Photograph: Courtesy Cassia Davis Summer may still be a couple months off, but some of our favorite annual alfresco events are already announcing their return, including two free concert series: Jazz at LACMA kicks off its season May 1 (which is bound to be even more popular than usual, given th e opening of the new David Geffen Galleries), and the Getty Center in Brentwood has unveiled the Off the 405 lineup early this year. The museum’s popular concert series will feature five evenings of eclectic programming kicking off at the end of May. The best part: Tickets—like admission to the Getty Center—are free, though you’ll want to try to secure a reservation well ahead of time; tickets tend to open up about three weeks before each show and sell out fairly quickly. The locally beloved Off the 405 series has been drawing crowds to the Getty’s courtyard since 2009 (besides taking a couple years off during the pandemic). With past headliners including Moses Sumney, Allah-Las, Chicano Batman and Shannon and the Clams, the series’ curated lineup always spans a range of genres and regularly showcases some of the most exciting up-and-comers in the independent music scene. Each Saturday-night performance starts at 7:30pm and will be preceded by a DJ set at 6pm. Listening to free live music while watching the sun set over the L.A. skyline in one of the city’s best museums—what could be better? And if you need any added motivation to make it out to a show, remember that the Getty Center will be closing for a year for planned improvements before the Olympics—from March 2027 through early 2028—so the concert series will likely be taking a year off after this summer.  Photograph: Fanny Chu, courtesy the artist And now for the lineup: First up on May 30 is Los Angeles–based “surrealist blues poet” aja monet, who’ll be returning to L.A. after playing Carnegie Hall. Her 2023 debut album, when the poems do what they do, was nominated for a Grammy for best spoken word poetry album, and she has new music on the way. She recently released a single, “hollyweird,” co-produced with Meshell Ndegeocello and inspired by the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Tickets are available starting Thursday, May 7. Photograph: Sandy Honig, courtesy the artist Next up are Hunx and His Punx on June 13 (which is just a fun name to say). The San Francisco trio—led by Shannon and the Clams frontwoman Shannon Shaw—are back in action after over a decade-long hiatus, with a new album whose tracks include the L.A.-inspired “Alone in Hollywood on Acid.” Expect a night of queer garage punk and outsider pop that’s reminiscent of the “gleefully twisted kitsch of John Waters.” Tickets are available starting Thursday, May 21. Photograph: Swan Studio, courtesy the artist On July 11, Seoul seven-piece band LEENALCHI will be in town for a show. You might recognize them from Netflix’s Midnight Asia: Eat. Dance. Dream. Made up of three singers, two bassists, a drummer and keyboard player—no guitarist in sight—the group imbues the act of musical folk storytelling with Talking Heads vibes. In fact, they have a new record on the way that David Byrne’s label, Luaka Bop, is releasing. Tickets will be available Thursday, June 18. Photograph: Courtesy the artist Two weeks later on July 25, Horse Lords will take the stage. The four-piece band from Baltimore pushes the boundaries of experimental minimalism and post-punk, using their traditional instruments as parts of a larger “rhythmic engine,” leaning into repetition and patterns. Tickets will be available Thursday, July 2. Photograph © Sam Clarke, courtesy the artist And last but not least, L.A.-based electronic composer, producer and musician Laurel Halo will perform on August 22, bringing her unique mix of techno, ambient music and musique concrète to the Getty’s courtyard. Tickets will be available starting Thursday, July 30. Note that even though tickets are free, they’re still required and will serve as your museum reservation. If a show is sold-out, walk-ups will be admitted day-of if any spots end up being available, if you want to try your luck. Either way, we recommend arriving early to check out the galleries and gardens before the show (they remain open till 9pm on Saturdays) and making a day of it. But if you already have your tickets, there’s also a compelling case for showing up right before the show: While parking drops to $15 after 3pm, the Getty is offering free parking for those who show up after 6pm on Saturdays, so if you play your cards right, you can enjoy an entirely free night out on the town.  ...read more read less