The LA Setlist: Sep. 9-15, 2024

Opening for major acts can be an unexpectedly thankless task, playing to disinterested punters still finding their seats and only there for the main event. But supporting the all-powerful Taylor Swift is different. Even the very established Paramore have had albums crash back into the charts while opening for her in Europe, and LA’s Gracie Abrams experienced a similar, in her case breakthrough, career boost from appearing on Swift’s Eras Tour throughout 2023. After the moderate commercial performance of her 2023 debut album Good Riddance, the increasingly folky/country indie-pop songstress – daughter of filmmaker J.J. Abrams – debuted at number two stateside and number one in the UK with this year’s confessional follow-up, The Secret of Us. With music stylized and atmospheric à la Lorde and lyrics laser-guided to her peers, Abrams has joined Swift and fellow former tourmate Olivia Rodrigo atop today’s indie-pop podium, where she certainly has the chops to linger. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Everything about Liana Flores’ sound is exquisite, delicate, and whispered-secret intimate. The British-Brazilian singer-songwriter’s Baroque-pop melodies flit in and out like echoes of a dream revisiting our waking hours, breezy bossa nova grooves and caressed acoustic guitar and keys her aptly gentle accompaniment. First appearing on YouTube over a decade ago, initially with ukulele-based covers and tutorials, Flores had her first online hit, “rises the moon” in 2019 while attending Scotland’s St. Andrews University, her new surroundings apparently influencing its mesmerized, folky Wicker Man aura. But it would be five years before the enigmatic Flores released her debut full-length, Flower of the Soul, a wide-eyed fluttering, fairytale wander through love, self-awareness, and nature equally alluring for its singular atmospherics, heady melodies, and relentless authenticity. Adorned, strictly when required, with piano and flute, it’s an aural The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for Gen Y and beyond. Tickets at See Tickets.

When they cavorted out of Dallas in 2000, The Polyphonic Spree was a two-dozen strong, robe-clad choral band/cult that everyone wanted to join. Built around the remnants of psychedelic poppers Tripping Daisy and centered upon their cajoling, innately likeable frontman/ringmaster Tim DeLaughter, their rock band’s core was embellished with a co-ed choir and un-rock instrumentation including harp, French horn, and theremin – all on an indie budget. Mostly on the back of their rapturous live performances, the Spree ascended to opening for and collaborating with David Bowie, theater headline tours, and minor hit albums. DeLaughter’s vision was combining orchestral and pop sensibilities as The Beatles and ELO had, resulting in a Godspell-inflected/infected, Flaming Lips-style kaleidoscope of multi-dimensional energy and ecstasy. The Spree stayed admirably true to this as they settled back into club status over recent years, 2023’s less bombastic Salvage Enterprise album only selectively rolling out the orchestral big guns.

Tickets to the all-ages show at Ticketmaster.

As her early career evolved and her reputation blossomed, Lalah Hathaway accumulated the validation and self-esteem to increasingly embrace comparisons to her late father, soul legend Donny Hathaway. And rightly so - while her lower register can certainly uncannily summon Hathaway senior, she long ago established her own signature, evident on seven solo albums since 1990 and collabs/features with the likes of Marcus Miller, Mary J. Blige, and Snarky Puppy. Hathaway’s rare multiphonic voice, capable of splitting into several, self-harmonizing notes, is one of the most richly emotive anywhere, comfortably spanning R&B, jazz, and mellow hip-hop. She’s been so in demand as a featured and touring singer – including with the Daughters of Soul Tour alongside Nona Hendryx, Joyce Kennedy, Chaka Khan and Nina Simone’s kin – that her own albums have been infrequent and all the more treasured for it, including her latest, VANTABLACK, released in June. Tickets at Live Nation.

Formerly a member of one of Mexico’s all-time most successful hip-hop acts, Cartel de Santa, rapper Dharius boldly if, at the time, somewhat mysteriously went it alone in 2013. His self-belief has since been validated by nine-figure YouTube stats and three albums’ worth of critical praise. On his most recent full-length, 2022’s 17-track Cuando Todo Acaba, Dharius keeps things largely autobiographical, capturing the party lifestyle of his native northern Mexico’s bandit neighborhoods (notably on “Todos en la Cuadra Bien Locos”) while finally revealing his side of his sudden departure from Cartel de Santa and alleged betrayals by former cohorts (“Hipocresía,” “Mala Decisión”), and even allowing himself a little out-of-character introspection (on the title track). Released on his own El Clan record label, Dharius stacks the acoustic guitar-stroked Cuando Todo Acaba with cross-pollinating guest appearances including Gera MX, Rich Vagos, Dan Sanchez, Loko Shot, C-Kan, Neto Peña, and Santa Fe Clan. Tickets at Live Nation.

With their 1999 eponymous debut album, masked Iowans Slipknot stretched the ears of even hardened thrashers and metalheads. Injecting frantic percussion, turntables and samples into already dense, multi-subgenre metal driven by the virtuosic drumming of the late Joey Jordison, the nine-piece brought new levels of Korn-y chaos and cacophony without overwhelming the angsty post-grunge hooks of singer Corey Taylor. Following the 2010 passing of co-founding bassist Paul Gray, a bonding force within the band, Slipknot somehow maintained their furious but nuanced form, even after Jordison departed in 2013. After a decade with ex-Bruce Springsteen sideman Jay Weinberg behind the kit, Slipknot, which now features “unknown musician” on keyboards/percussion, announced the hiring of former Sepultura drummer Eloy Casagrande earlier this year - a surprise move met with almost universal enthusiasm from even longtime fans after footage of his low-key live debut flooded the web. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

By layering their signature smooth, multi-octave harmonizing over hip-hop beats, Philadelphia’s Boyz II Men were central to R&B reclaiming its 1970s mainstream popularity in the ‘90s. Still comprising three of its four heyday members - baritone Nathan Morris and tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman – they remain true to the title of their hit debut single “Motownphilly,” marrying those two famed scenes through achingly tremulous harmonizing and heartrending balladry. Boyz II Men’s mega-hits faded in the New Millennium – their 1991 debut album sold over 9 million copies in the US alone; and their third full-length II an astonishing 12 million – but these three nights at the Hollywood Bowl are testament to the staying power of such potent vocal talents when coupled with comforting “that was our song” nostalgia. The weekend Fireworks Finale of the Bowl’s 2024 season also features opener Paula Abdul. Tickets at the Hollywood Bowl website.

Themed, multi-night music cruises, wherein both fans and performers stay aboard a ship on which concerts are staged, have steadily proliferated since the 1990s. These days, genre-specific waterborne treks include rock, metal, jazz, blues, country, as well as era-encompassing bills such as 1980s legacy acts, with some, like Holy Ship! and Jam Cruise returning year after year. One of the thematically broader such enterprises, the Super Legends Cruise encompasses throwback old school, Latin soul, freestyle, and Tejano performers, with its 2024 voyage setting sail from the Port of LA in San Pedro and weighing anchor at Ensenada, Mexico en route. Along the way, passengers can both enjoy and mingle with acts including Ramon Ayala, Los Lobos, WAR, The BAR-Kays, Tierra, MALO, Thee Midniters, Shelly Lares, Sunny Ozuna, Lighter Shade of Brown, Pepe Marquez, Rocky Padilla, David Marez, Cota The Barber, Sophia Maria, Raquel Ramirez, Tarah New, Amoraa, and Texas Funk.

Green Day is a band that would’ve been successful in any era of rock ‘n’ roll, their succinct and accessible songwriting, lean arrangements, and spirited delivery way transcending their chosen pop-punk genre. It’s easy to forget that, having dominated the latter half of the 1990s in the wake of the 20-million-selling Dookie album, they were slipping into pop culture’s rearview mirror after a (relatively) lukewarm response to 2000’s folkier Warning. But just when Green Day looked destined to become a ‘90s nostalgia act, they roared back with the American Idiot concept album in 2004, once again prevailing (and this time also earning much elevated critical respect) on sheer quality of craft. Chicago’s Smashing Pumpkins were similarly, and rightly, alt-rock royalty in the ‘90s but split up following a largely indifferent reaction to 2000’s 73-minute Machina/The Machines of God, only to see appreciation for their body of work accumulate again over recent years. Support from Rancid and LA's own The Linda Lindas. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Considering how many American Idol winners promptly faded back into obscurity, triumphing in a major music competition is no guarantee of lasting recognition. But for jazz saxophonist/composer Joshua Redman, winning the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 1991 was the sign of a talent that was always going to have a career rather than the pinnacle of that career. Redman has remained at the top of his genre ever since, his innate talent and studied virtuosity enhanced with a playful sense of adventure that has repeatedly challenged post-bop tradition. He flirted with funk and hip-hop on 2005’s Momentum; an acoustic quartet format (2011’s James Farm); and has repeatedly collaborated with multi-genre jam band Umphrey’s McGee. On last year’s Where Are We, Redman once again explores fresh terrain by working with a featured vocalist, the revered Gabrielle Cavassa, for the first time. Tickets at Ticketweb.

Hollywood’s classy, cozy Hotel Café is an LA treasure, a haven for indie/amateur singer-songwriter/acoustic acts where the artist and audience experience still trump corporate branding, FOMO-fueled ticket price excesses, and gouging concessions. Country pop singer Danielle Bradbery has experienced both sides of this equation, rapidly going from singing in front of her mirror with a hairbrush to winning TV’s The Voice in 2013, a pair of Top 10 country albums and tours with Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, and Kane Brown. So, Bradbery is quite a catch for the 200-capacity Hotel Café, where she’ll likely split her set between hits like the Gold-certified “The Heart of Dixie,” “Sway,” and “Worth It” and cuts from her polished new album, Danielle, which drops the week prior. At just 28 years old (she won The Voice at age 16!), it feels like Bradbery is somewhat relaunching with an Auto-Tuned sound and sleeker presentation. Tickets at The Hotel Café website.

The bashing of Bush as mere Nirvana clones was an over-simplification. Rather, they brought shamelessly massive, melodramatic refrains; collections of words that sounded deeply meaningful; and a hella handsome frontman to grunge, in so doing perhaps also bringing the genre to its logical conclusion. Led by singer/songwriter Gavin Rossdale, the Brit foursome’s debut album, Sixteen Stone was a commercial colossus that spawned five hit singles. But Bush apparently didn’t know which side their bread was buttered on and, like many successful but unhip acts before and since, craved “serious” cred. The result was the raw, Steve Albini-produced follow-up Razorblade Suitcase which, though it debuted at number one stateside, traded Sixteen Stone’s hooks for self-conscious “edginess.” Having disbanded in 2002 after wilting sales, Bush returned in 2010 with only Rossdale still aboard. They remain a fine rock band with a natural figurehead, but their audience is chiefly for the original lineup’s ‘90s gems. Tickets at Ticketmaster.