The best concerts in L.A. this September

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival once again lands at Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, and Pearl Jam is is one the lineup twice. Tthis year’s edition from September 27 to 29 also includes Garbage, Neil Young, Turnpike Troubadours, Alanis Morissette, Idles, Black Pumas, Maren Morris, Jeny Lewis, Cat Power, the Breeders and more. The fest’s name comes from the Hawaiian concept of family, and as such the beachfront festival will give back to its own community by donating a portion of proceeds to the San Onofre Parks Foundation and the Doheny State Beach Foundation, among others.

German EDM superstar Zedd (given name: Anton Zaslavski) has graduated from the festival circuit to his very own mini fest. Once again, Zedd in the Park will find the producer headlining an evening at L.A. State Historic Park.

A multi-hyphenate performer who can drum, sing and dance (often in the span of a single track), Anderson .Paak is the kind of showman who makes pulling triple duty onstage look like a breeze. The Ventura County native brings his band, the Free Nationals, along to the Hollywood Bowl for a show backed by the Color of Noize Orchestra.

NCT Dream, a seven-member subunit of South Korean boy band NCT, will be stopping by Inglewood’s Intuit Dome with their brand-new world tour. Expect to hear hits from their latest EP, Dream()scape, such as “Icantfeelanything” and the Fruit Ninja-themed “Smoothie,” as well as from their ISTJ album which was released in the latter half of 2023.

Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel’s slick, spacey compositions are best appreciated with a pair of headphones (or during sexy time), but that shouldn’t stop you from watching the French duo set the mood at the Orpheum. The pair is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its stellar debut, Moon Safari, by playing it in full.

Mitski has a talent for swift transformation. Over the past several years, she’s rocketed from self-releasing her first two albums and playing DIY gigs to selling out major venues months in advance. Catch her in support of her latest album, The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.