Fact #162469
When:
Short story:
Linda Ronstadt plays at The Forum, Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, USA.Full article:
Robert Hillburn (music critic, LA Times) : Linda Ronstadt is one of America’s favorite pinups, but her success in concerts depends almost solely on her music. Unlike rock’s Chrissie Hynde or country’s Dolly Parton, Ronstadt doesn’t have a strong stage presence. The best you can say about it is that it’s unpretentious.
That’s why she’s usually more effective in a smaller venue, say the 5,000-seat Universal Amphitheater, than in the confines of the 18,000-seat Inglewood Forum, where she was dwarfed at times in 1978.
So, Ronstadt’s decision to return to the Forum this year, rather that play the Amphitheater, was a disappointment. Thanks to the spunky music from her controversial new “Mad Love” album, however, things turned out all right — for the most part — Monday night at the Forum, where her clothes mirrored her generally upbeat mood: A purple sequined tank top, red pants rolled up to the calf and red high heels.
The new album is controversial because Ronstadt’s use of songs by such new wave-oriented writers as Elvis Costello and the Cretones’ Mark Goldenberg have led hard-core rockers to charge she’s jumping to a commercial bandwagon.
In truth, Ronstadt has merely adapted the intense and mostly upbeat new material to her already wide-ranging pop-country-rock style. She demonstrated the point quickly on Monday, injecting a vocal verve in the opening number — Goldenberg’s storming “Mad Love” — that virtually reduced the huge Forum to club size ….
Social note: Yes Gov. Brown was on hand Monday, but he didn’t make an appearance on stage and Ronstadt didn’t dedicate a song to him.
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That’s why she’s usually more effective in a smaller venue, say the 5,000-seat Universal Amphitheater, than in the confines of the 18,000-seat Inglewood Forum, where she was dwarfed at times in 1978.
So, Ronstadt’s decision to return to the Forum this year, rather that play the Amphitheater, was a disappointment. Thanks to the spunky music from her controversial new “Mad Love” album, however, things turned out all right — for the most part — Monday night at the Forum, where her clothes mirrored her generally upbeat mood: A purple sequined tank top, red pants rolled up to the calf and red high heels.
The new album is controversial because Ronstadt’s use of songs by such new wave-oriented writers as Elvis Costello and the Cretones’ Mark Goldenberg have led hard-core rockers to charge she’s jumping to a commercial bandwagon.
In truth, Ronstadt has merely adapted the intense and mostly upbeat new material to her already wide-ranging pop-country-rock style. She demonstrated the point quickly on Monday, injecting a vocal verve in the opening number — Goldenberg’s storming “Mad Love” — that virtually reduced the huge Forum to club size ….
Social note: Yes Gov. Brown was on hand Monday, but he didn’t make an appearance on stage and Ronstadt didn’t dedicate a song to him.