For the first time since 2019, we’ve been able to safely attend enough shows to compile a list of our Top 20 favorite concerts of the year.
It wasn’t without some risk: Like many, some on our team caught some variant of COVID-19 (despite taking precautions and experiencing mostly mild symptoms, thankfully). Mostly though, we experienced the simultaneous overwhelming sense of excitement (with some anxiety) that came with the rush of everything being reopened all at once.
The live events industry went from zero to 60 in what felt like weeks, and suddenly we were back covering major events like the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival and Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio. The annual NAMM Convention returned to the Anaheim Convention Center and several smaller festivals like Bésame Mucho, Just Like Heaven, Cruel World, Punk in the Park and BeachLife Festival popped up and brought out thousands of fans to outdoor venues throughout Southern California.
The stadiums, amphitheaters and indoor arenas, theaters and clubs reverted to regular programming, too, with massive tours coming to town and artists staging multiple-date stints at larger venues or hitting various smaller venues throughout the area.
Thankfully, with so many options to choose from this year, reporters Kelli Skye Fadroski and Peter Larsen looked back on the jam-packed concert schedule and chose the best of the best to highlight.
Here are each of their Top 10 picks.
Kelli Skye Fadroski’s Top 10 Concerts of 2022
1. Tribute to Taylor Hawkins at Kia Forum: Thousands of fans and more than 100 musicians gathered on Sept. 27 to pay their respects to the late Foo Fighters drummer and Southern California native Taylor Hawkins, who died while on tour at the age of 50 in March. While the evening carried a somber undertone, it was a true celebration of Hawkins’ life and the music that he loved with performances by members of Queen, James Gang, Black Sabbath and Def Leppard. As the surviving members of the Foo performed its songs, drummers like The Darkness’ Rufus Taylor, Weezer’s Patrick Wilson, The Vandals’ Josh Freese and Hawkins’ son Shane all took turns behind the kit during the six-hour rock marathon. Get the full review and photos here.
2. Superbowl Halftime Show at SoFi Stadium: In one of the most anticipated Super Bowl halftime shows ever, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and surprise guests 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak delivered a spectacular performance on Feb. 13 inside the new stadium in Inglewood, where the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. Though the show was only 14-minutes long, it was a stunner, filled with party vibes and songs like “California Love,” “In Da Club,” “No More Drama,” “Alright,” “Forgot About Dre,” “Lose Yourself” and “The Next Episode.” Get the full review and photos here.
3. Olivia Rodrigo at Greek Theatre: Temecula native Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour was one of the most sought-after tickets in 2022. She played two sold-out nights at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, May 25-26. The 19-year-old blasted through her hits including “Brutal,” “Traitor,” “Good 4 U” and her breakthrough single, “Drivers License.” She also paid homage to the female artists that clearly inspired her writing and sound by bringing out Alanis Morissette to sing her hit “You Oughta Know.” Get the full review and photos here.
4. Danny Elfman at Coachella/Hollywood Bowl: Producer and TV and film composer Danny Elfman made his Coachella debut this year by performing his career-encapsulating Danny Elfman: From Boingo to Batman To Big Mess And Beyond! show during back-to-back weekends in Indio in April. It featured a mix of Elfman’s projects including Oingo Boingo songs, selections from feature films like “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” and “Batman,” as well as songs from his solo 2021 double album, “Big Mess.” He also performed an extended version of the show at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Oct. 28-29. Get the full review and photos here.
5. Orville Peck at Coachella, Stagecoach and Palomino festivals: Masked country music star Orville Peck pulled triple duty out in Indio in April, attracting crowds during both weekends of Coachella and a set over in the Palomino at Stagecoach. Peck also played Coachella promoter Goldenvoice’s inaugural Palomino Festival outside Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena in July and brought his 4th Annual Rodeo to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in November. His style and swagger, paired with an incredible voice and songs like “The Curse of the Blackened Eye,” “Daytona Sand” and “Lafayette,” made Peck a standout performer all across Southern California in 2022. Get the full review and photos here.
6. Punk in the Park at Oak Canyon Park in Silverado: The second annual, two-day punk fest was a roaring good time with lots of tasty eats, craft beer tastings and headlining performances by Dropkick Murphys and Bad Religion, as well as sets from Bouncing Souls, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Manic Hispanic, Adolescents, Face to Face and The Vandals, who filled in for Dead Kennedys following the sudden death of its drummer D.H. Peligro. Get the full review and photos here.
7. Royal Blood at House of Blues Anaheim: Back in May, the English rock duo Royal Blood played several Southern California dates and we caught them in Anaheim. The performance was incredible and even with just two players, Royal Blood’s energy and sound physically vibrated the entire venue as it blasted through older cuts like “How Did We Get So Dark?” and “Figure It Out” and fresh offerings like “Typhoons” and “Trouble’s Coming.” Read our interview with Royal Blood here.
8. Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach: The three-day festival with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean is such a unique experience. Curated by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder since 2016, the event features a diverse musical lineup and this year was no exception. With headliners Stevie Nicks, Vedder and Pink, other acts including Brittany Howard, Jack White, Khruangbin, Billy Strings and St. Vincent also gave stunning performances. Get the full review and photos here.
9. The Weeknd at SoFi Stadium: R&B star Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, absolutely destroyed during his first of two nights in Inglewood back in September. He had so much fun dancing, singing and screaming along with fans during his explosive, hit-filled set that he blew out his voice early during night two. However, he made good on his promise to reschedule the show and returned to the venue in November. Get the full review and photos here.
10. Social Distortion at House of Blues Anaheim: Seeing Orange County band Social Distortion play its annual run of hometown gigs at House of Blues Anaheim in December was the icing on the cake to a year of concerts. Despite postponing a few shows due to illness, the guys picked back up and played several evenings in Anaheim, mixing classic hits, fan-favorites, new material and a brilliant cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” The band also hopped on 106.7-FM KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas lineup on Dec. 10 at Kia Forum when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs had to cancel last minute due to illness. Get the full review and photos here.
Peter Larsen’s Top 10 Concerts of 2022
1. Björk at the Shrine Auditorium: Björk doesn’t simply play a concert, she designs and stages them, and her Cornucopia show in January at the Shrine was, by her own description, the most theatrical thing she’s ever created. The video visuals were stunning and surreal, the stage set intriguing, her costumes, as usual, gorgeously avant-garde. There was a septet of flautists who danced behind her. None of that matters, though, without the music, and Björk’s vocals were moving, emotional, and beautiful throughout. Get the full review and photos here.
2. Rammstein at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum: Rammstein at the Coliseum was as amazingly spectacular as Björk in an entirely different way. Where the Icelandic singer is a sprite skipping through the woods, the German industrial metal band is a Teutonic giant setting the forest ablaze. Seriously, there were literally 586 pyro cues in the show. Flames rocketed across the stadium on wires. Singer Till Lindemann wore a backpack that shot 20-foot bursts of flame out of nine attached tubes. And the songs, sung in German, delivered a brutal, body-shaking beauty. Get the full review and photos here.
3. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis at the Shrine Auditorium: Cave and Ellis, his longtime collaborator in the Bad Seeds, came to Los Angeles in March to play songs from 2021’s “Carnage,” their first album as a proper duo, as well as “Ghosteen,” the 2019 Bad Seeds album for which the pandemic scuttled tour plans. Both records supplied moving moments throughout the night – “Ghosteen” is a reflection on grief and loss in the wake of his teenage son’s accidental death. The wilder Bad Seeds’ songs got left at home and that was just fine for the power of the emotions the setlist delivered. Get the preview of the show here.
4. Roxy Music at the Kia Forum: It had been 20 years since Roxy Music played together, which made the arrival of Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, and Paul Thompson in September the No. 1 reunion of the year. (No. 2 reunion show: Gang Of Four at the Roxy in March.) The rarity of the show made it special before a single note was played. And when the music started, it was as wonderful as you’d hoped. Bonus points for booking St. Vincent, whose music was influenced by Roxy, to open. Get the full review and photos here.
5. Elton John at Dodger Stadium: Elton John has been trying to finish his farewell tour for so long that I had his 2019 farewell show on my list of the 10 most memorable shows of 2019, our last before the pandemic shut it all down. This November concert, the first of three goodbye shows at Dodger Stadium, was partly a bittersweet joy for the memories it evoked of his past shows at the ballpark. Elton was in good voice, his band tight, and the setlist packed with a ridiculous number of hits, turning the yellow brick road into a trip down memory lane. (No. 2 on the classic rock hit parade: Paul McCartney at SoFi Stadium in May.) Get the full review and photos here.
6. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at the Greek Theatre: The Led Zeppelin singer and the bluegrass star released their second album as a duo in 2021 and in August played tunes from it and their 2007 debut “Giant Sand” on a lovely night at the Greek. You wouldn’t expect these two to work together given their different backgrounds, but like peanut butter and chocolate, sometimes it’s the unexpected blend that delights most. And Plant and Krauss offered beautiful harmonies on an eclectic mix of folk, country, and blues-based songs that raised goosebumps under the stars. Get the full review and photos here.
7. Duran Duran at the Hollywood Bowl: Duran Duran was having a moment this year. Three sold-out shows at the Hollywood Bowl in September. Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November at the same time as the release of its concert-documentary film “A Hollywood High.” This first of the Bowl shows was terrific, delivering hits like “Rio,” “Hungry Like The Wolf,” and “Planet Earth,” made all the more memorable by the unexpected rainfall that drenched happy fans throughout the night. Get the full review and photos here.
8. Lizzo at the Kia Forum: Write it down: Scientists will eventually discover it is impossible not to be happy at a Lizzo show. For now, take my word for it. Her concert in Inglewood in November was the most joyful, positive, and uplifting show of the year. If you come in a little bit down, no, no, Lizzo is having none of that. Funny, cheerful, and occasionally profane, Lizzo is feel-good music delivered via powerhouse vocals and heartfelt lyrics. Surprise guests Missy Elliott and Cardi B were absolute bonuses. Get the full review and photos here.
9. Pet Shop Boys and New Order at the Hollywood Bowl: A month after Duran Duran played the Bowl, two more British icons of New Wave rock arrived on stage there in October. Of the two, Pet Shop Boys felt more special, having toured less than New Order in recent years. But both sounded terrific, playing electronic rock with wistful vocals on songs that plucked the sadder heartstrings of life. (To complete our New Order experience, we caught former member Peter Hook’s strong show at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in Los Angles in September.) Get the full review and photos here.
10. Harry Styles at the Kia Forum: Singer-songwriter Harry Styles turned the Kia Forum into “Harry’s House” with a residency that spanned October and November for 15 shows, though illness caused a few to be rescheduled. Like Lizzo, Styles is a performer who works to make genuine connections with fans from the stage. Add to that an expanding catalog of hit songs and a showman’s instinct for performance, and this first show of the long run was one of the most purely fun nights of music we caught in 2022. Get the full review and photos here.
