Oakland East Bay Symphony at the Craneway Pavilion

Dawn and I attended the 2013 Oakland East Bay Symphony Independence Day celebration at the Craneway Pavilion, part of the now-defunct Richmond, California Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant. We had attended in 2011, I believe.

We arrived without $10 for parking, but the lot attendants kindly allowed us to park and go inside to use the ATM. A strong wind carried along with it the smell of the ocean. Many people had parked some ways away on surface streets and hoofed it in, presumably to save $10 in parking, but perhaps also to avoid the crush of  post-event traffic leaving.

We ate two hot dogs, a brownie, and drank white wine (sauvignon blanc) from a plastic cup.

The programs contained a misprint: KDFC no longer broadcasts on 102.1; emcee Dianne Nicolini made the correction from the stage.

I particularly enjoyed the horns on the Indiana Jones piece. Dawn sang along to The Little Mermaid, The Sound of Music, and a few of the medley of songs in Give My Regards to George.

As the program went on, the fog rolled in over the bay, obscuring much of the previously clear view of the peninsula. We saw masts of ships go by the windows. The booms of the fireworks announced the beginning of the exterior show, with most people filing outside or to the exits. We stayed inside and watched the musicians, seeing some of the fireworks on the large screens flanking the stage.

During the intermission, I overheard a man behind us talking about Richmond, California's transformation from drive-by capital of the world into a more respectable living space. He also mentioned the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory plans to build a second campus at the Richmond Field Station.

The orchestra's primary harpist, Natalie Cox, seemed a bit distracted during the firework performance, turning around and watching the fireworks...not much opportunity for a harpist, I suppose, so hard to blame her.

The musical program:

Star Spangled Banner - F. Scott Key/J.S. Smith
America the Beautiful - Samuel Ward
March from Raiders of the Lost Ark - John Williams
Little Mermaid - Alan Menken
Give My Regards to George - George M. Cohan; arr. Mike Lewis
Bugler's Holiday - Leroy Anderson with Diablo Wind Symphony members: Shane O'Brien, Cristina O'Brien, Taylor O'Hanlon
Sound of Music Medley Rodgers/Hammerstein 

INTERMISSION   

Tara theme from Gone with the Wind - Max Steiner

With Fireworks (with the Diablo Wind Symphony, John Maltester, director):

John Philip Sousa

• Washington Post  
• The Thunderer  
• Hands Across the Sea  
• The Fairest of the Fair  
• King Cotton  
• Stars and Stripes  

After Fireworks: Star Wars Suite

After the program, Dawn and I waited in the parking lot until the majority of traffic had gone. As we had walked to our car, we overheard one driver say to passengers in another car, "Do you really think you are a better person than me?" Awkward...presumably, the other car had cut her off, or refused to allow her to cut in?

We got home around midnight and collapsed into bed.