange) This major state of the art high
end acoustical rich building opened in late 2003. This building
was designed by the famous architect Frank Gehry (See Bilbao
Museum in Spain and the currently under construction
Hall Winery in
Napa Valley.
Besides serving as a host to a wide variety of music, the |
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Walt Disney Concert Hall is also the winter home to the
LA Philharmonic.
For ticket sales phone: (323) 850-2000 or purchase online.
The outside of this prominent building is covered with brushed stainless
steel plates. Along with other Gehry designed projects this building is
full of curves. We've been to a number of classical performances at top
West Coast venues and we have to say the acoustics inside the Disney
Concert Hall are among the best. Wood paneling dominates inside the hall
and is designed for superior acoustics. While seating over 2000 people,
the actual hall does not feel huge or overwhelming. The cheapest seats
in the house are usually found right behind the actual stage so if you
are watching a classical performance you see the conductors face as well
as the back of a number of the musicians depending on exactly where you
are seated.
Before performances you may be able to walk out on the balcony which is
located on the highest level of the concert hall. These doors are
usually locked but ushers stand beside them and when you need to be let
back in, simply knock on the door. The views of downtown from here are
very good and you can see the upper most parts of this building
very well.
There is a parking lot directly below the center which is the most
popular garage for events. As a result after a concert there is a mad
dash down to this garage and you may have a wait as you exit. A much
better solution is to park a block and a half away in the Grand Street
underground garage. You pop up on Grand and you are within easy walking
distance of the main entrance.
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