Get Into the LA Groove: Aug. 26 - Sep. 1, 2024

Musician Alex Wasily, who has played with a lengthy list of performers from the Isley Brothers to Yungblud, brings the funk to Gold-Diggers with Very Good Mondays, where every session includes a different group of musicians playing improvised sets. On August 26, Dominique Xavier, Brad Allen Williams, Nick Clark, Greg Clark Jr. and Jay Jennings will hit the stage and you won’t know what to expect, except that there will be no cover songs. Stick around for the after party with DJ Teddy Roxpin. Tickets at Dice.

With Clancy, a Billboard rock album chart topper released last May, Twenty One Pilots launch their world tour in mid-August and hits Los Angeles at the end of the month for two nights at Inglewood’s new Intuit Dome. The GRAMMY-winning duo is also bringing along the Fan Premier Exhibit, a traveling museum filled with their personal memorabilia and ephemera documenting Twenty One Pilots’ career. Balu Brigada, the alternative pop duo from New Zealand, opens the night. As this post goes live, only a few standard tickets remained for the shows on Tuesday, August 27 and Wednesday, August 28, so don’t snooze on getting yours!

Critically acclaimed rapper Talib Kweli brings his current tour to Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre on Wednesday, August 28 with an opening set from Orange County hip-hop outfit Kottonmouth Kings. Ticket upgrades for this show include VIP table or couch seating, as well as access to the Jayne Bar. Tickets to the all-ages show at AXS.

On the Oneness Tour, Santana will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of their multi-platinum, chart-topping and GRAMMY-sweeping album Supernatural. However, you can expect to hear music from across the band’s half-century of existence. Counting Crows, known for 1990s hits like “Mr. Jones” and “Round Here,” joins Santana on the road for this tour. Available tickets for the Wednesday, August 28 show at Kia Forum include both Santana and Counting Crows VIP packages. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Event collective Jazz Is Dead kicks off a three-concert residency at The Ford with a celebration of the legacy of the Mizell Brothers, the seminal jazz-funk musicians who wrote and produced for the Jackson Five and collaborated with Donald Byrd. Larry Mizelle, who is celebrating his 80th birthday, will play alongside Gary Bartz, The Blackbyrds’ Keith Killgo and Joe Hall, Melanie Charles and Katalyst.

Hip-hop greats Common and Pete Rock joined forces for The Auditorium Vol. 1, the collaborative full-length album that was released in July. Their late summer tour hits Downtown LA's United Theater on Broadway on Thursday, August 29. Tickets to the all-ages show at AXS.

Locust, the project helmed by prolific British electronic musician Mark Van Hoen; and Kid606, whose boundary-pushing, cross-genre productions have long made him a favorite in California’s underground electronic music scene, play 2220 Arts + Archives on Thursday, August 29. Also on the bill are the group Arthur King and experimental musician Loop Goat. Tickets at Dice.

To celebrate six years, house party Made to Move will be taking over both floors of Chinatown venue General Lee’s with DJs Akumen, Andy Oro, agraybé and No Pressure on the decks. There’s no cover for the party, but for a nominal fee, you can enter the anniversary party’s raffle via Made to Move’s ticket page.

Cold Gawd, the local band whose heavy twist on shoegaze has landed them gigs like opening for Mareux and a slot on this fall’s Dia de los Deftones festival, releases their sophomore album, I’ll Drown on this Earth, on August 30. They’ll be celebrating the same night at Genghis Cohen with Britty Drake and Vatican Voss. Tickets to the 18+ show at Dice.

Pro skateboarder-turned-musician Tommy Guerrero dubbed the sound on his most recent album, Amber of Memory, “surf goth.” It’s dreamy and evocative of travels to distant, maybe even imagined, places. It’s fitting then that locals Healing Gems, whose fusion of styles like exotica and cumbia is perfect for letting your imagination run wild, will also be playing this show. Ray Barbee opens the night.

On last year’s full-length, Stereo Hits Vol. 2, Moenia put their own spin on Spanish-language rock and pop hits like “Amante Bandido,” “Fotonovela” and “Lobo Hombre en París.” More recently, the Mexican synthpop greats teamed up with pop singer and songwriter Aleks Syntek for the single, “La Tormenta.” Catch Moenia live at The Belasco on Friday, August 30. Tickets at Live Nation.

Midge Ure, the Scottish singer and songwriter known for his time in pioneering synthpop bands Visage and Ultravox, is touring in celebration of his 70th birthday with a collection of songs that span his 50-year career that includes both fan favorites and deep cuts. Tickets at Dice.

Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience makes its world premiere at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday, August 30 with a performance from the LA Phil conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. The concert, which will also take place on Saturday, will include music from 23 films that span the wide breadth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s timeline. Both concerts will include fireworks.

Fifty years ago, The Beach Boys released Endless Summer, a compilation album that included their biggest hits of the early 1960s. This year, they’re taking the Endless Summer Gold tour across the U.S. through the season and into fall. Their August 30 date at The Greek Theatre is one of a handful of dates on the schedule that will include actor John Stamos, who has performed with the group off and on for nearly 40 years.

Taking place on the Hollywood Park Grounds at SoFi Stadium, Saturday’s Fool in Love Festival features a packed, multi-generational lineup of soul, funk and disco stars. Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and Durand Jones and the Indications are amongst the headliners, but this is also your chance to see everyone from Brenton Wood to George Clinton to Stevie B to Thee Sacred Souls. Set times haven’t been announced yet, so check the Fool in Love website or socials for updates.

Hawthorne Heights’ touring festival Is for Lovers hits The Torch at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, August 31 with a lineup tailor-made for those whose nostalgia leans towards the heyday of emo and Warped Tour. Saosin, Finch, Anberlin, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and more will be part of the LA lineup. VIP ticket upgrades include the “Joe, Dough and Emo” package with a Hawthorne Heights hangout over coffee and donuts and the “401k Super Emo” package,” which includes side stage access for Hawthorne Heights’ set, plus a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity, in addition to the pre-show fan hangout.

Bridging performance art and synthpop, Geneva Jacuzzi has long been influential on Los Angeles’ indie music scene. Her latest album, Triple Fire, is out via Dais Records on August 23 and she’ll be following up the release with a headlining show at Highland Park’s Lodge Room on Saturday, August 31. Joining her is equally influential local Baseck, who emerged from the city’s rave underground to make some of the most interesting, experimental electronic music to come out of LA. Also playing are Sayaka Nono and Toucan.

Soak up the view from the Mondrian’s roof when Deep House Brunch takes over Skybar for a Labor Day weekend pool party on Saturday, August 31. Scotty Boy, Lyric Jones and Christian Bradford will be on the decks while Chris Hammett and Rasmus Lee play live percussion and sax. Contact Orlove via email or phone, info for which is on the ticket sales page, if you’re interested in table reservations. Tickets at Resident Advisor.

Back in March, Future & Metro Boomin’s collaborative album, We Don’t Trust You, debuted at the top of the pop charts and spawned the hit single, “Like That,” with Kendrick Lamar. A month later, they released their second joint album, We Still Don’t Trust You, which again topped the charts. As this post goes live tickets are still available to see the superstars at Intuit Dome on Saturday, August 31.

Acraze, whose rework of Cherish’s 2006 song “Do It to It” became an international dance floor hit a couple years ago, headlines the holiday weekend edition of Day Trip in the Park at LA State Historic Park on Sunday, September 1. Miami-based DJ Loofy is billed as the event’s “very special guest.” Also playing are Dent and Lord Rash, who will be DJing back-to-back. Tickets at Ticketweb.

Bears in Space, the long-running, and incredibly popular, summertime bash, closes out the season on Sunday, September 1 with resident DJs Chris Bowen and Victor Rodriguez, plus “space cadet” Stacy Christine. Follow Bears in Space on Instagram for more details, including how to get tickets, when they are announced.

For soft rock fans, the Hollywood Bowl is the place to be on Labor Day Weekend. Toto, the band behind such hits as “Hold the Line” and Africa,” while Christopher Cross, whose own 1980 hit, “Sailing,” has since become one of the essential yacht rock jams, opens the show.