2 Much Live Music: Classics and Comebacks Cram Calendar in September

A busy month of music began in about the busiest way possible: with two shows on the same night. The first Friday kicked off with a tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band by way of Jerry’s Middle Finger at The Bellwether near downtown L.A.

More photos and words from JMF’s hometown show at 2 Much Live Music.

Apparently, two sets of Grateful Dead-adjacent music wasn’t enough to start September. I then jetted off to The Ford, where the Hollywood Bowl’s sister venue hosted The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers on his solo tour.

Read more about his foray into country and Americana at 2 Much Live Music.

Labor Day weekend brought a classic rock doubleheader to the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers. Chicago and Styx closed out The Windy City Tour as co-headliners in Inglewood with hit-filled sets that had fans rocking in paradise.

More words and photos from the show at 2 Much Live Music.

Nearly six weeks after his actual 90th birthday, Buddy Guy kept his monumental celebration rolling, with assists from fellow blues guitar virtuosos in Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Joe Bonamassa.

Read more about Buddy’s big Bowl bash at Live For Live Music.

My first visit to Long Beach’s newest venue was a memorable one, to say the least. Deep Purple and Kansas both breathed fresh life into their classic tracks, with the Queen Mary providing a picturesque backdrop.

More words and photos from another classic rock double bill at 2 Much Live Music.

After more than a year on the road, Lucy Dacus finished off her Forever is a Feeling Tour with a fairytale ending, backed by Thomas Wilkins conducting the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.

More words and photos from Lucy’s big night at 2 Much Live Music.

The legendary Troubadour hosted a West Hollywood hoedown featuring The Infamous Stringdusters, with Silas Herman & The Tone Unit playing the dual role of show openers and night-closing collaborators.

Read and see more from this evening of bluegrass at 2 Much Live Music.

Orville Peck invited 17,000 or so of his friends—including fellow country star Noah Cyrus—for a cowboy-clad album release party at the Hollywood Bowl.

More words and photos from this Man Turned Mule extravaganza at 2 Much Live Music.

For all the new “supergroups” swirling around the music world these days, Dragonflies deserves more than an honorable mention. 

Dhani Harrison, the son of Beatles legend George Harrison, and Nigel Godrich—whose production credits include Radiohead and Beck, among many more—brought their project to a live audience for just the second and third times ever (assuming their debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live counts as the first) inside the sweaty Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever.

Harrison and Godrich recruited even more musical star power for the occasion, with The Strokes’ Nick Valensi on guitar, Joey Waronker (REM, Beck, Atoms For Peace) on drums, and Maurice Talbot on keys. Together, they ticked through Dragonflies’ eponymous debut album from end to end, with Harrison handling guitar and lead vocals while Godrich paced the band on bass. 

From the relaxed introduction of “Slower” and the driving rhythms of “Setting Sun” and “The Weight,” to the psychedelic pedal work of “In Between” and rangier jams during “End of World,” Dragonflies evoked the style and vibes of Radiohead in all the best ways.

With film cameras capturing the second night at Hollywood Forever, Dragonflies figure to bring a slice of their live show to audiences everywhere soon. Hopefully, a full-on tour will follow suit, as well.

If live music is going to be a part of breaking the Yom Kippur fast, it’s only right that the artist in question has some Jewish roots. That was the case with Mike D 5D, which filled The Belasco with a much-welcomed helping of Beastie Boys and adjacent songs.

Read more about Mike D’s return to touring at Live For Live Music.

What Pond’s North American tour finale in L.A. lacked in Tame Impala cameos (compared to the band’s Austin show, anyway), it more than made up for with an encore combining MGMT and MC5.

More words and photos from this psych rock rager at 2 Much Live Music.

To say that Jon Bellion performs live once in a blue moon is to overstate just how common blue moons are. The beloved songwriter’s Hollywood Bowl debut was just the fifth show on his FATHER FIGURE Tour—and, as it turned out, the finale of this limited run.

Bellion’s return to live performance came on the heels of a six-year hiatus, during which he took time to focus on his family while continuing to write songs for other artists. Anyone hoping to hear him put his own voice behind hits he’s written for Maroon 5, Justin Bieber, Eminem and Rihanna or The Jonas Brothers (let alone his own smashing success, “All Time Low”) might’ve been disappointed by what they saw at the Hollywood Bowl.

Any such disappointment, though, was hard to hear as the crowd sang and rapped along to seemingly every one of Bellion’s lyrics. 

His support on the night may have helped to tamp down any potential negativity, as well. Toward the end of the main set, Bellion began reminiscing about listening to Anderson .Paak’s breakthrough album, Malibu, on a flight years earlier. He then invited the born-and-bred Southern Californian onstage to sing and play drums on “Come Down,” with Bellion stepping back onto percussion.

That track, along with most of the show, came backed by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, with Charlie Rosen conducting on “Conversations With My Wife,” “Blu,” and “WHY.” Before the orchestra joined for Act 2, Bellion had the support of a star-studded band—featuring Robert “Sput” Searight of Ghost-Note on drums and Clyde Lawrence, of the New York-based funk-pop band Lawrence, on keys and vocals—for songs like “MODERN TIMES,” “80s Films,” “ITALIA BREEZE” and “Guillotine.” Those two outstanding collections of musicians came together with a sellout chorale in the stands as Bellion belted out achingly honest songs like “WASH” and “KID AGAIN” along with his “wedding song”: a cover of Oasis’ “Wonderwall.” Though the encore closer of “Jim Morrison” wasn’t unique to L.A., it nonetheless rang with additional resonance in The Doors’ hometown.

Fans of Bellion’s work can only hope it won’t be another six years before he’s back in front of live audiences. Those who were able to catch his handful of shows during this brief cycle can attest to just how special an experience it was and, perhaps, will be again.

Sput, though, was far from done after his spot backing Bellion. He was back to his superb drumming ways the very next night, this time alongside Cory Henry on keys and vocals and Eric Krasno on guitar and vocals in The Heavyweights.

Read and see more from this show, including sit-ins from Isaiah Sharkey, at 2 Much Live Music.

Billy Strings had himself a busy final weekend of September in Southern California. On Friday, he and his band played an intimate show at The Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A., with members of Tyler Childers’ backing band making an appearance. Come Sunday, he was down in Dana Point, joining Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam for a rendition of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” at Ohana Fest.

In between, Strings and his quintet entertained a jam-hungry crowd with two Golden State-tinged sets at the Forum in Inglewood. From opening the evening with his Willie Nelson collab “California Sober” to covering Old & In The Way’s “Lonesome L.A. Cowboy” and The Doors’ “Hyacinth House,” Billy and company went to great lengths to localize their show for an audience that doesn’t get to see them quite as frequently as, say, those in the Mountain West, the Midwest, the Northeast, or the South. Their cover of Mother Love Bone’s “Crown of Thorns,” featuring one of Billy’s most face-melting guitar solos of the night, turned out to be a bit of foreshadowing, too, since that song has long been in Pearl Jam’s repertoire.

In between, Strings rocked through plenty of his own material, old and new. He gave plenty of time to his latest album, 2026’s So Much For Goodbyes, including a retelling of the tale behind “Mill Town Flood” during the first set and the moody melody of “Burn the Other End” after intermission. Songs like “Red Daisy,” “Heartbeat of America,” and “Dust in a Baggie” got the long-time Billyheads riled up. And, as is common practice for Billy, he dug deep into the annals of bluegrass history for covers of Johnny Horton’s “Ole Slew-Foot,” John Hiatt’s “Crossing Muddy Waters,” and Bill Emerson’s “Home of the Red Fox.”

With any luck, Billy’s big weekend in and around L.A. was productive enough to merit more frequent visits in the future.

Though, either way, his diehard fans will keep “going on tour” with the Crown Prince of Jamgrass.

You won’t see any photos or videos of Jack White’s L.A. shows from me or almost anyone else, since his entire tour has been phone free.

You can, however, read more about Jack’s two-night stint at the Palladium—cribbed from notes that I scribbled, by hand, on a note pad, in the dark—at Live For Live Music.

For all the fantastic live music on offer during the penultimate night of the LA Phil’s summer season at the Hollywood Bowl, the real star of the show was Lauren Halsey, the visual artist whose emajendat project transformed the iconic venue into a colorful, interactive wonderland.

Read and see more from this multisensory experience at 2 Much Live Music.

The son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti leads his father’s band, Egypt 80, into downtown L.A., with Flea and Santigold in support.

Who needs a Time Machine when you’ve got the Intuit Dome? A night with TLC and Salt-N-Pepa ought to transport attendees right back to the ‘90s.

Heavy metal reigns at Sphere in Las Vegas, courtesy of Metallica. The genre’s best-selling band of all time extends its “No Repeat Weekend” format to a venue that’s intimately familiar with the concept (see: Dead & Company, Phish).

It’s unclear whether they’ll be selling banana pancakes during Jack Johnson’s two nights at the Hollywood Bowl, but at least you won’t have to pretend like it’s the weekend.

Kendrick Lamar’s Top Dawg comrade takes over The Novo for a night of hip hop straight out of South L.A.

Edie Brickell’s new band brings its brand of improvisational indie rock to West Hollywood.

The Greek continues to solidify its spot as a home for country music in L.A. when Ella Langley settles in for two nights in the shadow of the Griffith Observatory.

Bay Area classic rock fans will get their taste of the Fifty Something Tour when Rush arrives in San Jose on their celebrated reunion run.

Vulfpeck has another “Greek Week” planned for the West Coast. They’ll tote their new-look lineup, without long-time vocalist Theo Katzman, to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley on a Friday, before continuing their jazzy, funky romp down to L.A.’s Greek on a Saturday.

Fans of reggae, ska, and punk will unite for a weekend with Rebelution, The Offspring, Steel Pulse, The Interrupters and more in Mission Beach.

Miley Cyrus’ two Hollywood Bowl shows drew more than 1.5 million ticket requests combined. Clearly, the pop superstar could carry a whole tour if she wanted to, but why would she when she can perform on her own terms, in the city where she lives?

For all the amazing shows scheduled for this mid-October weekend in L.A., the Silverlake Conservatory of Music’s 25th anniversary celebration may be the best of them all. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Grohl, and Vince Staples will headline this fundraiser at the Palladium, with comedian Marc Maron serving as MC.

The beloved former Snarky Puppy keyboardist returns to the Blue Note in Hollywood for his monthly double header of “The Gospel Brunch Experience".”

“Spacey Kacey” saddles up with her giant disco truck nuts for two nights of earnest country music at Crypto.com Arena.

Usually L.A.’s home for Broadway’s biggest touring productions, The Pantages will switch things up for a couple nights as it welcomes in Bonnie Raitt, the blues guitar legend from nearby Burbank.

The Hollywood Bowl will become THE home for emo kids in Southern California when My Chemical Romance leads The Black Parade Tour to L.A. in late October.

Goose, Dawes, Lettuce, and more bands from the jam scene collide into this supergroup. Rainbow Body will make its live debut during the Coast Film & Music Festival in Laguna Beach, on the same day their eponymous debut album drops.

For once, Andrew Bird might have some competition for “best violinist in the building” when he teams up with the L.A. Phil at their winter home.

At 56, Hov isn’t quite so Young anymore, though he will be in the house for a two-night stadium run at the home of the NFL’s two L.A. teams.

The second-to-last Saturday in October figures to be a bona fide traffic nightmare in Inglewood, with Gorillaz setting up at the Forum, just down the street from Jay-Z’s hip hop extravaganza.

Meanwhile, Weezer will ensure that L.A. proper gets some concert traffic, too, as they close out the North American leg of The Gathering Tour with The Shins and Silversun Pickups at the former Staples Center.

The grungy blues guitarist will light up downtown L.A. in support of his most recent studio album, 2024’s JPEG RAW.

The husband-and-wife duo of Tanya Trotter and Michael Trotter Jr. will rekindle their scintillating duets for an intimate crowd along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

Surprise! Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and company are staging a comeback, with Guns N’ Roses, Run DMC, The Black Crowes, and Heart among a star-studded collection of acts already confirmed as support.

The former supergrouper with boygenius concludes the North American leg of The Lost Tour 2026 with three sold-out shows in Inglewood, featuring Alex G as the opener.

The most successful musical satirist of all time won’t be putting on his usual show at the Greek on Halloween. Instead, “Weird Al” Yankovic will lead a celebratory screening of his 1989 film UHF, with a full orchestra on hand to perform the score live.

If you want something really spooky on Halloween, head to The Wiltern to see the controversial heavy metal singer wrestle with demons through rock music.

Between Lucy Dacus shining at the Hollywood Bowl in September and Phoebe Bridgers selling out multiple nights at the Intuit Dome over Halloween weekend, it was about time to officially welcome boygenius into The Charcoal Club.

Back in 2023, those two took the music world by storm when they resurrected their supergroup alongside Julien Baker. The indie rock trio dropped their debut full-length album, The Record; played both Coachella weekends and headlined the Re:SET Concert Series; performed on Saturday Night Live; and took home three Grammys.

Then, just as quickly as they came on the scene, boygenius announced an indefinite hiatus during a secret show in L.A. in February 2024.

Bridgers, Dacus, and Baker have left the door ajar for another go-round. Until that happens, you can bring a piece of boygenius into your home via my Etsy shop.

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