From Saufend Pier in March to Santa Monica and Venice Beach in May, pack your bucket and spade along with the earplugs. Photos from the sell-out concert at the Regent Theatre, Los Angeles on 29th May, 2019 and an eclectic tourist trail.
This was probably the first time I have been to a concert within walking distance of a district inhabited by 10,000 homeless people living in tents which is Skid Row. On the other hand it is reportedly the biggest concentration of homeless people in the Free World so pretty exceptional.
The bobber – a Yamaha 1100cc – belonged to the head of security at the theatre. I have a 2017 Triumph 1200cc equivalent so was interested to compare and we had a fairly lengthy conversation about the relative features. He told me it’s parked outside most days without a chain or lock but watched closely by him and frankly I doubt that many would have wanted to chance it with him. However it should be said that the security staff were probably the friendliest and most easy going of any I have come across. After the show the theatre bar stayed open for at least two hours after which I went back to my hotel in an Uber (having been advised that to walk ran the risk of homicide, my own that is).
Photos above of Broadway, LA and from the rooftop of the Ace Hotel. The Downtown district has distinctive architecture from the early c20th and is undergoing gentrification.
Near to Regent Theatre is a brilliant bookshop, The Last Bookstore which also sells vinyl and had a good selection of The Stranglers.
The Union Station is a classic Art Deco structure.
The support band was LA based Youth Brigade with strong credentials from the American punk scene and gave a good show. With the Doc Martens Airwair the look was more British than Californian.
The Stranglers had a similar set to that of the British tour in March although Tank was not played. The audience was enthusiastic with plenty of whooping and the band was well-received although I couldn’t help but notice a few shocked faces during the course of Bring On Nubiles. By way of an excuse for the lyrics, Baz explained that The Stranglers was an English band and there were no protests. The audience was very friendly and among the smattering of Brits were people from France, Canada and across the USA.
The entree to No More Heroes had the usual heavy bass that could truly be felt. Was it any coincidence that there was a 2.8 earthquake reported in LA that night? This was no dead loss event.
By John Dewhirst
@jpdewhirst
This blog is principally about Bradford City AFC (with links to my books) but you can find sundry other stuff including photos of The Stranglers‘ March, 2019 tour from this link. I’ll be posting photos from North Korea after a visit this summer.
PS Split focus effect on a number of photos through use of a LENSBABY lens. Blame my photography but not your eyes.
Wool City Rivals 