Showing posts with label Talking Heads. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Talking Heads. Show all posts
June 21, 2021
February 26, 2016
The Hearst Greek Theater performances
The William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, known in the San Francisco Bay Area simply as the Greek Theatre, is an 8,500-seat amphitheater owned and operated by the University of California, Berkeley in Berkeley, California, USA. It officially opened on September 24, 1903 with a student production of The Birds by Aristophanes.
The Hearst Greek Theater was built on the site of a rough outdoor bowl already in use as an amphitheater since 1894 known as "Ben Weed's Amphitheater". The project was championed by University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler and was the first University building designed by John Galen Howard. Its construction was financed by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, after whom it was named. The design of the theater is based directly on the ancient Greek theater of Epidaurus.
The Hearst Greek Theater was built on the site of a rough outdoor bowl already in use as an amphitheater since 1894 known as "Ben Weed's Amphitheater". The project was championed by University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler and was the first University building designed by John Galen Howard. Its construction was financed by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, after whom it was named. The design of the theater is based directly on the ancient Greek theater of Epidaurus.
photo by Sanfranman59
The Greek Theatre hosts The Berkeley Jazz Festival, pop, rock, and world music concerts, UC Berkeley graduation ceremonies, occasional addresses by noted speakers, and other events. Past speakers have been William Randolph Hearst (of course), President Theodore Roosevelt and the Dalai Lama.
The Greek is my very favorite venue for concerts and performances. The acoustics of the theater are astounding! As there are no walls to bounce the sound around and make it reverberate with extraneous echoes, it is pristine. The down sides of the venue is that it is constructed completely of concrete, including the seating. Oy vey! It is of prime importance that a cushion of some kind MUST be brought along to comfortably enjoy the performance. And on a warm autumn night it is absolutely gorgeous; on a not-so-warm night it is absolutely freezing!
My first experience with the Greek was a performance of Aida by Verdi. It was in 1958, a terrific year for me (link below), just after the theater had been remodeled. The production was stunning as it featured a VERY young Leontyne Price. She was just starting out on her career; she was young and gorgeous with the voice of an angel combined with that of a valkyrie. She was the ultimate Aida which no one could possibly replace. The production also featured real, live elephants during the Triumphal March; it was quite a spectacle!
Since 1958 I have had the great fortune to have seen many performers/performances there: Paul Simon (link below), Talking Heads, King Crimson (link below), Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, B-52s, Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond and the list goes on and on.
The Greek is my very favorite venue for concerts and performances. The acoustics of the theater are astounding! As there are no walls to bounce the sound around and make it reverberate with extraneous echoes, it is pristine. The down sides of the venue is that it is constructed completely of concrete, including the seating. Oy vey! It is of prime importance that a cushion of some kind MUST be brought along to comfortably enjoy the performance. And on a warm autumn night it is absolutely gorgeous; on a not-so-warm night it is absolutely freezing!
My first experience with the Greek was a performance of Aida by Verdi. It was in 1958, a terrific year for me (link below), just after the theater had been remodeled. The production was stunning as it featured a VERY young Leontyne Price. She was just starting out on her career; she was young and gorgeous with the voice of an angel combined with that of a valkyrie. She was the ultimate Aida which no one could possibly replace. The production also featured real, live elephants during the Triumphal March; it was quite a spectacle!
Leontyne Price ca 1958
photographer unknown
Since 1958 I have had the great fortune to have seen many performers/performances there: Paul Simon (link below), Talking Heads, King Crimson (link below), Laurie Anderson, Bobby McFerrin, B-52s, Harry Belafonte, Neil Diamond and the list goes on and on.
I can hardly wait for the next event!
William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre
2001 Gayley Rd
Net links:
Greek Theater website
Harry Belafonte ~ At the Greek Theater
Van Cliburn & Sputnik ~ 1958
Neil Diamond ~ Love at the Greek
Leontyne Price ~ A Christmas Offering
Paul Simon at the Greek Theater
Styrous® ~ Friday, February 26, 2016
October 22, 2011
Paul Simon at the Greek Theater
photos by Styrous®
On Thursday, October 20, I had the fortunate experience of attending the Paul Simon concert tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his "Graceland" album. It also was to promote his new album, "So Beautiful or So What", his first record in five years. The event was held at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. The theater is a stunningly rich acoustical marvel of an amphitheater built in 1903 that I have been to many times for everything from concerts (Talking Heads, King Crimson, David Byrne, etc.) to operas, e. g. "Aida" which featured the oh, so very young Leontyne Price in 1958 (I was also very young but I remember I enjoyed it tremendously as they had real elephants on stage during the triumphal march; they were crazy back then and you could do things like that at the Greek, don't know if they would/could do that now).
Simon came on stage and said, “Hello, my friends. I hope I’m not being presumptuous with that greeting but it seems better than ‘Hello my ticket-purchasers.'" The audience loved it and at one point sang happy birthday to him!
He did a cover of The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun,” and at the end said, “Thank you, George”. Some of his famous songs they performed were, "The Boy in the Bubble", "Mother And Child Reunion" and "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".
Simon was accompanied by guitarist Vincent Nguini from Cameroon, guitarist/drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, percussionist Jamey Haddad and talented multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras.
He did a cover of The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun,” and at the end said, “Thank you, George”. Some of his famous songs they performed were, "The Boy in the Bubble", "Mother And Child Reunion" and "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover".
Simon was accompanied by guitarist Vincent Nguini from Cameroon, guitarist/drummer Jim Oblon, pianist Mick Rossi, saxophonist/keyboardist Andrew Snitzer, bassist Bakithi Kumalo, guitarist Mark Stewart, percussionist Jamey Haddad and talented multi-instrumentalist Tony Cedras.
Simon sang and played a solo on guitar of
"The Sound of Silence"
What an incredible concert it was. Thanks, Paul.
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