The best upcoming concerts in L.A.

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.

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.

After years on the Central Coast, the annual event has more recently made a move significantly closer to L.A., at Bakersfield’s Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area. Sure, it’s still a bit of a trek, but where else can you find a sustainable, vegetarian festival dedicated to equal parts music, food, art, yoga and wellness? Expect to do some serious soul-searching during this five-day retreat, all while immersing yourself in everything from a speaker series to an old timey trading post. John Summit, Khruangbin, Jamie xx, Four Tet and Subtronics top the 2025 lineup.

What do you do when you “pop out” at the Forum with a show so widely-watched and well-received that it decisively ends hip-hop’s most memorable recent beef? Why you take a victory lap, of course. Compton’s own unparalleled lyricist Kendrick Lamar returns to town for these shows at SoFi Stadium, part of the “Grand National Tour” that he’ll share with R&B superstar SZA.

Matt Berninger’s hauntingly beautiful voice and lyrics are undoubtedly why the National has become one of today’s biggest rock acts. Now the lead singer brings his beautiful baritone to the Palace Theatre, touring behind his sophomore solo album, Get Sunk, out May 30.

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. 

This weekend-long concert will once again return to West Hollywood Park as part of WeHo Pride, with Lizzo, Remi Wolf, Kim Petras, Honey Dijon and Paris Hilton atop this year’s lineup. If the ticket prices have you down, don’t worry: Friday night’s programming is free with an RSVP and features headliner Maren Morris, Qveen Herby, Jamie Fine and the return of the Drag Queen Lip Sync Battle Royale. Registration for the free Friday concert opens this Friday, May 16, at 10 am.

After a couple of years in New York, pan-Asian music and media collective 88rising’s music fest returns to the grounds outside the Rose Bowl. The 2025 edition’s headliners include G-Dragon, 2NE1, Dean, DPR IAN, Rich Brian, Porter Robinson and Higher Brothers.

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), 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.

The blues-y Ohio natives return—after a scrapped arena tour—for an amphitheater tour of soulful, crunchy grooves. Hear Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney float through some nifty psych boogies at the Greek, with support from the Heavy Heavy.