Pharrell Williams Hangs Out Backstage With Quincy Jones After Hollywood Bowl
Quincy Jones took to social media to share that he “spent some beautiful time with Pharrell Williams backstage last night after his concert with Bruno Mars at the Hollywood Bowl.” Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that conversation.
His caption continues:
We hadn’t seen each other since the NASA – National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s 50th Anniversary Gala. Was really good to see him.
Recently Pharrell Williams performed with Bruno Mars at the legendary Hollywood Bowl venue and was surprised backstage by one of his biggest musical mentors: Quincy Jones.
Jones has had quite the Midas touch when it comes to molding young music stars into internationally recognized phenomena. It was Jones who worked with Michael Jackson as a producer, conductor, and arranger for some of his best selling albums: Thriller, Off the Wall, and Bad. It’s safe to say that Quincy Jones is a magnate in the music industry.
The LA Times reviewed the recent Bruno Mars/Pharrell Williams pairing at the Hollywood Bowl, saying that “Bruno Mars is a rare pop star who can make looking backward feel like the future.” As for Pharrell Williams performance at the Hollywood Bowl, the review was mixed. While praise was given to his abilities for producing ear-catching beats, rhythms, and lyrics, his stage presence needed work. Still, an impressive show by any account according to the Times:
“Mars encored with ‘Locked Out of Heaven,’ a strange trick of a single that so thoroughly, transparently rips off the Police yet sounds so unlike anything else in top 40 that Mars makes it his own. It turned one of the oldest ideas in pop music — a girl denying him affection — into something almost exultant and firework-worthy. The crowd got exactly that on Saturday, and it felt like a culmination of modern moods and those old, trustworthy pop-star virtues.”
Recently, Pharrell Williams and Bruno Mars began touring concurrently and performing together on several dates throughout Bruno Mars’ Moonshine Jungle tour. Williams has some solo shows throughout the duration of the year as well. Aloe Blacc is also performing during several shows on the Bruno and Pharrell tour. There’s also always a possibility for a walk on from one of Pharrell Williams’ several collaborators during upcoming shows.
Next up for Pharrell: He’ll perform at the Apollo Theater in New York City on June 3 and join Mack Wilds, Rico Love, August Alsina, No Malice, Chris Richardson, and Sean Paul for Shaggfest in Virginia on June 7. Bruno will next perform in Tulsa, Oklahoma on June 4, Memphis, Tennessee on June 6, and moves to New Orleans on June 7.
[Image Credit: Quincy Jones]
