Hollywood Bowling

It's been more than a week since I saw Rufus Wainwright's alleged last performance of Judy Garland's music. The details of that night are just as fresh and magical as ever, though. I think it's going to be one of those nights that people discuss years from now: "Oh, you were there that night too? Wasn't it a wonderful evening?" I've had the privilege of attending a couple of nights like that now, and Sunday's performance belongs up there with Streisand's last night at the Arrowhead Pond during her first "farewell" tour.

I saw Rufus once before when he played at the El Rey Theatre in May. He has, as one reviewer of the Hollywood Bowl concert commented, almost an excess of charm. I luckily heard about him at the time of his first major CD; I have all of the ones he's released, and I'm looking forward to the December release of the Carnegie Hall show that began all of his Garland concerts. He has such a different sound; his vocal quality is just spellbinding. I'd never had a chance to see him before the May concert, and I wasn't disappointed with his singing of all the music from Release the Stars.

Nothing prepared me for Sunday night, though. It was my first time back to the Bowl since my friend M took me many years ago to an Evening of Jazz. It was the year after Ella Fitzgerald had passed away, and M only went to this concert halfheartedly. I enjoyed it, but he never returned after that. He'd rather remember summers at the Bowl when Ella was still there. Since that night, the Bowl's shell (that looks strange--"the Bowl's shell") has been renovated and large video screens have been installed. I could see Rufus as clearly on Sunday as I did back in May, thanks to the great seats strategically located near one of those large screens.

He sang beautifully, even if he doesn't have Judy's range. Of course, he can't hit a high note the way she could. Few can. He apologized for that several times, but he and we were having far too much fun to care. He sang uptempo numbers like "San Francisco" and "Chicago" with such energy that many in the crowd felt compelled to sing along. He devoted songs to various people, including the gay men in the audience at Judy's Carnegie Hall concert all those years ago. His dedications seemed sincere, and he sang those songs tenderly.

A few highlights: His mother, Kate McGarrigle, joined him onstage for "Over the Rainbow." After some very funny mother-son banter, she played the piano while he sang sitting cross-legged on the ramp (just the way Judy did). Rufus did only one "drag" number: "Get Happy." He was wearing Judy's outfit from Summer Stock, the black jacket and tights--you know the one I mean--and he looked great (amazing legs, by the way). The crowd, predictably, went wild. He brought Lorna Luft on stage to sing with him, and later she sang one of her mother's favorite songs. Lorna's appearance prompted a very young guy a couple of seats away from me to ask, "Who's Lorna Luft?" I'm shocked he made it out of the Bowl alive. Rufus, ever the generous performer, also gave his sister Martha one of the best songs of the night. She sang a blistering rendition of "Stormy Weather." (You can see for yourself on YouTube.) It's hard to believe that she's not a bigger star, but then again, I still find it hard to believe that Rufus isn't either. She got some of the loudest applause of the evening--several times--even while she was still in the middle of the song. If you could have a continuous standing ovation throughout a song, Martha would deserve it.

But the best moment of the night was when he sang what he called his favorite song in the show: "If Love Were All." He sang it back in May too, but something about his performance of this number on Sunday brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it was the knowledge that this was probably his last time to sing it on stage. Maybe it was the fact that J, my date for the evening, held my hand while Rufus sang it. Perhaps it's just the beauty of those lyrics, the sad, knowing detail of them. Whatever the reason, I will never forget it.

I liked how Rufus kept positioning his arms the way that Judy did. It was a nice homage, and I hope some others recognized it as well. I also liked how he told stories about her performance years ago, such as the appearance in her audience of Rock Hudson. (Rufus had star power in the audience too. Am I one of the few who still gets star struck when someone like Debbie Reynolds stands up and waves?) He also mentioned how it had rained during her performance back in 1961. It had rained on Saturday, and Rufus kept noting a drip from the roof of the Bowl, as if to suggest that Judy's spirit was reminding him of her presence. But most of all, I liked his singing. He should do an album of standards at some point. Unlike everyone else who's done a Great American Songbook (and you know who I'm talking about), he would bring that unique voice and a fresh approach to some amazing songs.

I left the Hollywood Bowl with J, talking about all of the great moments of what we had just seen. I must admit that I hate stacked parking. The last time I had gone to a stacked parking lot was at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater years ago for an Outfest screening, and after being stuck there almost an hour after the performance had ended, I vowed never to do that again. Yet here we were in the stacked lot. It didn't matter. Rufus had put me into such a good mood, and I'd had such a marvelous night, that I was ready to wait if necessary. Instead, the magic of the evening continued. J and I were able to back up my car just a few feet and drive around all of the other cars still parked in the lot. We were on the way out of the Bowl and driving back to West Hollywood in mere minutes. Thank you, Rufus. Not only did you keep the rain away, but you also made stacked parking a delight. I can't wait until you come back to Los Angeles to perform again.