Alex Turner performing with Mini Mansions at the Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Although it may sound better for Halloween, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one place you want to keep track of year round.
Situated on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, the Hollywood Forever was first founded over 100 years ago. It was the first cemetery in the city and remains an iconic cultural landmark.
Now some may find it a little jarring, but while the Hollywood Forever offers a resting place for the dead, it also provides a surprisingly great place for the living to hear music.
Throughout the few years, Hollywood Forever has hosted countless concerts on their lawn space and inside the Masonic Lodge.
Concerts held on the lawn allow fans to enjoy their favorite musicians in a spacious, outdoor environment, while concerts held inside the Masonic Lodge provide music lovers an opportunity to get up close and personal with bands and artists.
Musicians such as Lana Del Ray, Modest Mouse and Tame Impala have all performed on the outside stage, while bands such as Mini Mansions, Silversun Pickups and Borns have rocked the small basement inside the Masonic Lodge.
Mini Mansions 10/28/15 at the Masonic Lodge
I’ve yet to catch a show on the lawn space, but friends that have said it’s an exhilarating experience. However, I was fortunate enough to see Mini Mansions at the Masonic Lodge in an extra spooky performance around Halloween time last year.
The small basement inside the Masonic Lodge, a beautifully designed building, is just big enough for a couple hundred people to fit, and the stage sits right in front of you not too far off the ground.
Mini Mansions, a psychedelic indie band with a desert rock twist, created stunning visuals for their show and invited Arctic Monkeys’ front man, Alex Turner, on stage. The band’s performance was full of surprises and proved anything can happen at a Hollywood Forever show.
Although I usually attend concerts alone, the Hollywood Forever is a great venue to go with friends because everything from walking through the cemetery to waiting for the show to start is an experience in itself.
Before concerts at the Masonic Lodge, patrons wait upstairs in a room that overlooks Santa Monica Boulevard, and there’s something transcendental about witnessing Hollywood history collide with modern L.A. music. Enjoying the ambiance with friends makes it even better.
The next concert at Hollywood Forever will be Cate Le Bon at the Masonic Lodge on Wednesday, March 30. Le Bon, an energetic French singer is reminiscent of Blondie’s Debbie Harry – she even does a great rendition of Blondie’s “Call Me.”
By chance, I’ve seen Le Bon perform before when she opened up for Franz Ferdinand a few years back, and I can wholeheartedly say she is fun to watch on stage. Le Bon is a quirky and charismatic singer who moves her body with ease in the most sporadic and unexpectedly graceful way.
Tickets for Le Bon are on sale for $20. You can buy tickets and find more information about upcoming concerts here.
I’d like to add that movie screenings and other cultural events also take place at Hollywood Forever, and they are definitely worth checking out as well.
Source:: The Hollywood Forever Cemetery: An unexpected place for music