This weekend the Dirty Projectors played two shows (on Halloween!) in Los Angeles. I was fortunate enough to attend the early show, and while I was there I ran into a friend who (though his own secret insider knowledge) told me that the Dirty Projectors were in negotiations to do do a show at Disney Hall with the LA Phil. This has now been confirmed and the Dirty Projectors and the Los Angeles Philharmonic will play a co-headlining show this coming February 27th. So before I rant, let me first say that I’m really pleased that the Projectors are going to get to play at Disney Hall. They are a fantastic band and are totally worth going to hear. Now here’s the issue I have: while the idea of the LA Phil and the Dirty Projectors doing a show together has amazing potential in concept, I also know that whoever it is that makes these programming decisions for the LA Phil is going to screw it up. Here’s why: Rather than making the obvious and artistically interesting move to have the Dirty Projectors play with the LA Phil, they will simply both do separate sets. This is like taking a slice of bread and covering it with peanut butter and taking another piece of bread and covering it with jelly, and then not making a sandwich out of them. Now I’m sure that there are economic reasons and perhaps logistical reasons as to why the two groups will not play together, but it just seems like lazy attempt from the LA Phil to try and reach out to a young hip audience. This is not the first time the LA Phil has done something stupid like this. In 2008 the Phil did a split show with Grizzly Bear and then in 2009 they played with M83. Now it is my understanding that for at least a portion of the M83 show, the two groups actually collaborated together. This brief pairing is certainly a step in the right direction (although not a step they seem to be willing to take with the Projectors) but they still felt the need to split most of the show between the two ensembles with M83 performing their own works and the Phil performing works from the traditional repertoire. My overall dismay comes from the fact that a concert pairing between the Phil and the Dirty Projectors has so much potential to both bridge the gap between classical/rock music divide and allow for new and interesting art to take place and the fact that this potential will be completely unrealized. So if anyone from the L.A. Philharmonic is reading this (which I’m pretty certain you’re not) please think about these things in the future. Practice makes perfect so I’d like to think that after a few of these missed opportunities you might try a different tactic. Then again, practice is the way to get to Carnegie Hall not Disney Hall so maybe I’m asking for too much.