This year marks a pretty big birthday for the Hollywood Bowl, but after looking over its summer schedule we’d call the iconic venue anything but old-fashioned (though, like many of us, maybe a little bit fixated right now on its ’80s and ’90s favorites).
The Hollywood Bowl’s 2022 season lineup has arrived, and for the 100th summer of shows at the Hollywood Hills band shell you can expect Ricky Martin backed by the LA Phil, a Duran Duran fireworks finale, a dancey evening with Grace Jones and CHVRCHES, a live score of Back to the Future, appearances by Billie Eilish and Debbie Harry, and a staging of Kinky Boots, among the many, many highlights.
And to celebrate the Hollywood Bowl’s centennial, the LA Phil is staging a free, two-night concert, the 101 Festival, held at both the Bowl and the nearby Ford in June. There are no further details quite yet—expect those to come in early May—but expect big things if the LA Phil’s Katy Perry-headlined centennial celebration from a few years back is any indication.
Before we dive deeper into the season, we’ll give you a brief rundown on the ticketing process. Right now you can only grab tickets to a show if you subscribe to a genre-specific series of three to eight concerts. “Create your own” packages of three-plus shows will be available soon, on March 15, but ticket sales for individual shows don’t open up until May 3. That all applies to this just-announced slate of LA Phil-produced shows (i.e. the ones where you can bring your own beer and wine), which are totally separate from the already-on-sale lease events like HAIM and Halsey.
It’s also worth mentioning that tickets prices have generally ticked up very slightly this year (we’re talking a couple of dollars per seat, in most cases). On the other hand, the LA Phil has tripled the number of $1 seats available for Tuesday and Thursday classical concerts, and added that price point for Wednesday jazz performances, as well.
So onto the rest of the lineup: The turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia is strong, with evenings from Ricky Martin, Boyz II Men and TLC, and Sheryl Crow and Keb’ Mo’. Turning back a couple of decades, the ’80s are well represented with Duran Duran, a-ha with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina, and Grace Jones (with CHVRCHES, as we mentioned earlier). And then you’ll find a few decade-transcending legends, including John Fogerty and Diana Ross, plus a tribute to Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra led by Billie Eilish and Debbie Harry. If you’re not really interested in nostalgia, the KCRW-curated run of shows should have you covered with Polo & Pan, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, and Flying Lotus and Hiatus Kaiyote.
Bowl regulars and film score aficionados will be happy to hear that iconic Star Wars composer John Williams is once again on the lineup for a series of 90th birthday concerts over Labor Day weekend. In addition, you’ll find live scores of Back to the Future, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and Amadeus; a concert from Slumdog Millionaire composer A.R. Rahman; and the fourth iteration of a celebration of Black film scores with bassist Marcus Miller and host Craig Robinson.
On the classical side, there are performances from Lang Lang and Joshua Bell, a dance program by the Paris Opera Ballet, and an operatic evening of the third act of Wagner’s Die Walküre. Herbie Hancock once again makes an appearance on the jazz calendar, and for family-friendly outings, you can expect the return of the Sound of Music sing-along plus an ABBA tribute band.
There’s so, so much more—from UB40 to the Gipsy Kings to Pentatonix—so we recommend checking the Hollywood Bowl’s website for the full calendar. But in the meantime, we’ve picked out some of our favorite shows below.
22 shows in the Hollywood Bowl’s 2022 season lineup we’re most excited about
June
101 Festival
Sat June 11 at 5pm (Hollywood Bowl); Sun June 12 at 5pm (the Ford)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 in Concert
Thu June 30 at 8pm
July
July 4th Fireworks Spectacular with Steve Martin & Martin Short
Sat–Mon July 2–4 at 7:30pm
Kinky Boots
Fri, Sat July 8, 9 at 8pm; Sun July 10 at 7:30pm
The Music of Leonard Bernstein
Tue July 12, Thu July 14 at 8pm
Wagner’s The Valkyries
Sun July 17 at 7:30pm
Ricky Martin
With the LA Phil
Fri, Sat July 22, 23 at 8pm
Tribute to Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra
With Billie Eilish, Debbie Harry, Dianne Reeves, Brian Stokes Mitchell and more
Wed July 27 at 8pm
Boyz II Men + TLC
Fri July 29 at 8pm
John Fogerty
Sat July 30 at 8pm
a-ha
With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Sun July 31 at 7:30pm
August
Sheryl Crow + Keb’ Mo’
Wed Aug 3 at 8pm
Back to the Future in Concert
Fri, Sat Aug 5, 6 at 8pm
Trombone Shorty’s Voodoo Threauxdown
With Trombone Shorty, Tank and the Bangas, Big Freedia and more
Wed Aug 10 at 8pm
Tchaikovsky Spectacular with Fireworks
Fri, Sat Aug 12, 13 at 8pm
Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
With Durand Jones & the Indications and Celisse
Sun Aug 14 at 7pm
Amadeus Live in Concert
Tue Aug 23 at 8pm
Black Movie Soundtrack IV
Wed Aug 24 at 8pm
Diana Ross
Fri, Sat Aug 26, 27 at 8pm
September
Maestro of the Movies: Celebrating John Williams at 90
Fri, Sat Sept 2, 3 at 8pm; Sun Sept 4 at 7:30pm
Duran Duran
With fireworks
Fri, Sat Sept 9, 10 at 8pm; Sun Sept 11 at 7:30pm
Grace Jones + CHVRCHES
Sun Sept 25 at 7pm