New L.A. Rock Star Hits Pavement with Rock Music, Bedrock, Rock of Ages
Never underestimate what interests the public!
BIXBY KNOLLS, CALIF. (a neighborhood of Long Beach) — When the traveling rock star stopped in Long Beach yesterday during its nine-stop Southern California tour, there was much fanfare and even some praying. My family wanted to see the rock and I couldn’t understand why. But being as bored as the next person and needing to get off my duff, I went along for the ride to see what everyone’s talking about. To my surprise it was a huge rock party with non-stop entertainment!
Parked on Atlantic Avenue smack dab in the middle of the street and taking up two of four lanes of traffic, the famous rock that is on its way from Riverside to an exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) sat in front of restaurants and a church. Last night the congregation that met at the Christian Science Church sang “Rock of Ages” and “The Eternal Rock.” Outside, it was a little wilder. Music on the streets included impromptu bands setting up and performing rock music with lots of songs that had the word “rock” in them.
The seemingly boring event, the transportation of a huge rock to a museum, has turned into a mega-party few can believe. It’s a stroke of public relations genius. Traveling between Riverside and L.A. on a 106-mile trek, the rock, which is wrapped in white plastic, is the attraction. It’s not very exciting to look at, but never underestimate what interests the population!
TV stations in L.A. ran with the story and the rock has received thousand of viewers at each of its stops. The rock is to be part of an exhibit called Levitated Mass by artist Michael Heizer. A 456-foot-long slot constructed at the art museum will include the 340-ton granite rock megalith. Heizer conceived of the artwork in 1968, but discovered an appropriate boulder only decades later in Riverside County. The boulder is one of the largest megaliths moved since ancient times.
In Long Beach some highlights include:
- T-shirts that said “Bixbly Knolls Got Rocked”. They sold out!
- The Flinstone Family showing up to take their 2012 Christmas photo in front of the rock.
- Bands performing rock, blues & jazz.
- Stiltwalker, clowns.
- Long Beach City Council Members.
- Nearby restaurant specials and cocktails on the rocks.
- Church sermon about rocks of ages, and hymns with rocks in them.
- Plein air painters capturing The Rock on canvas.
- Thousands of people taking pictures and videos of this crazy event. It was wild!
