There were two things we wanted to do with this article: learn more about our city, and learn more about each other. Although we all come from different places, and arrived at UCLA at different times, what connected us immediately was our memories of seeing music in Los Angeles. Within the first few weeks of intern classes, we bonded over our varied but passionate music interests, and thus decided our project would be various forms of conversation with each other, sharing memories and recommendations about our favorite venues in the city. Arenas, theaters, tucked-away performance spaces – by diving into our brightest memories, we wanted to collectively build a map of Los Angeles, hopefully encouraging others to explore the city and all of its musical opportunities. In our futures at UCLA Radio, we hope to continue building this map, sharing the music that means the most to us, and building a community around it.
Digital Press Fallterns ’24
Charlie and Daniel’s Pick: The Fonda Theatre
In a neighborhood that prides itself in the pursuit of having the biggest, best, and boldest at every possible moment, The Fonda Theatre might get lost in the background a bit. With barely any decoration save for a standard-fare marquee sign and lighting, it’s easy to dismiss as nothing more than yet another little theater in a sea of bigger and louder ones. Positioned at the very edge of Hollywood Boulevard, the Fonda stands in the shadow of the more famous and outwardly-glamorous Hollywood Palladium located in the heart of the Sunset Strip. The Fonda really isn’t like many of the other buildings nearby: often brightly lit and opulent things that blare and yell and beg for your attention. Rather, the Fonda is understated. Patient and unassuming. Its greatest strength is in how it reveals itself to you. Only once you make your way inside can you start to get an appreciation for it: for the odd assemblage of antique lamps on the wall, the elaborate overhead architecture, the ornate banisters leading you up to the balcony. The full orchestra bar in the center of the floor. You could imagine classy concert goers from a century ago filing tidily into the balcony space, or gathering in dimly lit revelry on the Rooftop Terrace. This space holds the energy of one hundred years, the spirit of all that music and performance. Try not to get too caught up in it while you’re at a show, though. Just breathe it in. Enjoy it. The night goes on.
What’s the Best show you’ve ever seen at the Fonda, and why?
Daniel: I’m a little biased since this literally just happened, but probably The Hellp. Having a smaller venue was actually really great. The lighting and all the acoustics worked a lot better in such a crowded space and the energy of being in the pit was definitely incredible. Being at the front of the crowd felt like my bones were literally being shaken out of my body, which is how any good music listening experience should be. It did smell really bad though.
Charlie: Ok, I am plagued with bad-memory-syndrome so I really can’t remember every single show I’ve seen here, but that probably means that the ones I’ve forgotten weren’t that good right? Anyways. If I had to pick one it would probably be Denzel Curry. I’ve now seen him three times, and his set at the Fonda had to be the best environment out of the bunch. The ventilation system was good enough to keep air breathable throughout the insane moshing that inevitably ensues in any of his live performances. You are able to get so close to the stage (within a few feet) and it really feels like the artist, in this case Denzel, is with you in their performance, rather than performing “at” you, if that makes sense. I think the small-ish size of the venue also adds to the intimacy of each performance you see here.
Describe the vibe of the venue in 5 words.
D: Mahogany. Smoky. Earthquake. Lamplit. Speakeasy.
C: Grandiose. Ballroom. History. Checkerboard. Intimate.
Most memorable concert fit you’ve seen or worn here?
D: Assless chaps I saw one time in line have been forever seared into my brain. That, I would do anything to forget.
C: I can’t beat that. Nor do I want to.
Have you discovered any new bands through openers here? If yes, what’s your favorite?
D: Yes, actually. While at a Snow Strippers show a while back, I got to see Elusin live and I’ve loved her stuff ever since. Her stuff was a lot more chill than I was expecting, actually.
Dishonorable mention to Phreshboyswag, whose performance was so bad that it literally made me leave the floor to go check out the merch instead. Apparently he was super drunk during, so maybe I don’t have the best impression of what his actual music is like.
Funnily enough, this was the same show, one after the other.
C: To be honest, I haven’t thought much of the openers I’ve seen here… but that also might be more so due to my tendency to arrive fashionably (late) close to the start time of the main act.
If you could change one thing about the venue, what would it be?
D: Definitely the exterior. As much as I love the place, it’s a little underwhelming from the outside, especially during the day. I remember one time I went down to do some photos and I realized: “Wait, any photos I take right now would be of literally nothing.” That’s how barebones it can look without a crowd or nighttime lighting. Some more fancy lights or any details of any kind would help, even just a little bit. A part of me does kind of like that it’s so unassuming from the outside, though. It adds to the surprise of it when you have a good time inside.
Maybe more bathrooms? They could also add more ways to get onto the rooftop terrace. That would be neat.
C: I’m sorry Daniel but I have to take the anti-stance here and say that I would NOT change the exterior! I think it’s kind of iconic and I really appreciate the contrast between the non-descript, single-shade black paint coating the building and the luxurious, embroidered interior.
If I was going to change anything… I think ticketing processes can always be improved efficiency-wise, but to be honest they are pretty on top of things here.
What’s your pre/post show look like? Favorite thing to do nearby?
D: Since I still live on campus with no car (a thousand curses upon UCLA parking enforcement) my pre-show usually looks like me running around trying to find people to Uber or bus there with. The bright side of doing this is that I get to meet other UCLA people who are into the same stuff I am.
As for the downsides… I’m sure anyone who’s ridden LA public transit after midnight knows what I’m talking about.
Post: You know those hot dog vendors that congregate outside of big event venues and stuff? I love seeing them. Even if I know 10 dollars for a hotdog is shit, I feel like I have to respect the hustle. Support local businesses, right? It’s better than going to a Jack in the Box or something.
Nearby, there’s plenty of stuff to do. My favorite’s probably Amoeba, which is just down the street. You can go from being a music nerd at a concert to doing that at a record store instead.
C: I can offer a different perspective here. If you are driving yourself, which I often am, parking can be daunting in Downtown Hollywood at night. Do not be scared! Do not be pressured into shelling out twenty to thirty dollars on those public parking lots. Turn off Hollywood Blvd. into one of the side streets that run parallel (I go left on North El Centro Ave, then right along Selma Ave) and look up and down the cross streets for free parking spots along the sidewalk. This method hasn’t failed me yet, and I honestly enjoy the little stroll to and from the venue. You get some time to debrief the performance!
If I have extra time before-hand, I’ll have to be unoriginal and agree with Daniel on mindlessly perusing the stacks in Amoeba Records. Post-show you can round the corner on Gower St. to hit up the Denny’s a couple blocks down for some late night munchies.
What sets the Fonda apart from all the other concert venues in LA?
D: It’s just really cozy. A part of that might be because the first concert I went to in LA was at the Fonda, but something about the humble appearance and historical design really makes me feel at ease whenever I’m there. This does go hand in hand with a lot of the people they have playing; they’re never super huge artists. Because of that, the crowds are (generally) passionate fans and are, in my experience, pretty chill.
C: So much. The intimacy of the space is added to by the tendency, like Daniel noted, of fellow concert-goers to be equally passionate and friendly. The black-and-white tiled floor, the crazy, massive mural on the right interior wall, the luxe studded black leather and red velvet. It feels classy and old-school and, at the same time, hip and exciting.
Gray and Kiara’s Pick: Kia Forum
The Kia Forum is a nearly sixty year old venue, but in 2024, it’s just as iconic as ever. So many artists have “playing a show at the Forum” on their bucket list, and so many fans fight for their lives in Ticketmaster queues every day for the chance to experience one of these shows. Being an indoor venue and free of any sports teams, the Forum has concerts nearly every week of the year and something for every kind of music fan. Sure, you’ll have to brave the LA traffic on the drive to and from the venue, but the anticipation that comes from pulling into the Forum and soaking in all its rich music history is simply unbeatable.
For Kiara, Inglewood is a city very close to her heart. It’s where her grandma and aunties live, where her dad grew up, and where her grandpa is buried. She spent a lot of her childhood in Inglewood and passed by the Kia Forum countless times, but finally stepped through the columns in August of this year. “I bought my tickets to see Olivia Rodrigo on the GUTS tour all the way back in September of 2023. Olivia put on an incredible show and even wore a tank-top with the phrase “KIA HIS CAR” during the “Get Him Back!” encore number. The concert was such a fun experience that my dad and I immediately bought tickets to see her again at the Intuit Dome for the following week. That show was great too, but there’s something about the history in the Forum that neither Sofi Stadium nor the newly-opened Intuit Dome down the street can ever match.
Since this was her first arena tour, she included a segment of the show where she flies around on a purple moon to interact with fans in even the furthest seats. My seat in the first row of one of the lower bowl sections got me a wave from Olivia so I know how truly memorable a show element like that can be. Olivia has enough fans to fill Sofi multiple times over on her next tour, but I would certainly not complain if she opted for the Forum once again.”
And as for Gray, her first time at the Forum was also her most memorable. She was lucky enough to be gifted a couple of last minute tickets to Robbie Robertson’s celebration of life in music named “Life is a Carnival” in October of this year. Gray’s reaction to the lineup was nothing short of awestruck: “Now, if you don’t know Robbie Robertson, who was lead guitarist and later on a songwriter for Bob Dylan, then you may not know many of the names who follow, but please trust me when I say that this concert will go down as the greatest moment for which I’ve ever been present.” The venue was filled with some of the biggest names in music – Bobby Weir (Grateful Dead), Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Trey Anastasio (Phish, Dave Matthews & Friends), Bruce Hornsby (Grateful Dead), Don Was (The Doors, Bob Weir & The Wolves), Mavis Staples, Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers), Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Fleetwood Mac), Daniel Lanois (producer for Bob Dylan), Eric Church, and Elvis Costello (The New Basement Tapes) – just to name a few. If you made it through that entire list, then you can imagine Gray’s reaction to that being her first time at the Forum. “I could not believe that this was a real and lived experience that I was having. While I’ve seen the advertising of many modern names performing at the Forum, this concert solidified it as a legendary stadium in my mind. The setup of the concert was definitely casual, with music being at the forefront and the lighting and venue seeming like a last minute addition. I do have to applaud the way that the Forum can be transformed into a contemporary pop performance with lasers and singers on a trapeze line, or with just a few musicians on the stage with a couple of spotlights. The Forum seems to have a way of adapting to the creative energies entering it and allowing itself to shrink or grow and dim or brighten according to the person using it, but this is all a testament to the amount of work that the crew puts into making this happen. After seeing the same crew implementing the same performances in multiple venues, the Forum, specifically, seems to allow their work to be catered to their goals.”
Another memorable Forum experience for Kiara was Charli XCX and Troye Sivan’s joint LA show as part of the SWEAT Tour, the cultural phenomenon of BRAT summer. “I definitely agree that the Forum has such a distinct way of adapting to each artist. I missed the chance to see Charli live so many times before SWEAT, and I was not letting another opportunity pass me by. I was skeptical of how her performance style would translate to a massive arena since for most of her career, she has performed in intimate, club-like venues. I wondered if I simply missed the chance to see Charli in her element if arenas were going to be her new normal, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Charli and Troye put on the show of a lifetime. They turned the Forum into a club of 17,000 people complete with confetti, brat green, and enough strobe lights to probably permanently blind you. I never danced more at a concert in my life, and they seriously came through on their promise of making everyone sweat. Los Angeles shows, especially those at the Forum, are known for attracting celebrities so you never know who will show up next to you in the crowd or who’s going to make an appearance on stage. The night I went, Charli and Troye brought out Kesha to sing TikTok, and you really don’t get more LA than that.”
The historic atmosphere of the Forum fosters a unique sense of community between fans and a powerful connection with their shared favorite artists. Kiara says, “Over the past two years, I have seen Maggie Rogers perform across all kinds of venues in Southern California. I have seen her at the Rady Shell, the Hollywood Bowl, and Gallagher Square at Petco Park, but on November 2nd, I finally got to see her perform in an arena at the Forum. Maggie has always been one of my favorite live performers.
Watching her perform a mashup of her song “Retrograde” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)” on a Coachella livestream in 2022 is what made me a fan for life. Unfortunately, her crowds never seem to match her energy which has made every Maggie show I’ve been to a pretty frustrating experience. She’s always giving it her all on stage, but the general admission crowds in these outdoor venues just aren’t suited for her talent. I was counting on the Forum to change that, and it really pulled through. It was by far the best Maggie show I’ve ever been to, and when she thanked the crowd for making it to the final level of Rock Band with her, she got one of the most emotional standing ovations I’ve ever been a part of.”
Not only is music a positive of the Forum, but savings are as well! If you choose to drive to the Forum, there is a Vons only a couple of blocks away on Manchester Boulevard where you can park for free the entire concert without getting a ticket. Not only that, but if you have time before the concert, you should fill up your tank of gas since the gas prices near UCLA don’t come close to being better than Vons Fuel Station. The walk from there is only about five minutes, and you don’t have to deal with traffic leaving the parking lot – though there are no promises about getting onto the freeway home!
There really isn’t a bad seat in the house at the Forum. We highly recommend getting to the venue early to take pictures with the column’s Instagrammable photo ops and grab some merch, but even before all that, we recommend exploring Inglewood and all the city has to offer beyond its concert venues. After the show, when you’re walking back to your car and the noise of the departing crowd is nearly drowned out by a plane flying into LAX, you’ll know you’re in Los Angeles – where dreams, music, and concert memories are made.
Elaina and Olivia Aerin’s Pick: 2220 Arts + Archives/Pantages Theater
Elaina: When choosing a venue for this project, I wanted to highlight a lesser-known space that others could discover through this article. I decided on 2220 Arts + Archives, an “interdisciplinary event space” near Echo Park; as an independent theater/film artist, the experimentation and community of 2220 has been incredibly important in my discovery of like-minded artists and people in Los Angeles. In this interview, I talked to Olivia Aerin about my experience seeing performer Shannon Kennedy there in August of this year.
Olivia Aerin: There is no place, I’d argue, that encapsulates you so fully in art as the theater. I talked about The Pantages in my conversation with Elaina. Going to The Pantages is at once a special treat, one that reminds you to slow down and appreciate the romance of life and art, and something accessible where people go to see their favorite comedian while wearing their favorite jeans and flip flops.There is over a hundred years of music and art drenched in those velvet lined floors, but here is my small contribution to the experiences found in that paragon of old Hollywood.
ELAINA: So, what venue did you choose?
OLIVIA AERIN: I chose the glorious, everlasting Pantages Theater.
E: And I did the 2220 Arts and Archives near Echo Park – we decided to talk to each other because they’re both theater venues, and I’m a theater artist. So do you see a lot of theater in LA or no?
O: Yes, the main theater I go to is The Pantages. Actually, the theater that I grew up performing in is the theater that The Pantages was modelled after: the Warner Grand in San Pedro. It looks like a baby version of the Pantages. It is gorgeous, but it’s under construction right now. I don’t think it’s gonna be open until 2026 or something like that, but my senior year was the last year that it was open. I think we were the last show. So I was very lucky to have a couple of years there.
E: Awesome, yeah – because L.A. is usually not known as a theater city, but I’ve spent a lot of time trying to find the cool theaters – and I’ve not been to the Pantages!
O: Really?
E: Never.
O: Are you joking?
E: No.
O: We gotta go then!
E: Yes. Yeah, I found a lot of cool smaller places like 2220 that I love, which is a mix of a bunch of different forms – they do more experimental concerts, they do performance art, they do plays, they do film screenings, Q&As. It’s very cool. Location-wise, it’s near Echo Park, tucked away in a cute little brick building. So yeah, it’s a great location to go to if they have a show or a talk or a film screening or anything. I love going somewhere in Echo Park, even just the lake itself, and then get dinner there and then take a five minute bus down to the venue.
O: Any good food places?
E: There’s a great farmers market that happens on Friday’s! I went there before the most recent show I went to, which we’ll talk about in a few. What’s the area around the Pantages like?
O: I love the Pantages because it’s reminiscent of old Hollywood. Hollywood now has all of these bustling streets and it’s crowded – so crowded – but then in between those unassuming, concrete buildings you have these glorious old theaters and all the beautiful decked out art deco. It’s like, what are you doing here? It reminds me of when art was something we intentionally incorporated into our lives.
As for food they have a Shake Shack ten steps and a hop down from the theater and it’s our tradition in my family that you get Shake Shack before you go to the theater.
Something that’s really interesting – listening to you describe your place – is the duality of what a theater can be, because it sounds like yours is a sweet, unassuming brick building, and then you have the Pantages which is all just gilded and frescoes and these huge marble statues and just an exorbitant amount of red velvet everywhere— but I think that duality is symbolic of what theater is. It is something that is special, something that warrants dressing up and having special traditions you have when going, but also theater is everyday— you go to the farmers market and then you go to your show and your life is made brighter both ways.
E: What show do you remember the best?
O: I actually think that the most impressionable experience I had at the Pantages was when I was, like, 13? My mom took me to see Anastasia for the first time- it was my favorite show for a long time. I’ve always been partial to what I call storybook shows— the ones where the story isn’t contemporary. I can’t seem to find the words to describe it, but in book terms I’d say I prefer my productions on the fantasy side, over literary fiction. I think that’s why Anastasia spoke to me: the music is lush and the production itself is gorgeous. I remember feeling like jelly in those seats, just overcome by the music and the passion. You feel uniquely alive watching theater, it makes you remember these fantastical facets of life and the romance of it all. Anywho, I was freshly a teenager, hadn’t had that much exposure to any media or anything, but then I remember I looked up the Anastasia Broadway cast and I found Derek Klena— do you know who that is?
E: Kalena?
O: He’s a theater actor!
E: Is it Kleiner or Klein?
O: It’s Klena.
E: Kalena.
O: Klena.
E: Klena.
O: Yup! He opened his mouth and sang and I was done for. I had never heard anyone sing like that before– I had no choice but to fall in love with him. Didn’t hurt that he had been the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life, either. He’s a UCLA alumni which may or may not have influenced my decision to go here a little bit so thank you Derek Klena. So yeah, it was an all-around transformative experience that shaped my life. How about you?
E: It was an artist named Shannon Kennedy. I had never heard of her before I just saw that she was performing – in one section of the venue they had this big performance space, and she’s a sound artist, a composer, and a performer so she did this very interesting piece where she had all these like objects and nature like bits of like trees and twigs and stuff that she had turned into music. There was this giant branch of a tree that was like held to the ground and then there were like strings attached to it so she basically made a harp out of it and then run it through a bunch of effects pedals so she was plucking these strings on the tree and it was creating like these huge booming sounds it was fascinating, it was so cool.
I just remember being in the space and feeling so it was like theater transforming but even though there was no story so it was much more experimental but it was totally like the rest of the world just like went away the fact that she was able to create all these sounds like really intense very loud and also the cool experience of because all these instruments were in different parts of the room the audience was moving oh so it’s like we’d all stand around one and then we’d wait for her to go to another she’d choose one i don’t know if she did it in the same order every night or not but she’d just go to another one and all of us would shift to that one and then just like follow her around the space that is so it was really cool yeah
O: So cool. And that’s why venues and theaters are important, all of your senses are surrounded by art, yeah? We do our best to incorporate art into our daily lives, like listening to music or, you know, reading or whatnot, but when you’re at a theater you’re completely submerged.
E: Yeah, for this space it was that feeling of intense, hypnotic transformation. But then afterwards, because it was such a small venue and such a small artist that she just hung around afterwards so like the theater space basically became this community space. It wasn’t, like, a complete divide between the two, between the inside world and the outside world; it was not that you see the show and then leave but instead everyone can talk to each other – it’s not rushing you out of the theater, it was just allowed to be this social space. I really loved it.
O: We need more spaces that blend community and art, absolutely. One more show I remember – I saw Hasan Minhaj, who’s my favorite comedian of all time.
E: How was it seeing a comedian in such a big venue?
O: He made it feel very intimate. He’s Indian-American, and a lot of his storytelling is rooted in culture and personal experience, which I think makes his set feel inherently intimate. But he also performs so well. There was an older Indian-American woman who was sitting in the front and he sat on the edge of the stage to talk to her. And he was calling her auntie and starting singing to her. It was so wonderful because there was a connection, and in this small act he incorporated this huge part of Asian-American culture where a stranger can be an auntie or an uncle. And again– it’s such a huge audience. Even though we were not interacting with him directly, it felt like we were all collectively being sung to. It was another reminder of how the theater is a place where humanity thrives.
Gray’s Bonus Pick: El Rey Theatre
The History
El Rey is an absolute masterpiece. It was built in 1936 as an Art Deco Theater, running as a music house for 50 years and converted to a music venue in 1994. It is not only a registered historical landmark, but focuses on reducing their environmental impact by partnering with AEG 1EARTH, a corporate sustainability program.
Commuting & the Area
If you have a car in Los Angeles, then you are one lucky duck! El Rey has plenty of street meter parking nearby that is often free at the times during which concerts are taking place. There are often spots within a few blocks of the venue which makes for a lovely walk before and after the concert, allowing you to take in the area around the venue for at least a little bit. This includes the lovely and underrated restaurant *drum noise*… El Cartel! A small cafe with a lovely patio, El Cartel serves tacos, empanadas, and other treats that can be enjoyed pre concert, and potentially post concert. Their one flaw is closing at 9pm most nights and 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Regardless, this is a must try if you are ever in the area soon for a concert at El Rey or not.
My Memories
The first time going to El Rey is assured to be a delight. Stepping into the vicinity of El Rey felt both like I was a child stepping into a hidden pocket of New York for the first time while also experiencing some of the “first grown up ideals of earthly bliss” as Anne with an E says. It maintains its original Art Deco stylings, while allowing its furnishings to shift in order to fit more modern shows. The first of these that I went to was Sega Bodega, an Irish-Chilean music producer who performs deconstructed electronic music, preceded by Cecile Believe, a Canadian alternative artist.
Cecilia Believe, photographed on the left, instantly set the tone for El Rey. She had no inhibitions on stage and seemed to move with the lights, of which the controls were visible in the central back of the stage. Contributing to the artistry of the performances, El Rey allows you to see the majority of the inner workings of the theatre. So, if you are able to understand a lighting and sound board, you may be lucky enough to be able to talk with the crews on their experiences and teachings.
To best describe the inside of the theatre, El Rey is like a large and shallow swimming pool. The floor itself is dipped in the middle with stairs leading to more elevated areas on the side aisle areas. The artists performing at El Rey are usually toward the beginning of their career, performing on a smaller scale, which makes the theatre an intimate affair with the audience. Merchandise is sold within the audience area itself, often by one of the band’s crew rather than someone hired by the theatre, and you can talk with them about their experiences on tour with the band and/or artist. El Rey is like a large and shallow swimming pool. The people, the artists, the memories within, are all in constant motion and filling up the venue with a lovely magic that I have not seen replicated at any other venue I’ve visited.
For a great deal of reasons, I implore you to visit El Rey. The main incentive that I have for you is that the tickets often sit around $20, going up to maybe $40 maximum. Therefore, although El Rel may or may not have an artist or band you are knowingly interested in seeing, you should go regardless because of the venue itself. The majority of the concerts I’ve been to at El Rey have been last minute. Though I did go with wonderful friends, I was surrounded by just as wonderful people within the audience. And though I did not know any of the songs, the venue truly makes the experience magical and communal regardless.
I must say that Sega Bodega is the reason that this venue means so much to me. Although I’ve seen artists that I’ve known better and followed longer, the experience of seeing such a unique and true artist was what committed me to my love of the venue. He was one of a kind, interacting with his art and audience with equal and overwhelming love and respect. It was clear that the audience members did not care where they were standing, or with who they were standing.
While it should be noted that El Rey has a “VIP area” upstairs, it is not a selling point for me. I do think that it is an enjoyable area to hang out between sets, it is often extra money that I don’t think is worth it since it detracts from the very experience that drew me to the theater in the first place.
The first concert here that brought tears to my eyes was John Craigie, just a couple of weeks ago. His music has resonated with me more than I knew until I looked back at the songs I had unknowingly “liked” on Spotify. So, when I saw that he was performing in November of my senior year at UCLA, I knew I had to go and see him. His performance was personal, intimate, humorous, lighthearted, and touching. He spoke about topics that evidently were frequently discussed in his songs on a more serious note, and connected with the audience about these through jokes for the purpose of keeping us humble and reminding us of our humanity.
Though I keep straying from the venue itself, I center myself here again in order to remind myself of the living legend that El Rey has become that allows John Craigie to connect with each individual audience member, allows me to speak to an older gentleman about camera and the tips he has for a young photographer such as myself, allows the lighting designers to talk with Sega Bodega during the concert itself, and allows each audience member to get to know each others character as well as the songs surrounding the space around them.
