I love The Hollywood Bowl!  My first pilgrimage this year happened last Monday to see Kings Of Leon with some my fellow 5 Alarm comrades.  Whether you are watching a breathtaking performance by the LA Philharmonic Orchestra or an electrifying rock n’ roll experience like a Kings Of Leon show (Caleb Followill: Beard or no beard?  Discuss.), you can’t help but feel the music and surroundings revitalize your entire being.

With its wide and glorious band shell, bench seating nestled inside a natural outdoor amphitheater and picnic areas that allow for outside food and beverages, The Hollywood Bowl is a unique and historical treasure.

Here are some fun facts about The Hollywood Bowl:

The first performance was by the Los Angeles Philharmonic on July 11, 1922

It’s one of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world and the largest in the United States with a capacity of 17,376

The “Muse Fountain” located by the entrance was designed by sculptor George Stanley who also designed the Oscar statuette

The first shell was deemed “acoustically unsatisfactory” and unattractive due to its murals of sailing ships and later destroyed in 1926

The next two shells built in 1927 and 1928 respectively are said to be the most acoustically superior in the Bowl’s history and were designed with movable acoustic panels by Lloyd Wright, the son of architecture pioneer Frank Lloyd Wright

The longest surviving shell was built by the Allied Architects in 1929 and underwent some acoustic improvements by famed architect Frank Gehry in the 1980’s before being replaced in 2003

There was a reflecting pool in front of the stage from 1953 to 1972

The all time record for attendance at The Bowl was 26,410 attendees in 1936 to hear the French opera star Lily Pons

Composer/Conductor/Pianist Percy Grainger married Ella Viola Strom on stage following the world premiere of his tone poem To A Nordic Princess which was dedicated in her honor

*For a complete listing of The Hollywood Bowl’s 2010 Summer season, click here