The best concerts in L.A. this August

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.

See a free salsa concert every second Friday of the summer during this series at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. This year’s lineup includes Rumbankete, Gabrielito y La Verdad, Son Mayor, Son Miron and Club Mambi—all featuring Super DJ Robby.

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. 

R&B crooner and pianist John Legend tackles the genre with refreshingly classy, old-school charm. See him at the Greek for a pair of “evening with” shows, which pair songs and stories from his career.

Otto Tausk conducts the beloved annual tradition, featuring the iconic “1812 Overture” with the LA Phil, the USC Trojan Marching Band and the Bowl’s famous pyrotechnic display.

EDM juggernaut HARD Summer has hopped around Southern California in recent years, and last year returned to L.A. proper—and for 2024 now heads to the grounds of Hollywood Park, next to SoFi Stadium. No matter the location, its dedication to bringing the biggest names in the hip-hop and electronic scene has stayed the course. This year’s lineup includes Disclosure, FISHER + Chris Lake: Under Construction, Nelly Furtado, REZZMAU5, Major Lazer, Jamie xx, Subtronics, Zeds Dead and more.

Each summer the Hollywood Bowl hosts an evening dedicated to Jamaican music. For Reggae Night XXII, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley and Stephen Marley top the bill.

Gen Z superstar and recent Grammy winner Laufey is bringing her distinct style of jazz-inspired pop to the Hollywood Bowl, backed by the LA Phil.

Dave Grohl and co. play a pair of dates at the Banc of California Stadium. The show follows last year’s L.A. tribute to the band’s late drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and includes a not-quite-as-but-still-impressive slate of support acts: the Hives, Amyl and The Sniffers, Pretenders and Alex G.

Guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine has been the only real constant for these thrash-metal titans’ lineups, but, well, that’s really what you’re coming out for, right? Catch them at the YouTube Theater with support from Mudvayne and All That Remains.