Attended the Fourth of July Fireworks Spectacular at Shoreline Amphitheatre with The San Francisco Symphony (Edwin Outwater conducting) and Taimane (ukelele).
GETTING THERE
Parked along Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View (south of US 101). Walked along Permanente Creek Trail, up and over US 101, then took a right, walking past the Google Alta Garage project: "California artist Kim West with curation and R&D by SPMDesign, the kinetic art facade called Ode to Bohemia No. 5 (Inexhaustible Blooms) was inspired by the local, native plant landscape, and consists of 97,500 colorful metallic pieces that reflect different tones throughout the day. "
Ate an early meal at Zareen's, a woman-owned Pakastani restaurant: Naan wrap (veggie samosa & side Tikka sauce); Beef chapli burger with cheese & side of masala fries; and a mango lassi. They took in-person orders via a kiosk with a touchscreen. We received a text with our order number, but never received the follow-up text letting us know the order was ready for pickup. Instead, an employee exited and yelled our number--which seems like some fuzzy memory of what happened on our first visit in 2023. The food was excellent. Glad I skipped the dessert (Firnee - Homemade Rice Pudding).
We took our time walking to Shoreline, stopping along the way at the Dragonscale-canopy building--now owned by Google and housing the Google Visitor Experience--to spin the public art piece Rockspinner, by Zachary Coffin: "First patented in 1869 by a Parisian bicycle mechanic, ball bearings played a pivotal role in the industrial revolution, making the new machinery operate more efficiently by reducing friction. They also let you spin this multi-ton boulder with your fingertips!" I got it revolving at a decent speed, to which a person walking by said, "Faster! Faster!" 😅 I felt a bit anxious at it's mass and people darting around it while it spun 😰
A few minutes later we heard voices amplified by bullhorn, which turned out to be event staff directing traffic into the parking area. We went down an escalator, staying to the right. A young disheveled couple passed us without incident on our left and apologized for their speed, saying they wanted to catch up to their friends just ahead. This year we got in line on the eastern entrance. The lines were quite long but moved moderately fast. Event staff encouraged families with members in wheelchairs or with small children to use the expedited ADA entrance. Bags were strictly limited this year--clear-plastic only and very small (see web site for details). Dawn's small purse was deemed an item to be checked until she went to retrieve her prescription meds, at which point they quickly and kindly volunteered to check her purse due to a medication exception. We'll look for an alternative purse for future visits.
At the security gates we held up my phone to the QR-code scanner, though the attendant at our line was distracted by conversation with another guest and not even paying us attention.
SF SYMPHONY
We purchased a "classic margarita" (double) and a churro, enjoying them at a picnic table next to the balloon-animal station. After a few popped balloons, we moved along to our seats.
We sat in section 101, row E this year. Visibility was pretty good. A comedian in a nice blue-checkered suit did a set--mostly jokes about aging. To our left was an elderly couple, a veteran and his wife. They enjoyed the jokes and sat respectfully. He did occasionally let out an ear-shattering whistle which left my ears ringing 😵💫 So every time after that I clapped with one hand on my knee and kept my left hand covering my left ear.
Edwin Outwater conducted this year. As the performers seated themselves, we observed minor details, like the cellist having a comfort bib on the back of their cello, the various colors of stain on the instruments, the various shades of white and off-white, the styles of sport coats and dresses. Happy to see a black man, Joshua Elmore, playing a bassoon: "The San Francisco Symphony is appointing its first Black principal player in more than 50 years, marking a significant step forward for the 113-year-old orchestra." They also had a woman in the percussion, though I do not see her listed on their principals page. (Dawn says it is not unusual for a woman to play percussion). As in previous years, Margo Kieser--music librarian and Nancy & Charles Geschke Chair--distributed music to each performer. I noted at least one pair of performers (e.g., cellists) where one person took responsibility for turning pages of the sheet music while the other continued playing. It looked to me like a classic Sith master/apprentice relationship, but Dawn just shook her head. 🙃
After a 35-40-minute first set, the symphony took a break and stagehands adjusted the seating for Taimane, a multi-instrument group centered around ukulele player Taimane Gardner. They wore colorful dresses and head-wreaths of tropical flowers and greenery. A male member of the group performed traditional dances in various costumes. I think Taimane played about 4-5 songs. She plays ukulele confidently, in bare feet, stretching dramatically into poses while staring intently. The male dancer briefly danced with an audience member. We observed his earlier dances a bit anxiously, as he jumped over large floor monitors, cables, and whirled quite close to the seated musicians. 😅 One member played a cajón, a "box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru". While she hails from Puerto Rico, it seems she now lives in San Francisco. The rhythm guitarist was also from Hawaii and seems to have a day job as an engineer. The violinist was born in Washington Heights, Manhattan.
After Taimane's set, they exited, and the SF Symphony immediately pivoted into performing during the fireworks. An enormous flag was lowered behind them. Fireworks this year looked great. Our seats gave us a clear sightline, unlike when we sat on the middle or opposite side, where the overhanging canopy slightly blocks the view.
Dawn correctly noted the final song of the night was inevitable: "Seventy-Six Trombones".
GOING HOME
As we exited en masse, Dawn noticed the Taimane merch table, so we purchased a sticker and the 4 CDs they had: 1) Ukulele Dance (2012); 2) We Are Made of Stars (2015); 3) Elemental (2018); and 4) Hawaiki (2022). They also sold black tee shirts, earrings, etc. Taimane was available for signing and photos. It was by chance we exited and saw the merch table--in previous years we exited the other side and would have missed it.
The walk back to our car was uneventful. I turned on my phone flashlight and we ambled along with everyone else. Traffic was gridlocked. However, on Old Middlefield Way, we drove without any delay onto southbound US 101 🌟 On the drive home, we watched other fireworks displays, and took it easy in case others were driving while drunk.
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