Kate Hudson

May 22, 2025

The Roxy – Los Angeles, CA

If you love rock n’ roll music, you must be familiar with the character of Penny Lane. If not, you seriously need to go watch the movie, Almost Famous. The fictional persona was brought to life by a young Kate Hudson back when the movie debuted back in 2000. Ever since that time, Penny Lane…as well as Kate Hudson, have become a part of music lovers’ hearts. The quotes, the furry coat, and most of all, her passion and love for the music.

That is why when I heard Kate Hudson was playing a concert at the infamous Roxy Theater on the Sunset Strip in L.A., I knew I had to be there. Ever since I saw Hudson in Almost Famous, I have been a fan. But given the fact that my favorite movie genre is Rom-coms (a.k.a chick flicks), my appreciation for Kate Hudson runs deeper than one role. Some of my favorite movies are How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Bridal Wars, Fools Gold, and, of course, the hilarious, You, Me and Dupree. I also became an instant fan of Kate’s new show, Running Point, which is gearing up for its second season.

And while seeing the person who portrayed the iconic Penny Lane would be enough to get me to travel over 2000 miles to see them in person, I also had another reason. Last year saw the release of Kate Hudson’s very first album, Glorious. That’s right, Kate Hudson sings!!! And she is very good at it as well. The record has stayed in constant rotation in my playlist since it was released. It is a perfect mix of blues, soul, and flat-out rock n’ roll. My only question is, why hasn’t she been making music for years?

On to the show!

So the day finally came. May 22nd arrived, and so did I to Lala Land. I had purchased a skip the line pass, which would allow me into the venue before the G.A. ticket holders. But I arrived at the Roxy two hours early because I had to be in the front. I was the second person in line, and it seemed my plan had worked. Waiting in line is not my favorite thing in the world, especially when The Rainbow is right next door. But the time passed easily as I got to meet others in line. And then we all received a bonus when we got to listen to Kate do her sound check. It was like a little bonus concert. We actually got in a little bit of trouble for peaking through a door to watch the soundcheck. But a few minutes later, someone from Kate’s camp brought us out ice cream bars to help smooth things over.

After all of that excitement, and a “bathroom break” next door at The Rainbow, it was time to make our way inside. My mission to the front was halted when I saw she had cool merch for sale. But no fears, I managed to score a cool Kate Hudson t-shirt and get my place in front of the stage. So far, this mission has been a success!

Before Kate’s set, I had time to soak in the gravity of the room that I was now standing in. The word Iconic does not even do The Roxy justice. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Guns n’ Roses played this place. And now here I was standing in the hallowed ground. I could feel the history oozing from the walls. This is the stuff rock n’ roll dreams are made of.

The time finally arrived, and Kate Hudson took the stage. I have to say, there was a moment of disbelief when I first saw her. Penny Lane, Andie Anderson, and Isla Gordon were also standing right in front of me. But that feeling faded fast, and it was simply Kate the musician. Buy now, her songs were ingrained in my head, and I was able to sing along with them. Kate had an ease and confidence to her that made it seem like she had been playing shows for years, even though I believe it had been just a handful up to this time.

The nearly hour-and-a-half set was filled with songs from the Glorious record, along with some amazing covers from the likes of The Verve, Stevie Nicks, Filter, and my absolute favorite of the night, “Crazy” by Aerosmith. As Kate got deeper into the set, you could sense that she became more and more comfortable. She switched her water for a glass of whiskey and danced along to the songs, just like all of us in the crowd. A lovely moment occurred when Hudson dedicated a song to her eldest son, Ryder, who just happened to be in attendance for the show. The mother locked eyes with her son during the performance, and you could just feel the meaning behind the words. It was a purely genuine moment.

Perhaps that is the best way to describe the night. Genuine. It wasn’t a movie star playing rock star for a night. It was a truly talented artist being vulnerable enough to share this new side of herself with 500 strangers. I will never shake the disbelief that I got to be one of those 500 people. To quote my favorite movie of all time, “Crazy.”