Bill Silva and Andy Hewitt Celebrate 35 Years Booking the Hollywood Bowl

Veteran West Coast concert promoters Andy Hewitt and Bill Silva were destined to be involved in bringing popular music back to the Hollywood Bowl, in a partnership that marks its 35th anniversary this year. After all, the first concert Hewitt ever attended was a Turtles and Sonny and Cher show at the historic venue in 1966 as a 7-year-old with his mom.

“My grandparents knew Cher because they had a pawn shop on Santa Monica Blvd. and Larrabee, where she would buy jewelry,” Hewitt remembers. “They also owned a liquor store on Sunset Blvd., where I got my candy, while I was able to play the electric guitars and pick up a used watch at the pawn shop. Twenty years ago, when I was promoting the first of Cher’s farewell tours, I reminded her of that, and she was horrified.”

The L.A. native grew up on Doheny near Beverly, then moved with his family to Coldwater Canyon. That’s not far from where he lives today in a sprawling but cozy home nestled in the leafy hills, built in 1927 and previously owned by “Godfather” actor Richard Conte and Muppets heiress Lisa Henson, among others, with celebrity neighbors like former British soccer star David Beckham and wife Victoria of Spice Girls fame.

Hewitt’s chance meeting with fellow rock ‘n’ roll fan on the elementary school bus named Bill Gerber – also with longish hair and a polka-dot shirt, but a year older – turned out to be the first step on a journey that would eventually lead to co-promoting shows at the Hollywood Bowl for now 35 years.

Gerber, who was to become President of Production at Warner Bros. Pictures and a multi-Academy Award-winning film and TV producer (from “Goodfellas,” “Unforgiven” and “Heat” to “A Star Is Born” and the “Harry Potter” series), was the son of agent Roy Gerber. His dad, who knew the Beatles from their Hamburg days, booked the band on their initial American (and worldwide) tours along with partner Norman Weiss, including their three Hollywood Bowl shows (one in 1964 and two in 1965) and the penultimate U.S. concert at Dodger Stadium, attended by an enthralled Andy and Roy’s son Bill.

“We banged on instruments together in the basement, but most of all we were just fans,” said Hewitt, who recalled seeing performers at tapings of the old TV show “The Hollywood Palace,” which Roy also booked (and where host Dean Martin notoriously mocked the Rolling Stones while introducing them). “We loved music. We would see Led Zeppelin when we were 12 and 13, Gentle Giant at the Whiskey, Yes, Bad Company… the ’70s were just a great time for rock.”

Bill Gerber would go on to become a partner at Elliot Roberts’ Lookout Management, where the roster included Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Tom Petty, The Cars and Devo, bringing in Heaven 17, ABC, Scritti Politti and a young Paul “Pee-wee Herman” Reubens. Inspired by his best buddy’s success, Hewitt convinced a Redondo Beach nightclub owner to let him book the venue with local ‘80s New Wave acts like the Plimsouls and Oingo Boingo. From there, he joined Brian Murphy’s Avalon Attractions, a concert promotion powerhouse that was acquired in 1998 by SFX, the precursor to Live Nation, before he was hired by Nederlander Concerts in 1983.

“I got a real education from Jimmy Nederlander Sr. in his heyday,” said Hewitt, who booked the Talking Heads dates at the Pantages where Jonathan Demme filmed “Stop Making Sense.” “He didn’t put any constraints on me. He was very supportive of everything I tried to do.” Meanwhile, Bay Area native Bill Silva enrolled in 1976 at UC San Diego, where he started his first concert promotion company two years later with fellow college student Mike Fahn as Fahn & Silva Presents. Silva expanded his operations to Central California, Arizona, Texas, Nevada and Idaho, eventually partnering with Barry Fey’s Colorado-based Feyline Productions before branching into management, working with longtime client Jason Mraz until 2017, as well as Unwritten Law, blink-182 and Linkin Park, whom he manages to this day.

It was around those college days that Hewitt met Bill Silva, who was booking concerts in San Diego and helped Hewitt organize his own first stadium event, a 1983 show with The Police at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, for Nederlander Organization’s independent promotion division, Parc Presentations. Hewitt and Silva became fast friends, co-promoting several Rolling Stones shows together, which eventually led to them being awarded the Hollywood Bowl partnership. That came largely thanks to Ernest Fleischmann, the legendary German-born impresario who served as executive director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 30 years, overseeing the $50 million construction of the Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall.

“I had stayed away from the L.A. market, not wanting to compete with Wolf & Rissmiller or Avalon at the time,” admitted Silva. “But I got to know a lot of the L.A. guys because they all wanted to play San Diego. The first show I promoted at the Hollywood Bowl was in May 1987, when the Doobie Brothers played their landmark reunion benefit concert for Vietnam Veterans. It was a totally impossible place at that time to put on a rock show, but I still loved it.”

Hewitt and Bill Silva Presents launched their joint Hollywood Bowl journey on September 21, 1991, with Paul Simon, then two nights with Sting.

“Apparently, I have the distinction of being Andy and Bill’s inaugural show at the Hollywood Bowl on September 27th 1991,” Paul Simon said in an email to Pollstar . “From back then to my recent appearance this past June, 2026, the Hollywood Bowl has always been a very special place for me to perform. Thanks to Andy & Bill on this great milestone, and for always creating a welcoming environment and making each appearance memorable. Congrats to you and the LNHS team.”

Nearly 600 concerts and 35 years later, the pair is still going strong. Live Nation Chairman of Global Music and President of Global Touring Arthur Fogel, then working with Michael Cohl, helped Hewitt and Silva book Simon for that first show, and the partnership has now come full circle after Live Nation joined with Hewitt Silva in 2017 for an arrangement to book the Bowl.

“More than three decades later, Hollywood Bowl remains one of the truly special places in the world to see live music,” said Fogel. “What Andy and Bill have built at the Bowl is something I’m enormously proud of. There’s a great deal of trust and history between us, and it’s remarkable to think that a relationship that began all those years ago continues to grow and thrive today.”

The venerable Hollywood Bowl had previously booked a number of major rock acts in the ‘60s and ‘70s aside from the Beatles, most memorably Bob Dylan and The Band, the Rolling Stones, Simon & Garfunkel, The Who, The Doors, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Deep Purple with the LA Philharmonic, Stevie Wonder and Pink Floyd.

By the ‘90s, though, the 16,000-cap. venue had largely abandoned the pop and rock audiences to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre (later Verizon Wireless) in Orange County. “There were any number of challenges we faced bringing contemporary music to the Bowl,” said Hewitt. “It was clearly an underutilized venue, so rock performers had to really want to play there to make the effort worth it. Bill and I saw an opportunity to bring that spirit of the ‘60s and ‘70s back, but to update it for the times.”

L.A. Philharmonic President/CEO Kim Noltemy called Hewitt and Silva “incredible partners” and “an essential part” of the story of the Hollywood Bowl. “Their vision and deep relationships with artists have helped bring some of the world’s most celebrated performers to the iconic stage, creating unforgettable experiences for millions of people. And just as importantly, Andy and Bill care deeply about this institution and its future.”

“I want to congratulate Andy Hewitt and Bill Silva on 35 years of unforgettable live entertainment,” added Los Angeles Philharmonic Board Chair Jason Subotky. “Few partnerships have had a greater impact on the Hollywood Bowl’s modern history than the one we’ve shared with Andy and Bill.”

Added local politician Zev Yaroslavsky, “For over 100 years, the Hollywood Bowl was known as the summer home of the L.A. Philharmonic. However, in the last 35 years, its cultural footprint expanded significantly, thanks to Andy Hewitt and Bill Silva, who brought the most significant artists of popular music to the Bowl’s stage. As a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, I had a front-row seat watching and occasionally offered a helping hand in ensuring their success along with the Bowl’s. Today, the Hollywood Bowl’s audiences and performers are as diverse as L.A. itself.”

Hewitt-Silva is not your typical “good cop-bad cop,” but more like “nice guy and even nicer guy.” Hewitt is the more voluble and outspoken, while Silva works behind the scenes. Hewitt is attuned to the day-to-day, while Silva provides an entrepreneurial vision for the future, dividing his time between overseeing the Bowl and his thriving management company.

“There are plenty of overlaps in what we do, we both have our individual relationships,” explained Silva. “I’ve always been more interested in building what’s coming next, while Andy has done a really good job of identifying the legacy artists who still resonate with the public. That combination is part of the successful fabric we’ve built here at the Hollywood Bowl.”

The Hollywood Bowl is just part of an 88-acre property that doubles as an official Los Angeles County Park owned and operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, its management jointly operated with the L.A. Phil. Silva credits Hewitt for “doing a masterful job,” creating that successful communication with the surrounding residential neighborhood and the county. Department of Parks and Recreation Director Norma E. Garcia-Gonzalez points to the Hollywood Community Grant Program, an initiative that supports projects focused on traffic safety, neighborhood beautification and enhancing the quality of life for local residents.

“Their efforts extend beyond producing a successful concert season and includes ways to create a positive impact in the areas surrounding the venue,” she explained.

“The important thing was creating a dialogue, which hadn’t been happening in some time,” said Silva, about working closely with the local community. “We listened to what the homeowners had to say and tried to address their concerns.”

“We had sound, curfew and parking issues at the start,” said Hewitt. “But we got a real crash course in community and government relations that first year.”

L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath has known both Hewitt and Silva since her days as a council member and then Mayor of West Hollywood, crediting the pair for providing their connections and expertise in expanding the Hollywood Bowl’s reach into the artist and creative communities.

“Andy and Bill bring resources that serve the community at large, while successfully working with our Department of Parks and Recreation, so it’s great to have that kind of cooperation,” Horvath said. “Government isn’t always that generous to the arts, but this county very much cares about the culture that comes from here.”

Hewitt and Silva have also promoted shows at LA Phil’s Walt Disney Hall, including Paul Simon for five nights in July 2025, reuniting with the first act they ever jointly booked at the Bowl, which he then returned to in June as part of his “A Quiet Celebration” tour.

Both are excited about the Hollywood Bowl’s future.

“The Bowl is so iconic, and you can thank everyone from Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra to the Beatles and Pavarotti, who have made that magic over and over again,” said Hewitt. “This team – including Live Nation – is a real family. We work together so well. Live Nation touring’s vast relationships with artists and their focus on the Bowl has transformed our business and been an integral part of the success of the

_Originally reported by [Pollstar](https://news.pollstar.com/2026/10/20/bill-silva-andy-hewitt-go-bowling-for-history-celebrate-booking-iconic-hollywood-venue/)._