Photo: Brian Gove (Getty Images)
If music festivals are the equivalent of the summer blockbuster movie, think of a summer concert series as the event mini-series that captures your attention all season long.
Also: Summer 2017 Music Festival Darlings You Will Fall in Love With
With summer heating up in SoCal here are the top concert series’ to get you to stop Netflix and chilling.
Sound in Focus
KCRW and the Annenberg Foundation are SoCal institutions so it’s pretty much guaranteed that their Sound in Focus collaboration is top-shelf. Now, in it’s fifth year, the series is a personal favorite that offers three, free, all-ages concerts held at the Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City. Curated by KCRW’s fab music director, Jason Bentley, this year’s lineup includes: R&B princes Miguel and Gabriel Garzón-Montano on July 15; legendary DJ Paul Oakenfold on July 22; and concludes on July 29 with guitar maestros Rodrigo y Gabriela. Go to KCRW.com/soundinfocus to RSVP.
Twilight Concert Series
The Twilight Concert Series at the iconic Santa Monica Pier is the largest free concert series in Los Angeles. Now, in its 33rd annual season, the all-ages concert series is sponsored by Venice-based Snapchat so the lineup attracts a wide array of storytelling Millennials to what is a bit of a shit show, but still a super fun giant beach party with good music, stunning sunsets and hidden cocktails in water bottles. The Thursday series kicks off on June 22 (with Neo Soul stars Khalid and Bibi Bourelly) and goes through August 17 with Warpaint. For more info on the Twilight Concert Series go HERE.
Summer Happenings at the Broad
Art and music go together like Speculoos and pretzels (don’t knock it until you try it), making the Summer Happenings at The Broad museum pure pleasure for the right brain-minded. This is the second season of Summer Happenings, which showcases performers such as: Jenny Hval (June 24), Devendra Banhart (July 29), Xi Xiu (Aug. 26), Zebra Katz (Sept. 23) taking thematic inspiration from Andy Warhol, Takashi Murakami and Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as The Broad’s current exhibition, Oracle. Pre-sale tickets are $25 and $30 at the door. You can also buy a series pass and enjoy every Summer Happening for $75. Check out the June poster below. For more info go HERE.
KCRW’S Summer Nights
Summer Nights are free, all ages, outdoor shows hosted across across the Southland at Instagram-worthy venues including Chinatown, Pasadena, and the Hammer Museum. These KCRW-curated shows feature an eclectic night of breakout artists (Chicano Batman, Grace Mitchell, Elohim) and the station’s tastemaking DJs. For the full KCRW Summer Nights schedule go HERE.
