we picked up her OG BFF, stopped at urth caffe to pick up some grub, and then made our way to the park & ride structure to board the bus that would take us straight to the venue. the bean actually was excited despite the look on her face here.
she spent most of the bus ride watching BTS videos on her phone.
and then in no time we were pulling up to the hollywood bowl. yay!
the first stop was, of course, the merchandise tent. we were fairly early, so we knew it would probably be best to hit it up at the beginning and get it out of the way. the line was long, but it moved quickly and we were able to pick up what we wanted without having to wait very long.
there was a fun photo op with giant blowups of the brothers' heads at the KIIS-FM kiosk, but none of us really wanted to stand in the long line that had already formed for it.
as we got in the security checkpoint line, we were pretty amused at the group in front of us who all wore matching shirts.
my friend nanette texted me and said that she could see this from where she was - a message from the boys to all of us:
we'd splurged and bought box seats for this show, which we were all pretty excited about. no bench seats for us tonight!
it turns out that we could have just come here and ordered food that would have been delivered right to us in our seats, but that's okay. we still needed drinks and dessert, so that's how we got it.
besides, i was pretty excited for my favorite pizza - burrata, prosciutto and arugula. three of the best things in the whole world.
as we munched on our food, we took in the sights, listened to the music and did some great peoplewatching.
the bean and i had ordered a big bottle of water and the girls had chosen some wine to share, but because they couldn't serve it to us in the glass bottles the beverages came like this:
and then we shared the brownies and chocolate cake while the old lady enjoyed an ice cream sandwich from coolhaus.
they headed off for a quick bathroom break before the show started, and the bean and i just sat back and relaxed in our comfy seats. i'd busted out my fun shoes for the evening:
it was funny to watch the bean sit there holding her sister's wine while we waited for them to come back.
the first of the two opening acts took the stage right at 7 - jordan mcgraw.
and while we watched, i cracked up as i realized that my kid had popped her earplugs into place. now i know this is a wise decision on her part because it'll save her hearing, but it was just so funny to me.
the second opener was bebe rexha, whose music we actually recognized. the bean provided the entertainment again as she sang along in her silly, exaggerated way. too bad it was too dark to get video.
her set was maybe about half an hour, and then the stage was set for the boys to make their grand entrance. we knew from social media that they usually pop out of an elevated floor, but because of the way the hollywood bowl is set up they had to switch it up a bit. instead, these boxes were brought out and then when the lights came up the brothers were inside.
the playlist was a great mix of songs from their newest album and old favorites that we loved hearing again. it was just like old times.
they came out into the audience a couple of times, walking the platform that separates the pit (which used to be a pool) from the first row of boxes.
and then they took it even further, making their way through the crowds and popping up onto a stage behind us. this was really cool, because it gave the fans who were in the very back a much better view. they sang a few songs here before heading back to the main stage.
these pictures of joe crack me up.
we were having such a great time, dancing and singing along, and it all went by so fast. before we knew it they were already at "burnin' up," bringing out a surprise guest: big rob, their former bodyguard who was featured on the original song.
and then after the last song - "sucker," of course - there were fireworks and confetti and their final farewell.
we managed to get back down the hill and onto the bus that took us back to the parking structure in pasadena.
it was such a great night. i wish we'd have been able to go to the second night too, like we used to do - remember how we'd go to every single show they played locally? but the hollywood bowl is such a pain in the ass to get to and from, not to mention the second show was on a monday night. they come back in december to the forum, but it happens to be on a cheer competition weekend as well as the old lady's special friend's birthday.
that's okay, though. this show was pretty awesome, and well worth the wait.
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