The Doors: When The Music’s Over – Live at The Hollywood Bowl, 1968

Source: The Doors

Source:The Daily Journal

I believe the most memorable performance from The Doors, at least for Jim Morrison. Live at The Hollywood Bowl from 1968, in Los Angeles, 90 minute performance and in color. Perhaps not even half of the footage of Jim Morrison and The Doors was shot in color. Which is a damn shame considering how great and creative of a performer that Jim Morrison was and how popular he was. And probably was not The Lizard King’s best performance as far as delivering the vocals, but it was still an excellent job as far as acting out the scenes in the songs which was mostly off from improv from Morrison. Like with song The Unknown Solider where he crashes to the ground. He gets distracted with seeing a caterpillar on the stage floor and gets down and picks the insect up and makes a comedic scene out of it. Also a very sexy performance on his part with the brown skin-tight leather jeans and all the closeups of The Lizard King, especially in his crotch section and with Morison playing that to the hilt with the dancing and even inviting the closeups of his midsection.

The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl- When The Music’s Over

Ms. Moonlight Drive: The Doors- Spanish Caravan: Live At The Hollywood Bowl

Source: Morrison Hotel Gallery– The Lizard King Jim Morrison 

Source:The Daily Journal

Certainly one of the most memorable concerts from The Doors. Because it was in Hollywood, at The Hollywood Bowl, it was in color, summer of 1968. Part of a very crazy and chaotic year and chaotic decade (at least the late 1960s) and The Doors, certainly Jim Morrison represented this era, time and generation as well as it could be represented. America was in transition in the 1960s from the Leave it To Beaver 1950s where men were expected to work, get married, have kids and continue to work. Where women were expected to just get married and then stay home and raise their kids. But by the 1960s the Baby Boomers started coming of age and becoming young adults. And didn’t want their parents Leave it To beaver lifestyle and didn’t see everything in black and white, including most of the entertainment. And wanted to break out and create their own American culture and lifestyle. Ways of doing things and living and Jim Morrison I believe almost perfectly represents what this generation was going through back then.

Ms. Moonlight Drive: The Doors- Spanish Caravan: Live At The Hollywood Bowl

Celia Munoz: Jim Morrison & The Doors- Live At The Hollywood Bowl (1968) Spanish Caravan

Source:Celia Munoz– Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl, in 1968.
Source:The Daily Journal 

“Spanish Caravan-The Doors. The Doors, The Doors, The Doors.”

From Celia Munoz

Source:The Daily Journal– Jim Morrison and The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl, in 1968.

Spanish Caravan is not one of my favorite songs, even from The Doors. But their 1968 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, is very memorable. And part of that being that Jim Morrison was little off his game and acting somewhat distracted. Perhaps because his girlfriend Pam Courson shows up at the concert with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, but you would have to ask them that.

Morrison’s voice and delivery was somewhat off, but he was still The Lizard King in this performance. Showing up in his favorite skin-tight brown leather jeans and concho belt and starting off the concert with an Indian vest. Rare you see The Lizard King in his brown leather jeans for a concert performance, a 90 minute performance in color. He generally wore his black leathers when performing in color.

If you watch the PBS film When You’re Strange about Jim Morrison, the narrator Johnny Depp, was talking about Morrison’s wardrobe. And said that he put together his own wardrobe. Including the leather jeans and said that Morrison wore the the leathers and concho belt, to accentuate his crotch. You watch this concert and you’ll see what that is exactly about with all the closeups upfront of The Lizard King.

The Doors: Jim Morrison and The Doors- Live at The Hollywood Bowl 1968

Source: The Doors

Source: The Daily Journal

I’ve seen this concert several times and I’m no music expert, but I am a pretty big fan of The Doors especially Jim Morrison and I disagree with the critics about this concert at least to this degree. I don’t believe Morrison was as off as the critics believe he was. I think he did a great job with the vocals and how he entertained the audience in general especially the women. With how he danced and moved around and played around with his leather jeans.

If you watch the PBS film from 2010 about The Lizard King there is this line in it about how Morrison picked out his clothes. That his skin-tight leather pants which were leather jeans and concho belt were about showing off and showcasing his crotch. And you see him messing around with his pants all through the concert and the camera zooming in on his crotch, butt and legs in those skin-tight jeans throughout the concert.

Not the best Doors concert and not Morrison at his best. But it was classic Lizard King on the vocals dancing around and showing himself off. And a great chance to see Jim Morrison and The Doors live and in color and I just wish there were more opportunities for that. Especially since they were big in the late 1960s when color TV and movies were very common if not expected by then. It would’ve been nice had they filmed more of their concerts in color.

The Doors: Jim Morrison and The Doors- Live At The Hollywood Bowl