The best concerts in L.A. this July

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.

Bowling Green, KY natives Cage the Elephant first found fame (strangely enough) in England, as well as with their showing at SXSW in 2007 and their eponymous debut album released the following year. Their take on classic garage punk is a chaotic listen that draws on psychedelia, ’70s southern rock, glam and contemporary indie: just the thing for a rollicking live show.

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. 

This epic (and free) outdoor concert series features live performances by artists from around the world at the totally overhauled California Plaza stage in DTLA, where the shallow water separating the stage from the audience has been replaced by a proper event lawn. Don’t miss a diverse and highly intriguing mix of bands, DJ sets and dance parties.

Everyone’s favorite NPR member station has a hand in a slew of summer concert slates at public plazas and beloved museums, and this summer’s schedule is particularly packed. Familiar KCRW DJs and local buzz bands will be providing free, open-air tunes on select nights from June through September at Union Station, CAAM, Descanso Gardens, Bowers Museum, Century Park, the Autry, KCRW’s Santa Monica headquarters and—our favorite—the party-till-midnight bashes at Chinatown Central Plaza. The details slightly differ at each spot, but you can typically expect a bunch of food trucks, beer gardens and after-hours museum admission. Regardless of the location, you really can’t go wrong with any evening spent at Summer Nights.

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 Hailu Mergia (June 1), Slauson Malone 1 (June 15), Helado Negro (July 20), Julia Holter (July 27) and Woods (Aug 24). Tip: Avoid the traffic and the crowds and arrive early, preferably after 3pm when the parking price drops to $15 (though it’s $10 if you wait until the show starts). You’ll get to visit the exhibits, which stay open until 8pm on Saturdays, and beat the dinner rush.

Pop-punk heavyweights Blink-182 underwent an unlikely renaissance about a decade back thanks to its 2011 comeback album, Neighborhoods—which turned out to be the last release with its original trio. Cofrontman Tom DeLonge departed, and though his trademark hyperexaggerated whine is nigh impossible to replicate, Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba brought a fresh perspective as his replacement. Now, as the 20-year nostalgia cycle has brought aughts-era pop-punk back into popularity, DeLonge will rejoin Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker for a world tour that includes a stop in L.A. at SoFi Stadium. Tickets go on sale Friday, October 27 at 10am.

A giant of weird pop, alt rock and anti-folk since the early ’90s, L.A.’s own Beck Hansen headlines an evening at the Bowl backed by the LA Phil.

The world’s grayest…er, greatest rock & roll band is back to get its rocks off in Inglewood with a show at SoFi Stadium. The reason to hit the road is, well, because they still can. When we last saw them, they ripped, though it took a handful of songs for them to loosen their ligaments.