The LA Setlist: Oct. 14-20, 2024

Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl
Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam | Photo: Hollywood Bowl

In sunny Los Angeles, fall doesn’t spell the end of outdoor concerts. This week’s picks include revered indie doyen PJ Harvey at The Greek Theatre; two nights of the legendary Joni Mitchell at the Hollywood Bowl; trailblazing tropical house maestro Kygo at that same venue; and the two-day Beachlife Nights fest on the Redondo Beach seafront. Of course, there’s also all manner of indoor shows, spanning everything from new wave to Latin and experimental pop; indie rock to trad heavy metal: R&B to reggae.

Gas up the car or cash in those airline miles for these LA shows from October 14 to 19!

PJ Harvey at The Greek Theatre
PJ Harvey at The Greek Theatre | Photo: Ticketmaster

PJ Harvey - The Greek Theatre (Oct. 14)



At age 55, Polly Jean Harvey is unquestioned indie rock royalty, with nothing left to prove but still so much to say. The double Mercury Prize winner has traversed alt rock, punky blues, art and folk rock with single-minded abandon, lending unflinching frankness and haunting/haunted vocals to universal themes of sex, religion, and politics. Albums like 1995’s To Bring You My Love and Is This Desire? remain must-haves for multiple generations of indie heads, yet despite decades of adulation – Harvey was even appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Britain’s late Queen Elizabeth – she still lives in her native, mostly rural county in England’s West Country and has stayed true to longtime collaborators John Parish and Flood. The latter pair once again co-helmed Harvey’s latest offering, last year’s I Inside the Old Year Dying, an album almost universally acclaimed as, like so much of her work, ominous yet counterintuitively intoxicating. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Charli XCX & Troye Sivan at Kia Forum
Charli XCX & Troye Sivan at Kia Forum | Photo: Ticketmaster

Charli XCX & Troye Sivan - Kia Forum (Oct. 15-16)



On their joint Sweat Tour, longtime collaborators Charli XCX and Troye Sivan refreshingly shun the usual co-headlining format of just switching out top slots each night. Instead, the Brit and Aussie stars tag each other in and out for alternating segments of around three songs apiece. Their goal, as the "Sweat" name implies, is to recreate dance club vibes in arenas and, so far, they’ve largely succeeded, with adoring audiences more than ready to play their, well, sweaty part. While Charli XCX has been a beloved fixture since singles “Boom Clap” and “Break the Rules” a decade ago, with this year’s Brat album all-conquering, Sivan has had to work a little harder to sway crowds on this tour but, augmented by a crew of cut n’ brilliantly choreographed dancers, he gets there. And be ready for big-name surprise guests - Lorde nearly brought the Madison Square Garden roof down on the NY stop last month. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Judas Priest at YouTube Theater
Judas Priest at YouTube Theater | Photo: Ticketmaster

Judas Priest - YouTube Theater (Oct. 15)



Heavy metal fans have much to thank Judas Priest for. As well as their own near-legendary body of work, especially in the 1980s, they were pointmen for the new wave of British heavy metal that also brought us the likes of Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, and have influenced everything from speed, thrash, and power metal subgenres to the glam rock revival. Formed in 1969 in the then-grim English industrial city of Birmingham (also home to peers Black Sabbath), it wasn’t until 1980 that Priest broke through with British Steel, Rob Halford’s outlandish banshee wail and theatrically camp stage presence combining with the pioneering (alongside Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash) twin-guitar assault of Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing with startling results. Although their three original members are now in their seventies, legions of heshers still look to Judas Priest as, to quote the title of their ninth album, dependable “defenders of the faith.” Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Modern English at Aviator Nation Dreamland
Modern English at Aviator Nation Dreamland

Modern English - Aviator Nation Dreamland (Oct. 16)



While frequently dubbed a “one-hit wonder,” English new wavers Modern English in fact enjoyed two Billboard hits, albeit both with “I’ll Melt With You.” This dreamily bleak, quintessentially 1980s song about making love while awaiting nuclear apocalypse holds the distinction of charting both upon its original 1982 release and again with a re-recorded version in 1990. The remake actually peaked two places higher on the U.S. chart than the original, hitting #76, but this belies how enduring “I’ll Melt With You” has proven, with airplay and popular recognition far outstripping its “minor hit” status. A couple of brief hiatuses aside, Modern English has continued touring, mostly stateside where they’ve enjoyed the bulk of their success, including selling over half a million copies of their second album After the Snow. In a refreshing contrast to “legacy” bands that are more brands with only one original member, Modern English charmingly retains four-fifths of its founding lineup. Tickets at Tixr.

Kygo at the Hollywood Bowl
Kygo at the Hollywood Bowl

Kygo - Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 17)



It takes something really special to have a grand piano helicoptered to the Troll's Tongue, a breathtaking rock formation jutting 2,300 feet above a Norwegian lake. But that’s what DJ/producer/songwriter Kygo pulled off for the video for his eponymous fifth full-length, released in June, even being joined on his precarious perch by album collaborators including HAYLA, Zak Abel, and Sigrid. Such big-budget marketing speaks to Kygo’s success since emerging as a pillar of the 2010s tropical house subgenre, with his very first proper single, “Firestone,” topping the charts in his native Norway and elsewhere. Kygo is a collab king, first making the Billboard top ten with Selena Gomez on 2017’s “It Ain’t Me” and also working with the likes of Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons and Tyga. Kygo was this year’s sublime summer soundtrack for thousands, harnessing signature piano melodicism to adventurous samples and an in-character parade of guest artists.

Kany García at YouTube Theater
Kany García at YouTube Theater | Photo: Ticketmaster

Kany García - YouTube Theater (Oct. 17)



While Puerto Rican multiple Latin GRAMMY awardee Kany García remains best known for her 2017 album Limonada, she’s been scoring hits since her 2007 debut, Cualquier Día. Her massively emotive, dusky/husky contralto has proven equally adept at folk, rock, Americana, cumbia, and tropical genres, and capable of convincingly exploring subject matter from sexual orientation and desire to domestic violence and aging with equal passion and, when required, exquisite sensitivity. García’s career was almost ended before it began when, while a contestant on Puerto Rican TV singing contest Objetivo Fama in 2004, she was involved in a near-fatal car accident. Upon recovery, she wrote a song for that season’s winner, Janina, and within a couple of years signed with Sony BMG. A parade of Gold- and Platinum-certified albums has followed, typically pairing self-penned commercial songs with often deeply confessional lyrics, including on this year’s largely autobiographical García. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Sondre Lerche at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre
Sondre Lerche at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre | Photo: Dice

Sondre Lerche - Barnsdall Gallery Theatre (Oct. 18)



The subtly singular Sondre Lerche channels an enduringly intriguing mélange of 1980s alternative (including his compatriot heroes A-ha), ‘60s pop and, most distinctively, the Brazilian sounds he was introduced to while learning guitar. This has created a nuanced take on indie pop/rock characterized by eccentric, yet accessible melodies accompanied by chord choices and voicings atypical for his genre, with the throughline of his comfortingly intimate voice. Lerche won a Norwegian GRAMMY for his first album, 2001’s Faces Down, and built his rep on increasingly adventurous and sophisticated guitar pop, with forays into synthy club music (2007’s Pleasure) and sprawling, conceptual chamber pop (Avatars of Love, released in 2022). His most recent full-length, last year’s Understudy was inspired by a tradition of recording a version of a recent hit with friend/producer Matias Téllez back in Norway each Christmas. It includes Lerche’s takes on Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Doja Cat and Bob Dylan. Tickets at Dice.​

BeachLife Nights in Redondo Beach
BeachLife Nights in Redondo Beach

BeachLife Nights - Redondo Beach (Oct. 18-19)



This year, the folks behind SoCal’s BeachLife Festival are debuting BeachLife Nights – a two-day music and food experience staged outdoors right on the waterfront at Redondo Beach Harbor. This new event takes the place of BeachLife Ranch, which was previously held at this time of year, only with the focus on reggae, ska and rock-lite acts and more emphasis on delectable food (including the debut of the signature BeachLife Grotto restaurant experience) and celebrity chefs. If you’re familiar with BeachLife, you’ll already be familiar with the chill, coastal vibe planned for BeachLife Nights, which for its inaugural edition presents Michael Franti & Spearhead, SOJA, The English Beat, and The Rookies on Friday; with Iration, Fortunate Youth, Donavon Frankenreiter, and Anuhea on Saturday. Look out for the VIP BBQ Experience with LA-based Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone – the man behind Michelin-starred Gwen in Hollywood – which will include a special guest backstage musical performance.

Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam at the Hollywood Bowl
Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam | Photo: Hollywood Bowl

Joni Mitchell & The Joni Jam - Hollywood Bowl (Oct. 19-20)



Musicians from Taylor Swift to Tool have been citing Joni Mitchell as an influence for more than half a century. At age eighty, she can still comfortably sell out the Hollywood Bowl, where a second show had to be added. An artist almost synonymous with “singer-songwriter,” her unconventional, often jazz-informed songcraft and personal yet highly relatable lyrics have survived decades of shifting trends. Having quit the biz in 2002, Mitchell returned with Shine five years later, a sparse throwback that achieved her highest Billboard chart position for over thirty years. But that really was her last new studio release, though a slew of compilations and live albums have since appeared. These include the GRAMMY-winning Joni Mitchell at Newport, which captures her rapturous 2022 Newport Folk Festival performance alongside a group of celeb musicians dubbed “the Joni Jam,” who’ll once again join her at the Bowl. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Ari Lennox at YouTube Theater
Ari Lennox at YouTube Theater | Photo: Ticketmaster

Ari Lennox - YouTube Theater (Oct. 19)



While both of her albums have made the Billboard 100, understated R&B chanteuse/songwriter Ari Lennox seems to have been bubbling around the brink of greatness forever. In fact, it’s been nine years since she signed to former collaborator and tourmate J. Cole’s tastemaking Dreamville Records. Her four-years-in-the-making debut album, 2019’s Shea Butter Baby, is a confessional collection that serves neo soul like comfort food, with an authentic and relatable lyricism offsetting her exquisite yet impassioned delivery. Three years later, Lennox returned with Age/Sex/Location, its title a dating app reference signifying her waving farewell to searching for love and embracing self care and family above all. A/S/L finds Lennox refreshing classic 1960s and ‘70s R&B, her versatile talents perhaps best showcased on its slow jams and soulful, vocally acrobatic Lucky Daye duet “Boy Bye.” At age 33, Lennox has earned consistent acclaim, yet it still feels like her best is to come. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Ana Gabriel at Intuit Dome
Ana Gabriel at Intuit Dome | Photo: Ticketmaster

Ana Gabriel - Intuit Dome (Oct. 19)



Stylistic versatility, a gorgeously tortured timbre and famously arresting stage presence have helped to make Ana Gabriel the world’s best-selling Mexican female artist over her 50-year career. Traversing lambada, mariachi, rock en Español, ballads, pop and more, she has racked up over 40 million record sales and multiple number one albums and singles. During an incredibly prolific run between her debut album Un estilo in 1985 and 2009, Gabriel averaged a new studio album almost annually. Then came a long pause before 2020’s Por Amor a Ustedes - the album revealed her smoky, soaring alto still in full effect. Since coming out in 2016, Gabriel has also earned fresh respect as an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. Expect a husky-voice, hits-packed set spanning romantic corrido, traditional ranchera, and a few sing-alongs with classic Mexican songs from a performer whose warm relationship with her fans has few rivals. Tickets at Ticketmaster.