Mazzy Star Tickets

I once had lost hope of seeing Mazzy Star Live. I am a big fan but never took the time to see them in the 90's. So this Bucket List item is checked off. Huge! They sounded perfect. Hope's voice has lost nothing and she is still HOT! Dave's Guitar work was Outstanding. The stage had a great dreamlike ambiance that fits the music well. They covered a lot of ground from the 4 albums. Played from 10 to 11:41 (as I recall). 4 backing musicians were excellent. My one comment is that the lights were too dim and not sited well enough on Hope's left. I had a great spot to the right front in the Balcony, but could barely see her. I moved over to the left (band's right) and had a much better view. Never settle! This put me 20' away overlooking them. Perfect!

The show was just ok. There was absolutely no lights on the stage so you couldn't see the band. I might have just been better off sitting in my living room listening to their disc. Left early.

The crowd was so respectful and in tune with the show. Nothing like it. Mazzy Star is the queen of the tambourine

I love Mazzy Star and Hope Sandoval's music. But at this venue the sound was off, a bit muddled. The stage was lit by a few candles and you could barely see the performers (I understand they may be trying to set a certain mood to go with the music but I didnt pay to see three candles flicker for 2 hours). Her voice was still beautiful but you may as well had a record playing. A bit disappointing really. She looked straight ahead the entire time, not even acknowledging the other 160 degrees of fans. Not that we could make her out anyways. The constant disposal of beer bottles and opening of PBR cans also interrupted the flow of the music. They really should have played a more appropriate venue such as a theater or better yet a church.

Mazzy Star Wiltern Theatre November 7 2013 The stage was set, well I couldn’t see what was on it, but the stage was set. It was dark, and it got even darker when the band apparently took the stage and the house lights dimmed and the half a dozen or so candles on stage became the stage lights for the show. This is how vocalist Hope Sandoval and David Roback (the bands songwriter and guitarist) prefer the setting to be. Last year I had the pleasure of seeing Mazzy Star in the daylight at Coachella. It must have been blinding for the group of nocturnals. I had a front row seat in the mezzanine, off to the right side. It was nice sounding where I sat and I could see the six candles on the stage with shadows moving about periodically. Hope stood at stage right for most of the performance where her microphone was. I think she was wearing all black….lol…..think she may have had on some above the knee boots. There was a large stage set up and the first thing I noticed was the pedal steel guitar. Josh Yenne is their pedal steel player and played the instrument on about half of the songs. He plays simple and fills the needs of the band at the right time with the right weeping sounds. The band did half of the tunes on their latest release that came out earlier this year. Highlights of those five songs for me were, ‘In the Kingdom’ and “California’ which was the first of three encores. The other songs they played relied on past albums, about half of which came off of 1990’s critically acclaimed, ‘She Hangs Brightly’. After taking time off as Mazzy Star and then coming back, it seems to have gone full circle and now hopefully will settle into a relationship that will exist for many years to come….probably not, but wishful thinking. I like the music, the ambiance of the scene, and the feeling that comes through as the band performs LIVE. Note: People were told from the start NOT to photograph or video any of the show. After the second encore, there were a lot of fans that could not resist taking a picture. Hope was annoyed by the situation, and called for the audience to “Put those ridiculous lights away”. IMO when performers ask for no photography or video it should be respected and obeyed. I have a picture of the beautiful marquee in front of the Wiltern, (I wish Hope was standing under it, but that’s ok) it will go in the book with the ticket. There were two openers. Mariee Sioux opened. She plays solo, acoustic guitar and sings soft sweet folk songs. I took note of her guitar playing as opposed to her voice, although both were good. The Entrance played second. They were a trio of “retro-fresh” psychedelic infused players and “dancers”. Not sure of there names, but the bass player had the 60’s mod slide and shuffle moves down to a pat. They were good musicians also and I would see them again in the future in a small club.

Mazzy Star hasn't changed since my college days when I first started listening to her. The sound is moody, dark and romantic. One distraction though was the iPad propped up on a stand near Hope Sandoval's microphone. I would still go back if she played in Los Angeles again.

I really enjoyed the Mazzy Star concert at the Wiltern. Hope Sandoval performed old and newer material in her sweet voiced, shy and soulful way. She came out for two encores. I was turned off by the iPad, propped by her microphone, that she scrolled through in between songs.

I have been a Mazzy Star fan for around 25 years and saw them back in their golden age in 1993 live. Because they were so new then and different, I remember being that much more excited about seeing them. This time around was a little different. They were still great and performed all the right songs that I wanted from their catalogue including the new material, but I sensed a reservedness. The stage set-up ruined a clear view of Hope Sandoval for most people, banning photos and videos was not cool, and Hope actually complaining about all the camera flashes did not help. Mazzy Star has never been known for physical or high energy shows, but just adding a screen to the backdrop is not enough. Unfortunately, Hope needs to re-think her repertoire and change up the sullen mood in order to not lose the audience. The Entrance Band was excellent and I really enjoyed their high energy and melodic set greatly! For me, they actually out-did Mazzy Star! I kind of laughed because there were so many people falling asleep during the first opening act and also during Mazzy Star's performance that I re-examined Mazzy's live show after the last time I saw them 20 years ago. The second opening act actually woke the crowd up and got people moving and having fun! Thank you Entrance Band! Overall, the performances were good and I enjoyed myself, however, the venue sucks! I have never liked The Wiltern! The stage is WAY TOO HIGH to enjoy any shows there from the first so many rows!!! The bar downstairs smells like a toilet, the slow staff takes forever to let people down to the stage to get a great spot, etc...etc...etc!!! Time to re-think everything Wiltern!!! Also, the audience around me in front of the stage were all kids who didn't know anything about Mazzy Star and fell asleep, while others just left. They didn't know any songs and stood there like dumb zombies. It is always better to see a show with real fans!

The Wiltern might be my favorite concert venue since it's beautiful, the service is good (they serve my favorite beer, Lagunitas), and most importantly, the sound is great. I had high expectations and Mazzy Star exceeded them! They were still perfect after so many years. The 90 minutes of music, vocals, and visuals went by so quickly; the sold out crowd wanted more! Hopefully they'll be back soon.