A Night to Remember: Gary Clark Jr. and The War and Treaty Light Up LA’s Hollywood Bowl

Written and Captured By | Tyler Middendorf

Spending any time at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California is a treat but pair that with perfect weather and the smooth sounds of Gary Clark Jr. and you have yourself a perfect evening. Playing the Hollywood Bowl is a dream for many musicians and this sentiment was a throughline throughout the show on Wednesday night. In between each song Gary seemed to take a beat and canvas the room as to not forget this moment. Outside of the amazing talent on stage, there were plenty of familiar faces in the crowd, from Robot Chicken’s Seth Green, “roast master general” and comedian Jeff Ross as well as singer and Broadway star Josh Groban to name a few. 

To kick off the evening, music group The War and Treaty electrified the room with belting soulful numbers like “Mothers Child” and “Bare Knuckles” that set the tone for the energy and tone for the evening. An exciting moment in their set came when they played moments from other exceptionally talent artists like Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and of course played a snippet of “You Raise Me Up” by their friend and audience member Josh Groban. 

The War and Treaty’s set concluded with three more songs: “Blank Page”, “Mr. Fun” and “Five More Minutes”. As each song went on the energy was matched by the audience where people were up dancing and singing parts of the song back to the musicians on stage. You could feel the audience wanted more and that is exactly the energy that The War and Treaty wanted to kick off this special evening. 

Now is the moment everyone was waiting for… Gary Clark Jr. Gary makes his entrance walking onto stage in a dark moment and backlit only by a few lights. Then as the music hit a moment the lights flash on, and the star is revealed. The show opens with the song “Maktub”, and a gorgeous light orange glow fills the stage as we are teased by the amazing production elements that will be used throughout the show. Wearing a stylish brimmed hat, Gary was moving effortlessly through each guitar riff ensuring each note had its moment to shine. The stage was shared with a bevy of talent musicians that each complimented the next and each taking their time to highlight their special skills. You can tell the love, respect and appreciation for their craft was on full display.  

As the show continued Gary played through hits from his catalogue like: JPEG RAW”, “The Healing” and “Our Love”. The crowd was loving every second of the evening and was waiting anxiously to see what song would be next. You could hear “We love you Gary” screams and chants echoing through the hill side where the Hollywood Bowl resides. It was communal, it was raw, and it was electric. 

Gary closed the show with his iconic hit “Habits” which is a song that has many levels and takes you on a journey through song and sound in a way that can captivate your full attention. As the show reached its ultimate conclusion, Gary made sure to thank his amazing band of talented artists and of course pay respects to the Hollywood Bowl and show this was a major career moment for him. The band played Gary off as he left the stage and cheers were echoing for more as the house lights came on. 

Catch Gary Clark Jr. on tour now!  

Photos By | Tyler  Middendorf