It's Albert from Seattle Gay News, in Los Angeles where it's been a blistering 100-degrees the past two days! Thankfully, my hotel (Le Montrose) has a rooftop pool to cool off at.
Last night I met up with Matt Costa for a drink before he went onstage for a sold out show at the El Rey Theatre, and then saw him backstage after the show. Sweet guy, and an amazing concert! If you never seen him before live, make it a point to do so. On Friday night, I saw a local metal band named Rattlehead at Whiskey-a-G0-Go, and I was really impressed. They rocked!
Speaking of rocked, country hunk Dierks Bentley let loose Thursday night on Jimmy Kimmel's outdoor stage, performing five songs before jetting to Atlanta.
Our E-tickets told us to arrive by 6:15 at El Capitan Theatre in the Hollywood district, directly across the street from the Kodak Theatre (home of the Academy Awards). Some of us waited in front of the theatre and were told 45 minutes later that we needed to go to a parking lot on the backside of the theatre, which we did. Then, we had to stand in line for another 45 minutes with no shade, in about 80-degree weather. Finally, they allowed us into the outdoor concert area - and we were so thirsty, but they had no water bottles, no water fountain, and quite frankly no bathrooms. So remember this, if you ever get tickets for a Kimmel outdoor show.
Inside the concert stage area, we watched the show being taped live on a giant-ass flat screen TV behind the drumset - so we waited for another 45 minutes through Kimmel's monologue, Josh Halloway (from Lost), and an idiot claiming to be a human Google (wasn't Nicole Ritchie available?). Finally, Dierks Bentley appeared onstage with his band - their backsides to us, and then turned around and played "Sweet & Child" with a pretty girl who joined in as Bentley's duet partner.
After the first song, Bentley and his band went right into the next song, which I think was "Trying to Stop Your Leaving". He looked great, and obviously had a touch-up between Wednesday's appearance in Seattle and Kimmel - his hair looked as if it was trimmed overnight; nicely groomed. Bentley wore form-fitting jeans and a charcoal short-sleeve shirt. The crowd was awesome, they knew all the words to his songs and clapped along enthusiastically.
Bentley performed "Settle for a Slowdown", which was not played in Seattle and I really wanted to hear it, so I was ecstatic to hear it performed live. If I remember correctly, "Lot of Leavin' Left to Do" was also performed.
Just before wrapping up his set, he told the audience he would take recommendations for a nearby bar to go to before heading to the airport. But he didn't bring it up again after completing his mini show. He did, however, jump down and autograph a fan's shirt that apparently has a bunch of country artist signatures and lacked Bentley's, and then he shook the hands of fans in the front row before jumping backstage and disappearing.
Five songs flew by fast, considering we waited for over two hours (some people waited all afternoon). But it was something unique and crazy - to see a big artist like this with the Roosevelt Hotel off to the left and the Hollwood hills behind us, and great big blue sky above. I thought for sure "What Was I Thinkin'" would be played, as did others in attendance, but that wish just didn't come through. All in all, Dierks Bentley really rocked that stage - and I'm told some artists perform their two taped songs, then take off - but he stuck around and played five.
