Music plays a large roll in our family’s everyday life; in fact as I write this I can hear my older son practicing his guitar in the other room. Lucky for us we all have similar taste in music. I’m not sure how this happened, but I know we really lucked out, and I’m so grateful! Especially, since the loud noises coming from the other room actually resemble songs I like!
Simon has been joining us for live music events since he was six years old (yes, we use earplugs), and now that Elliot is old enough all four of us are going! We’ve been busy these past few months exploring LA’s music scene.
Here’s the scoop on sound, seating, parking and everything in between at the 5 different venues we’ve recently visited. We’ve even included a few of our favorite songs for your listening pleasure!
5 LA Places to Get Your Groove On:
The Rose Bowl
Band: Green Day
The Rose Bowl is located in Pasadena, about 25 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles. It is of course famous for hosting THE Rose Bowl of football fame, which is held on New Year’s Day, but it also plays host to a monthly flea market. The stadium is open air and seats just under 91,000 people.
Billy Joe Armstrong puts on a fabulous show.
We all agreed that the sound was great! We had general admission floor tickets for this show, and if possible I would recommend them. The Rose Bowl is quite large and the stage is far from the stands.
A great show all around!
There were plenty of food and drink options inside the Rose Bowl, however if you have time you might consider grabbing a meal in Old Town, Pasadena, which is a fun place to explore.
Loved all the confetti!
Parking options: Parking at the Rose Bowl is expensive. There are shuttle options, but we wanted flexibility, so opted to pay the whopping $40 fee to park in the official lot. In the end it was worth it for the convenience, as it turned out we exited the parking lot right near the freeway.
Tip: Purses were not allowed at this show. You’ll want to check the venue’s website prior to your show for any restrictions.
Green Day: She from the album Dookie
Video of “She” from the show:
Forgive the quality of the video, but… dancing!
We saw this yummy treat in Old Town when we passed by Stray Cat Poke & Dessert! Funny thing is… we were on our way to dinner.
The Regent Theater
Band(s): Night Riot & The Dreamers
Located in Downtown Los Angeles, The Regent Theater originally opened in 1914, and is the oldest building on the block. The venue is quite small with a capacity of only 1,100 people, which in my mind makes it the perfect place to see a show. We all agreed the sound was good, and because of the intimate size of the theater so was the viewing.
NIght Riot
We had a great time at this venue, and will definitely be attending another show here! Its downtown location means you’ll find plenty of both parking and food nearby. We like Little Damage for it’s ice cream, Birdies for it’s chicken and waffles, and Kazu Nori for its hand rolls. Kazu Nori is just across the street!
The Dreamers
The Regent hosts other events as well, one of which is the Rock n’ Roll Flea Market held on the 1st Sunday of the month. I’m looking forward to checking this out soon!
The Dreamers and Night Riot opened for The Maine.
Tip: The Dreamers was an all ages show, but you’ll want to check before purchasing tickets.
Dreamers: Sweet Disaster from the Album This Album Does Not Exist
Night Riots: Contagious from the Album HOWL
Sweet Disaster Video:
Little Damage just happened to be on the way to the car, so of course we had to stop!
The Greek Theater
Band: The Shins
The Greek Theater is located inside Griffith Park and is an outdoor venue. The Theater seats less than 6000, and in my opinion is a great place to see a show. Tim wasn’t as sure, as he is more partial to the northern Greek Theater located in Berkeley, California. We both agreed the sound was only okay, but I loved the setting.
The Shins
There are concessions including a bar onsite, but as the venue is inside Griffith Park there are no other food options. You might consider grabbing a bite in nearby Silver Lake or Los Feliz.
A rare date night.
Parking options: There is plenty of parking available. We paid $15 and walked a short distance uphill to the Theater. Had we paid online in advance we would have saved $5, or alternatively we could have paid more and parked even closer to the venue’s door.
Tip: Purses were not allowed at this show. You’ll want to check the venue’s website prior to your show for any restrictions.
The Shins:
The grilled bread was delicious
Prior to the show we grabbed dinner at Wolfdown a fun laidback restaurant in Silver Lake, one of my favorite neighborhoods.
The Hollywood Bowl
Band: Depeche Mode
The Hollywood Bowl is located one mile from the famed corner of Hollywood and Highland in… You guessed it, Hollywood! The Bowl seats 17,500 people and is an open air venue. Getting there can be a challenge, but it’s worth it! I think the sound at the Bowl is great, and so is the service!
We chose to eat an early dinner on Hollywood Boulevard and walk to the venue, but there are plenty of food options within the venue as well.
Tip: Our seating choice came with the option to order food and beverage directly, which was very convenient. We ordered a bottle of wine right to our seats!
Parking options: Parking at the Bowl can be challenging and expensive, and once you’ve parked you can’t leave until the show is over. If you don’t want to drive there are shuttle options. Check the website for more information. We chose to use Lyft, and it worked perfectly for our needs.
Tip: if you must drive, and you don’t want to park onsite, park in the Hollywood & Highland Complex and walk one mile to the Bowl.
Even with a fancy ticket our seats weren’t that close.
Depeche Mode: Precious from the album Playing The Angel
Somebody Video:
If you’re hungry after the show look for the danger dog vendors. They can usually be found outside of any major event, and all over the city. I recently had my first one…Delicious!
The Forum
Band: Fall Out Boy
The Forum, located in Inglewood, is the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers, and only about 3 miles from the Los Angeles International airport (LAX). Depending on the event The Forum seats as many as 17,500 people. I thought the sound was only okay, but my son loved it, and these tickets were his 15th birthday present, so in this case that’s all that mattered.
Not the best seats, but we had fun!
There are plenty of food and beverage options inside The Forum, including Pink’s Hot Dogs, which I happen to love. There is also a full bar. People were incredibly helpful and overall our experience at this venue was great!
Thankful I still get to come along
Parking options: Parking at The Forum ranges from $25 – $40, and traffic getting there is everything bad thing that you’ve ever heard about LA traffic, especially on a Friday night. We chose to take a Lyft, and there is a well marked dedicated area at the venue just for ride sharing services. They even had charging cables and coffee available while you waited for your ride.
Plenty of merchandise options.
Tip: If the line for merchandise is too long, there are places to buy inside as well.
Fall Out Boy: Immortals from the move Big Hero Six
Fall Out Boy Video:
Pink’s Chili Cheese Hot Dogs are an LA institution, so of course I had to have one!
You might also be interested in: The Soundtrack Of My Life! Volumes 1 & 2…
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