The best upcoming concerts in L.A.

One of L.A.’s best free live-music offerings, Jazz at LACMA has featured legit legends over its three-decade run at the museum. Seating for the program is available in the museum’s plaza on a first-come, first-served basis, though you’re welcome to picnic on the grass, too (you won’t really be able to see the show, but you’ll still hear it). You’ll find the series on Friday evenings in LACMA’s welcome plaza (just behind Urban Light) throughout the summer.

Treat your ears to a vibrant concert on a spring or summer night this year by attending MUSE/IQUE’s annual program. This monthly series of performances, held at cultural venues across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by music movements and public figures, including tributes to Ray Charles, immigrant film composers, the Memphis sound, Etta James and more. The best way to attend is to become a MUSE/IQUE member; you could make a $75 donation to the performing arts nonprofit for a single event (with the exception of September’s free open house), but if you’re interested in more than just one, it’s cheaper per event to become a full-fledged member.

Listen to classical and jazz in a dome more than a mile above L.A. during this mountaintop concert series. The Mount Wilson Observatory is hosting monthly concerts this summer inside the dome of its 100-inch Hooker telescope, which was the largest telescope in the world for much of the first half of the 20th century. Tickets cost $60 (that also includes access to the exhibit at the observatory) and it’s highly recommended that you buy them in advance since seating is limited. You’ll need to be able to climb 53 steps to reach the dome, and children under 12 aren’t permitted. 

Hilltop sunset views and rising bands combine to make this Getty tradition a worthy destination for Angelenos on both sides of the 405. This year’s lineup of free Saturday-night shows includes SML (May 31), Mabe Fratti (June 14), Madi Diaz (July 12), Empress Of (July 26) and Emile Mosseri (Aug 23). Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s actually free if you wait until the show starts, after 6pm). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 8pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is reliably packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Union Station, CAAM, Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Wende Museum, the Autry, Benny Boy Brewing, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, California Plaza and—our favorite—the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza. The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission. This year, there’s even a kid-oriented installment at the Kidspace Children’s Museum, where DJ Lance Rock of Yo Gabba Gabba is the special guest. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights. (Note: The kickoff June 7 event at Benny Boy Brewing and Aug. 29’s Descanso Gardens event are only for KCRW members).

Nate Brenner and Merrill Garbus—an Afrobeat-inspired pop experimentalist whose vocal gymnastics, paired with layered rhythms and looping beats, never fail to impress—will bring their inventive tunes to the Bellwether. The Oakland-based duo, who are also known for their film and TV scores, are touring behind their sixth LP, Better Dreaming.

Keen to see jazz greats past and present? Get ready for mellow harmonies and earthy grooves at the annual Blue Note Jazz Festival this summer—formerly the Playboy and then the Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival. The two-day concert includes performances from the Isley Brothers, De La Soul, Derrick Hodge, Grace Jones, Willow and more. Remember, it’s at the Hollywood Bowl, so why not share a bottle of wine with some friends and groove along with the jazz’s pride and glory?

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties. Saturday nights from June 14 through August 23 you’ll find free concerts (though you should RSVP ahead of time to reserve a spot)—highlights this year include a 30-year anniversary show by Grand Performances mainstay Ozomatli and tributes to John Coltrane and Dr. Dre. And on Friday nights, you’ll find a mix of poetry, film and classical music during Fridays in the Amphitheater. 

Pop-rap phenom Post Malone rides his wave of inexplicable-yet-oh-so-explicable success right out of Coachella and into SoFi Stadium, where he’ll be joined by Jelly Roll and Wyatt Flores for the Big Ass Stadium Tour. Say what you will about Posty; you’ll have a tough time finding catchier party tunes.

In a world of lies (and, these days, alternative facts), the only thing we can rely on is Shakira’s hips. Watch them shake with precision when the Colombian superstar returns for a stop at SoFi Stadium (rescheduled from her slated date at the Forum).