A Year in Music
Issue 003: Celebrating LA's best concerts of 2024
The “best of” lists start making the rounds each year after Thanksgiving. Most of us are familiar with the trend by now.
In wanting to understand the culture that defined 2024, I find myself drawn to some of the up and coming artists, established icons and veteran DJs I had the good fortune to see in Los Angeles.
I’ve been an avid concertgoer and festival attendee all my life, but LA offers a level of quality and abundance that is unmatched. I saw more great music in 2024 than any other year of my life.
Watching LA during a time of crisis makes me that much more appreciative of everything this city has to offer. There is so much great art and culture created by the people who live here.
Rather than construct a list of the best albums of the year, I want to share the best concerts I saw in LA in 2024.
Concerts
Show Me The Body, High Vis, Special Interest, Bib and Black Noi$e at the Belasco
I can’t say enough about every artist that played this show. The energy was overwhelming and unfiltered. Probably the best concert of the year.
Show Me The Body was the most raw, and most real show of the year.
Kraftwerk at Disney Concert Hall
For anyone who loves electronic music, hip hop or house, this group is one of the most influential of all time. Their aesthetic and quaint music videos serve to underscore how timeless great music can be.
Check out Kraftwerk’s Wikipedia page for all of the artists who revere them and list them as influences: Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Daft Punk, Joy Division, Afrika Bambaataa, Blondie and many more.
LCD Soundsystem at the Shrine and Hollywood Palladium
I mentioned these performances in a previous post, but suffice to say if you want a fucking JAM and you just want to dance, LCD is an all-time great live show. They haven’t lost a step or a beat over the years.
I technically saw LCD perform several times and I mention that because both Kraftwerk and LCD did 6-7 night residencies in LA. That’s a really special thing that deserves recognition.
Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Ciara and Timbaland at Crypto Arena
It’s absolutely insane that 2024 was Missy’s first headline tour. Everything about her performance, from the new videos, the numerous wardrobe changes, choreography and her charisma, was a reminder that she is a living legend.
Busta has a special place in my heart (and often on my head)
Fontaines D.C. at Hollywood Palladium
A fantastic, sharp and emotional performance. If you haven’t listened to their album Romance, it was one of the best albums of 2024.
TV on the Radio at the El Rey
I was shocked that such an accomplished band performed at such an intimate venue, but thrilled to get a chance to see them tour for the first time in years. They showed no signs of rust, I got goosebumps when I heard the first notes of “DLZ.”
Sleater-Kinney at the Belasco
As energetic as anything I saw in 2024. One of the original Riot grrrl acts and also one of the more overlooked iconic bands of the last 30 years.
Mannequin Pussy at the Fonda Theater
Another band with one of the best albums of the year. Phenomenal show, intense, driving, and yet full of purpose. Lead singer Marisa Dabice spoke more eloquently and powerfully about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the march of right-wing extremism and misogyny than any politician or political commentator I’ve heard.
They were the subject of a great profile in the Ringer.
Plague Vendor, Melted Bodies at The Echo
Singer Brandon Blaine was perhaps the most charismatic performer in a year full of them. He had full command over the crowd the way only a true rock star can.
Anohni and the Johnsons at Disney Concert Hall
One of the most beautiful, soulful singers I have ever seen. It was an absolute pleasure to see them perform at a venue worthy of their sound.
Flo Milli at the Broad
The Broad offers some really fantastic shows which include access to current exhibits. Flo Milli put on a killer show in a beautiful grassy area just outside the museum.
DJ Sets
2024 was also a year of numerous DJ sets. From Boiler Room to the recurring events put on by Sirens, Midnight Lovers and Into the Woods, I saw performances that truly blew my mind.
I’ve linked to my favorite playlists by each artist below:
Help LA
I’m still new to LA, but I fell in love with the city almost immediately because there is so much to love about it. It hurts to see so many people suffering, and I can’t help but think of the many artists and creatives who have been impacted.
I’m sure folks have seen links all over the place, but I wanted to repost these anyway:
Donate to MusiCares, an organization offering support to music professionals in need
Mutual Aid LA Network has created a list which includes information on shelters, volunteers and donations
This is a GoFundMe for people in Altadena affected by the Eaton fire
Here are lists provided by the LA Times
There will also be a benefit concert called FireAid on January 30 at the Intuit Dome to help victims of the fires.
📅 I’d also like to link to my event calendar for folks in the LA area who are interested in checking out some music. Many events have been turned into fundraisers for victims of the fires and first responders.
Stuff To Distract You From The Abyss:
As always, here are some of my favorite finds…
In anticipation of the long-awaited second season of Severance, a lovely profile of Adam Scott and the details behind his casting.
Read this and make plans to go party. You owe it to yourself to celebrate while there’s still time.
I initially found this list of interesting facts on my favorite blog, Kottke. Now I look forward to it each year.
LeBron James is 40 and the stats that have defined his career are amazing.
This long-form piece on Spotify’s plot against musicians is upsetting but worth much more attention than it is getting. I link to Spotify above in several places, so read the piece to find out if I’m a hypocrite.