I love going to the Bowl and this night was no exception. We had a great time and the Phil played great, but the speakers and sound design of the show was unfortunately bad. There were trumpet solos and quiet moments of the piece that were completely inaudible.
Rite of Spring is supposed to be exciting.. but the sound of popping champagne bottles and crackling chip bags were louder than the most impactful moments of the piece.
For a venue so prestigious, with so much money, and in a major market city, there should never be any issue of less than perfect production value of such an easy concert.
Disclaimer is that the leasing events (such as Wilco and Florence and the Machine, etc) sound much better than when they try to mic the Phil. The Hollywood Bowl is a MUST for anyone in Los Angeles, but if you want to hear the orchestra wait until they're back at Disney.