The best concerts in L.A. this May

The aughts indie nostalgia shows no signs of stopping, so it’s no surprise that Just Like Heaven—a music fest that’s featured basically every beloved 2000s indie band—is coming back for its fifth edition. The fest will take over the golf course next to the Rose Bowl on May 18, 2025 with a lineup that’s largely pulled from your old iPod: Vampire Weekend, a reunited Rilo Kiley, Empire of the Sun, Bloc Party and TV on the Radio top the lineup, with additional sets from Slowdive, the Drums, Courtney Barnett, Panda Bear and more. Given the Pasadena setting, Goldenvoice will offer wildfire first responders two complimentary passes, while supplies last. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 31 at 11am.

Whether he’s playing White Stripes songs or ripping through the raucuous blues of his solo efforts, Jack White absolutely delivers in his live sets. After a run of small, announced-last-minute shows over the fall (including ones at the Lodge Room and Mayan), White returns to L.A. for his proper “No Name” tour, with two nights at the Hollywood Palladium.

What do you do when you “pop out” at the Forum with a show so widely-watched and well-received that it decisively ends hip-hop’s most memorable recent beef? Why you take a victory lap, of course. Compton’s own unparalleled lyricist Kendrick Lamar returns to town for these shows at SoFi Stadium, part of the “Grand National Tour” that he’ll share with R&B superstar SZA.