GP Recap: A Grand Kick Off

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — As I mentioned in the brief note Sunday, Grand Performances kicked off Sunday with an amazing show that featured Dengue Fever, the Yohimbe Brothers, and Ozomatli. Concert goers were treated to four hours of great sets in the middle of Grand Avenue.

Sunday’s show on Grand was actually the work of the Fire Marshall. Last year’s Ozomatli show on the Watercourt was so crowded that it wasn’t going to be possible to stage another performance in that space. Thus the move to Grand, and it was a strategy that may become more regular as the popularity of the series continues to grow.

Additional reporting by Ed Fuentes. Photo by Dave Bullock.

Though most would simply say the night was held on Grand Avenue, it’s important to point out that it was actually Upper Grand that was the venue. Grand Avenue is double-decker, and it’s bridge-like construction made things a little extra exciting when the performers got the crowd jumping. If you imagined the ground was moving a little with you, you weren’t imagining.

Though certainly a good crowd showed up for the show, the space never felt overly crowded. Again this was a function of the wise move to take the show out into the street.

Food and drink were found in a couple of different venues. Catering trucks on Grand served up tacos to Disney Hall patrons and Ozomatli fans alike, while the Omni put out an impressively fancy hot dog spread on the Watercourt. Several booths sold water bottles for a highly reasonable $1, while more adult beverages could be found in the Beer Garden next to the hot dogs. Sound and video of the performance was piped in for the enjoyment of those inside.

Though the Watercourt wasn’t the venue for this night’s festivities, it certainly wasn’t empty. Free from the burden of hosting the entire crowd it instead became a giant lobby, providing ample space for those who wanted to sit down and rest.

The action returns to its traditional home on Thursday, June 21st, as KCRW’s Tom Schnabel hosts “Musicology 101: World Music Appreciation.”

Tomorrow we’ll conclude our three part coverage of this event with a few dozen of our favorite shots from the afternoon. Look for continuing Grand Performances coverage all summer.