The Hollywood Bowl – one of the premier outdoor music venues in the world and the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic – was honored at the 20th Annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards on January 30, 2009, as the Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue. This marks the fifth nomination and subsequent award representing an industry-wide acknowledgement that the Hollywood Bowl is an icon with a rich and celebrated history, and that it remains a vital and relevant destination for performers and audiences alike.
Renowned for its exquisite setting, the Hollywood Bowl plays host to a tremendous diversity of artists, from classical and pops to jazz, rock, pop and world music. During the 2008 season, the Hollywood Bowl concert series included performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Devendra Banhart, Feist, Beck, Chris Botti, Nick Cave, Jamie Cullum, Gilberto Gil, Gnarls Barkley, Chris Isaak, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Les Miserables in Concert, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and Brian Wilson, among others. The team of Andrew Hewitt and Bill Silva also brought Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Radiohead, Stone Temple Pilots and Stevie Wonder to the Bowl, and the venue played host to the Playboy Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz and Mariachi USA.
"It's quite an honor for the Bowl to be recognized five consecutive years as the best major outdoor concert venue," said Arvind Manocha, Chief Operating Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. "Being recognized by industry peers is a wonderful testament to all of the hard work that goes into a Bowl season, from booking the artists to putting on the shows to maximizing the patron experience."
The Pollstar Concert Industry Awards honor the best of the concert industry for their accomplishments. Nominees were selected by over 125 concert business peers (agents, managers, promoters and industry professionals), and winners were determined by ballots cast by Pollstar subscribers. Other 2009 Pollstar winners include Madison Square Garden, Royal Albert Hall, 02 Arena, Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Club Nokia L.A. Live, The Greek Theatre, the Coachella Festival and the Glastonbury Festival. For over 20 years, Pollstar has provided music business professionals with the most reliable and accurate source of worldwide concert tour schedules and ticket sales results.
Nestled snugly in the Hollywood Hills, the Hollywood Bowl is the largest natural amphitheater in the United States. Seating nearly 18,000 patrons, the Bowl has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and presents outdoor concert performances each summer featuring classical, jazz, and world music presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. To this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. The Bowl's summer music festivals have become as much a part of a Southern California summer as beaches and barbecues, the Dodgers and Disneyland. The Bowl grounds themselves -- one of Los Angeles County's most renowned parks -- are open year-round for visitors to enjoy free of charge.
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