September 4, 2026. Every year, as part of a summer Hollywood Bowl package, there is a weekend for the music of John Williams. Until July 8, 2023, it was titled the Maestro at the Movies, and Mr. Williams conducted selections from his own works. You would have to have lived under a rock and never seen a movie or watched television not to have heard his compositions. When I was a kid, his early music welcomed and closed the Huntley-Brinkley Report. His was the theme for the Olympics for many a year, and remains so. He scored Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, ET, and Harry Potter, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Schindler's List. He scored much people do not recall, but to which they might hum mindlessly with a soft pleasure.
My friends, Len and Andrew, and a guest local or east coast visitor have been at these concerts multiple times. The highlight always was the innocence of the bulk of 17,000 people waving their toy light sabers of many colors in the open air venue as the Maestro conducted his famous Star Wars marches. In July 2023, he was joined by two other well known conductors, Gustavo Dudamel and David Newman, a scion of the famous Newman family of composers of movies from the 30s, 40s and 50s. If I recall Mr. Williams held a saber himself one of the nights. Every year we worried that maybe this would be his last hurrah, as the reality of age catches up even to the renowned among us.
And then it happened. We heard that there were health problems, not particularly identified, but inevitable for any nonogenerian. He had to cancel this and that. To the extent he was seen, including at the dedication of the Hollywood Bowl Stage to him, he was wheelchair bound and frail.
We still attended the summer event as part of our package, and we enjoyed it, but it lacked the verve that can only be present when the composer is, one who knew how to charmingly milk the audience with whether there would be an encore. He would drift off the stage, baton in hand, stopping for the cheers, and moving toward the wing of the stage, only to stop and do a little motion we called "sleepy time", his hands at his head to indicate he was done. But then he would come back and there would be another familiar piece. That looked to be no more after 2023.
Last night, Len, Andrew, and our visitor from the East (who had to be cajoled to make his usual trip to Southern California from New York, Matt, the son of our long time college friends) ate our sandwiches and mused about the good old days of this concert, now called "A Tribute to John Williams". We still enjoyed them, but I said, "They are really not the same." And based on press and photos, Andrew pronounced and we agreed with equal authority that John Williams would never appear again.
Bryce Dallas Howard, the actress daughter of Ron Howard, did the commentary in between the various selections, slightly varied from the previous years. It included more of what I admit to enjoying a great deal, watching the film cuts to the accompaniment of the orchestra, just like sitting in a scoring session at a studio, except with thousands of people and under the stars. Some of these clips I hadn't seen in years and they were as affecting as ever. I was as happy last night as I was in the 1970s that ET got to go home, and that those kids flew on bicycles to meet his spaceship in a field. Dallas Howard noted that none of these magical things would be believable, could even happen, without the music of John Williams. They wouldn't have, for me. This I know.
As always happens at the near end of a concert, lots of people were already filing out, so they could try to beat the rush of crowd and cars and escape to their homes. Sure, there would be an encore, but the evening was winding down.
And then, whatever the Star Wars March to come, so that everyone could make a final wave of sabers, there he was, John Williams, the Maestro himself, being wheeled out toward the podium and the conductor, David Newman, and Bryce Dallas Howard, and facing us surprised as can be. We had just said with deep affirmation that we would never see him on stage again. And there he was, to the astonished cheers of everyone, cameras suddenly out. We can speculate about what the health issue is, besides old age, and it appears he cannot speak. He certainly did not speak this night, but he conducted, as of old. No words, but an absolute sense of joy emanated from him as he conducted, and after he conducted. I found myself shrieking in appreciation. This was a rare cultural historical moment. I was, we were, overjoyed to be there to share it. But what I found is how much I loved watching him soak up the love of the crowd, and how he had this amazing personal moment and gave this amazing personal moment to us.
And maybe to let us know he is all there, inside a well worn body of talent, he even did, "Sleepy Time".
Will he be back tonight, and tomorrow, for the same show. Len, Andrew, Matt and I agreed, "if he feels up to it." So glad he felt up to it for sure on September 4, 2026.
Others got better videos than I did, I was so discombobulated by his appearance.
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