Craig A. Meyer as Elton John. [Pasadena POPS photo]
Mid-August saves its good hours for after sundown, and by now your Saturday routine — takeout, patio, whatever’s queued up — has gone soft around the edges. What a night like that wants is a horn section and a pair of ridiculous glasses.
Enter Remember When Rock Was Young: The Elton John Experience, landing at the LA Arboretum on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., outdoors and under the stars. Craig A. Meyer and the Rocket Band are the guest artists. Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank takes the baton. The hits run from “Bennie and the Jets” and “Tiny Dancer” to “Candle in the Wind” and “Crocodile Rock,” and the POPS bills the night as a high-energy theatrical show built around the Rocketman’s music, costumes and charisma.
Here’s the part worth acting on. A limited number of table seats have just been released — for a Saturday show, in August, this week.
A table at the POPS comes with an unspoken assignment: the picnic. The POPS Table Decorating Contest has been running all season, with a chance at prizes and, more to the point, bragging rights. Bonus points for Elton-inspired costumes, funky glasses, and plenty of sparkle. Tag the POPS in a photo of your table on Facebook or Instagram, or use #POPSPicnicContest, and let the neighboring tables wonder where you found the glasses.
Lawn seats are currently sold out, but not for good. A limited number go on sale at the venue box office Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m. Limited is the operative word; early is the operative strategy.
So: a table if you move now, a lawn ticket if you’re willing to queue, and two hundred years of orchestral tradition pressed into service for “Bennie and the Jets.” Dig out the sequins and go be the loudest table on the lawn.
NEED TO KNOW: Remember When Rock Was Young: The Elton John Experience takes the stage Saturday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the LA County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. Craig A. Meyer and the Rocket Band perform as guest artists, with Resident Pops Conductor Larry Blank on the podium. A limited number of table seats have just been released. Lawn seats are currently sold out, and a limited number of lawn tickets go on sale at the venue box office Saturday starting at 5:30 p.m. The POPS Table Decorating Contest is open to picnickers, who can enter by tagging the POPS in a photo of their table on Facebook or Instagram or by using #POPSPicnicContest. For more, call the box office at (626) 793-7172.
