The best upcoming concerts in L.A.

Mitski has a talent for swift transformation. Over the past several years, she’s rocketed from self-releasing her first two albums and playing DIY gigs to selling out major venues months in advance. Catch her in support of her latest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.

Somehow Dookie is three decades old, and even American Idiot—which to elder Green Day fans probably still feels like a recent release—is now 20. The Bay Area-bred rock trio must have seen that single nostalgic tear stream down your cheek, because they’re turned their latest tour, the Saviors Tour, into a full-blown throwback pop-punk fest with support from the Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid and L.A.’s own, the Linda Lindas.

Strap on your cowboy hat and make the pilgrimage to country music’s biggest jamboree, taking up residence at Coachella’s digs, the Empire Polo Club. Stagecoach is coming back for a three-day fest; expect the usual mix of contemporary and classic country. Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen headline the 2024 edition, with additional sets from Jelly Roll, Elle King, Post Malone, Willie Nelson and more.

The most appropriately named shoegaze band of the early ’90s heads back to L.A. for more nostalgic dreamweaving. Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell float their opium vocals over sun-on-lake guitar shimmer, including on tracks from their seminal album, Souvlaki.

Named for the Canadian electro-tech jacker’s cat (how sweet!), the rodentia-head-sporting deadmau5 (Joel Thomas Zimmerman) brings his mind-melting array of flashing lights and sonic boom to the Hollywood Bowl for “retro5pective,” a show to celebrate two decades of his music. You might want to pack your sunglasses.

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 venues (largely outdoors) across L.A., features a mix of performances inspired by landmark albums and public figures, including tributes to Ed Sullivan, Bob Dylan, Abraham Lincoln, Oklahoma! and more. In order to attend, you’ll need to become a MUSE/IQUE member; you could make a $75 donation for a single event, but if you’re interested in more than just one, it’s cheaper per event to become a full-fludged member.

This surf-inflected music fest will once again take over the Redondo Beach coastline for three days in May. Sting, Incubus, My Morning Jacket, Dirty Heads, Seal, Devo, Local Natives, Santigold, Fleet Foxes, Courtney Barnett and Trey Anastasio top this year’s lineup.

This chill fest—quite literally compared to the scorching desert outings—brings a few dozen acts to San Luis Obispo. This year’s lineup includes Peach Pit, Thundercat, Noizu and Sidepiece, plus a silent disco, at Dairy Creek Golf Course.

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) starting in April.

If you grew up around the turn of the millennium, this hip-hop–focused music fest in Las Vegas is like your middle school dance playlist come to life. Lovers & Friends features seemingly every hip-hop and R&B star from the late ’90s and early aughts, including Janet Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Nas, Usher, Ludacris, Nelly, Ciara, M.I.A., Ja Rule, Ashanti, TLC, Akon and Ne-Yo. Also, like last year’s edition (which featured Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and Christina Aguilera, among others) you’ll find a few turn-of-the-millennium boy bands and pop performers like the Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees, Gwen Stefani and Nelly Furtado. The fest is set to arrive at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds on May 4, 2024.