Yes, I am one of those people who loves LA. And yes, it is full of phoniness, celebrities and the paparazzi that follow them and facades every which way you turn. BUT, and this is a big but, it’s also a city filled with dreams, hope and endless opportunity. Not only is it a culture swirl, but it’s the land where fantasy meets reality, not to mention the weather is insanely fantastic.

This past weekend, I went to see a show at the Hollywood Bowl that I’ve been dying to see since I found out about it. Two of my favorite bands – Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem – were not only playing together but were playing together at a beautiful outdoor venue. In LA.

Meeting up with some friends, who I had sooo much fun with, we took the party bus from Westwood to the Bowl, barely catching the last one but managing to make it, though some pedestrians may be cursing me… On it, I sat alone since we were a group of five with seats being in twos, and then a cute and interesting boy sat next to me, making the ride feel like a second long even though the bus was caught in traffic on the 101. Sure, this could happen anywhere, not just in LA, but the backdrop of the Hollywood Hills and the diversity of the bus passengers made it all the more enjoyable.

Then, came the show. Unable to sit with the four friends I went with, because I bought my ticket separate of them, I headed to my box in the Terrace section, glass of wine in hand as the opening band, Sleigh Bells, rocked out. And there, I met the five people who were my box mates for the evening. Unbelievably cool. By the end of the concert, we had become friends. If you don’t know, the bowl is an outside concert venue in the Hollywood hills, beautiful at sunset and lustrous at dark. Hot Chip performed to an excited and dancing crowd and though they sound a bit better on CD then they do live, it was still complete fun dancing around the box to songs I’ve listened to a thousand times as a talented band performed on stage.

And then came a break. SO MANY PEOPLE. Got a quick glass of wine and just happened to make it back to my seat right as LCD Soundsystem took the stage. One of the guys in my box thought I wasn’t coming back to them and I was thrilled to see they seemed cool with me being there. At one point during the show, one of the guys turned to me and in so many words said he thought it was cool I was able to come to this box alone and then be dancing and having fun with them. It didn’t seem like such a big deal to me but then, I guess some people haven’t tapped into the beauty that is adventuring out alone…

LCD was amazing. Sounds even better live and the energy of the crowd was electrifying. It seemed like this group of strangers and friends all came together to enjoy the pulsating beats and intelligent lyrics of James Murphy and his team. I believe it was the guitarist of Hot Chip who also played with LCD that night, which I thought was so perfect, in how it fused two of my favorite bands together. This is a show I will not forget. Here I was, apart from my friends yet having a great time, in a venue tucked into the Hollywood Hills, surrounded by a diverse and rousing crowd. It was intoxicating. Better than any drug.

Still on the music high, my friends and I somehow ended up in a limo with their friends of friends and we headed out to a bar. As we exited the limo, I looked down and saw I was standing on John Lennon’s star. It couldn’t have been any more appropriate. John Lennon is one of my favorite people, of all time. The bar was red and dark and fun to have drinks with the people I came with. Got to know some new cool people also, which is always enjoyable. Except for a guy who decided to spill his drink on me when I wouldn’t talk to him, but hell, that immaturity isn’t going to ruin my fun. My amazing friend didn’t want him to get away with it but her sweet husband quickly grabbed her as we were leaving, to stop her from getting into anything with this obvious juvenile.

And back to our cars we went. Awesome night. Awesome friends. Awesome music. And an awesome cute boy on the bus.

Only in LA. The rainy mist in the air at the bowl in the hills off the legendary Hollywood Blvd, the John Lennon star under my feet, the random mix of artists and strangers in the crowd and perhaps most importantly…

The energy that is Los Angeles permeating the air.