The stage is set for Barack Obama to accept the Democratic Party nomination for president | Photo by Rocky Mountain News via flickr. Unless you've been living underground or roaming the state trying to start fires, you're well aware that tonight Barack Obama will finally accept the nomination as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States after 19 months of campaigning. He'll do so at the 50-yard-line of the elaborately decked-out Mile......

It's a wonderful night, Stevie Wonder is playing tonight. For more of what's going on in rock music this month, check out our This Month in Rock guide. Stevie Wonder @ Hollywood Bowl Bloodcat Love, The Happy Hollows, Semi Sweet @ Detroit Bar Yellow Fever, BlackBlack, Vaginals, VoicesVoices @ The Smell Under the Influence of Giants, Nico Stai, Bridges @ Spaceland Retribution Gospel Choir, The Weather Underground @ Troubadour Jail Weddings, Victim Vision, Wounded......

Photo courtesy of Polyfoto via Flickr You know its officially summer when the Hollywood Bowl schedule is in full swing and your local Whole Foods boast empty shelves of wine and cheese. Yes, the sun is out later and perfect temperatures always serve as a pleasant compliment to any night of music, but that isn’t to say that there’s nothing going on in your favorite sweaty rock venue. July happens to be a jam-packed month,......

Caption this in the comments section. All photos by Kelly C. Gallamore for LAist Stevie Wonder was the first of two surprises led to the Pauley Pavilion floor by Michelle Obama at yesterday's Get Out the Vote for Obama Rally. After a short explanation of his history as a Clinton supporter turned Obama believer, Wonder led the crowd in a rather difficult vocal exercise based on the candidate's name (see video below). Caption #2......

(l-r) Caroline Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey, Maria Shriver, Maria Elena Durazo, Michelle Obama "If Barack Obama was a state," California's First Lady said, "he'd be California." The ecstatic crowd at the 3/4-full Pauley Pavilion punctuated each of Maria Shriver's follow-up descriptors with a resounding "YEAH!" "Diverse, open, smart, independent, bucks tradition. Innovative. Inspirational. Dreamer. Leader." Michelle Obama's lengthy introduction for Maria Shriver had everyone looking around. The crowd erupted when Shriver appeared (see the video......

Etta James & Chuck Berry - "Rock n' Roll Music" Etta James and the Roots Band @ Wiltern Stevie Wonder @ Nokia Theatre Les Savy Fav @ El Rey Snoop Dogg's Smokin' XMAS Party @ House of Blues Mellowdrone @ The Echoplex Greyboy Allstars @ The Troubadour Lamb of God @ Long Beach Arena The Nightwatchman, Jill Sobule, Low Stars @ Hotel Cafe Andre Legacy, Dirt Nasty, Beardo @ Safari Sam's Mike Stern Quartet......

It's a rockin' Friday night in LA with Stevie, Van Halen, RZA, and R. Kelly in town, a XMAS Sweater Party at Crash Mansion featuring local indie up'n comers, and cow punk comes alive at Safari Sam's, with X side project (since 1982) The Knitters....

Toward the end of his Greek Theater appearance on Wednesday, Stevie Wonder called for his daughter – “Aisha!!!” – as a familiar drum/bass line crept out of the background, and the band swung into Isn’t She Lovely, the song written about her some thirty-odd years ago. For a few seconds, the Jumbotron screens were filled with the two of them, Stevie bobbing back and forth intensely, Aisha gazing at him with great love as......

Stevie Wonder never ceases to amaze. He is a true icon, a kind spirit, and funny. The man is really funny and the crowd loves him. I think the concert of the summer has to be Stevie Wonder at the Greek this past Wednesday. I'm not just saying that because I went with a superfan who drove all the way from Colorado to see this show or because everyone seemed to know every word......

Blackberry Smoke w/Slash - "Highway to Hell" Stevie Wonder @ The Greek B.B. King @ Hollywood Bowl Lucinda Williams @ El Rey Subhumans, 50 Cent Haircut @ The Knitting Factory Blackberry Smoke, Roses on her Grave @ Viper Room Ben Kweller @ The Echo Sage Francis @ Ivar Theater Kittie, It Dies Today, Silent Civilian, Bring Me the Horizon @ Key Club The Monolators, Kissing Cousins, Ghost Kings @ Silverlake Lounge Gran Ronde, A......

Gogol Bordello - "Ultimate" Stevie Wonder @ Santa Barbara Bowl Crowded House, Pete Yorn @ The Greek Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda No Age @ Amoeba Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds @ House of Blues The Watson Twins, King Straggler, Everest @ Spaceland Sally Kellerman, John Clinebell, Mimi @ Genghis Cohen The Mormons, Bad Dudes, The Frescas, The Janitors @ Mr. T's Bowl Lo Mass Republic, The Felice Brothers, Dan Mangan @ Viper Room I See......

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco would probably prefer it if you didn't talk on Wednesday Spinal Tap @ Avalon, tonight Joss Stone @ Greek, tonight Metal Skool, Shapes of Racecars @ Key Club, tonight Stevie Wonder @ Santa Barbara Bowl, Tues Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda, Tues Wilco @ Greek, Weds. The Like @ Spaceland, Weds Los Lobos @ Santa Monica Pier, Thurs Kronos Quartet @ California Plaza, Thurs Mat Kearney @ House of Blues,......

Stevie Wonder will hit the road this month for a 13 city U.S. tour. The man who just called to say I love you will kick off his tour, dubbed "Wonder's Summer Night," in San Diego at Humphrey's on August 23. Wonder announced the details of the tour Thursday afternoon at a press conferenced in Century City. Those who were lucky enough to be in Century City this afternoon were treated to a mini-concert from......

Can we fast forward through the rest of the American Idol season? We already know the two finalists will either be Melinda Doolittle vs. Lakisha Jones (if America has its way) or Antonella Barba vs. Sanjaya Malakar (if the site votefortheworst.com has its way). It was boys' night out on American Idol and as a bunch, they were pretty bad sucked. Some of the lowlights included: >> Sanjaya with a new, straighter (more masculine???)......

There's five hours of American Idol on TV this week. And last night's two-hour singing competition that was supposed to separate the men from the boys -- at least the American Idol contenders from the poseurs -- felt like all five wrapped up in one show. That's not a good sign. But we realized why we do these recaps (despite some naysayers): It's so you don't have to lose two hours of your life......

LAist is proud to offerer a weekly, chart roundup of Billboard Magazine’s most coveted rankings. Join us as we revel in the conventional standard of musical success. Let us cross our fingers, hoist our lighters, and dream together of the supreme resurrection of artist-driven recordings that will forever eclipse the dark cloud of big label greed, A&R sleaze and disposable audio. Amen. Here are this week’s chart toppers. Behold the #1s. __________________________________________________________________________________________ A selection......

The first time i saw Pigeon John he was the main act at "the Shack" in Anaheim. Sundays were rap nights, and before i knew it the rowdy crowd of criminals was being charmed by this rapper toting an acoustic guitar, and making wise-cracks at the audience. Pigeon John has come a long way since those days years ago, he is now signed by Quannum Projects, considered one of Los Angeles's most popular rappers, and......

In a move certain to wind up the tails of many a fan of The Mouse, Disneyland announced that they they are temporarily replacing the onboard soundtracks to both the Space Mountain and California Screamin' roller coasters with remixed versions of songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Disneyland asserts "rock fans’ dreams will come true as Rockin’ Both Parks provides new special effects and soundtracks specifically remixed to heighten every twist, turn, rise......

Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Brian McNight, Common, Corinne Bailey Rae @ Gibson The English Beat @ The Canyon John Doe @ Blue Cafe Colin Hay @ Largo Silversun Pickups @ The Troubadour DeVotchka @ Avalon Royal Jelly @ Forty Deuce Dos, Underground Railroad To Candyland @ The Smell XBXRX, Numbers, Shift, Ni Hao @ The Echo Sandbillies, Franki Doll & the Broken Toys, Sharon Needles @ Silverlake Lounge Dressy Bessy, Big Sir, 8mm @......

The Rolling Stones @ Dodger Stadium Kevin Federline @ House of Blues The Lemonheads @ The Troubadour Pernice Brothers, Elvis Perkins @ Spaceland Copeland @ El Rey DJ AM @ LAX OK Stranger, Legs on Sale @ The Scene Los Tres, Cubiky @ The Knitting Factory Eject, Sergeant @ Silverlake Lounge Tereza, x86, Beat Mo @ Whisky A Gogo Sick Puppies, Building a Better Spaceship @ The Mint Dave Lichens, Goldspot, Chris Pierce @......

Heart @ Fairplex Pomona Apollo Sunshine @ Troubadour Feist @ Avalon Jill Sobule @ Largo Headlights @ Spaceland 311 @ Santa Barbara Bowl Bonnie Raitt, Keb' Mo' @ Greek New Maximum Donkey @ The Joint Death House Chaplain @ Mr. T's Bowl Scream, Beautiful Creatures @ Viper Room Supagroup, The Giraffes @ Key Club Tsuyama Atsushi, Kawabata Makoto, Tatsuya Yoshida @ The Smell Lisa Lisa, Zapp, The Manhattans, GQ, The Delfonics @ Hyundai Pavilion......

Are Ben Stiller, Christina Applegate and Taye Diggs American Idol groupies? While they weren’t the only celebs that Fox tcaught on camera at the Kodak, the sightings show how much this pop competition has become a red-hot ticket in Hollywood. Even the networks pulled their regular programming, and those not watching AI were given the choices of Stephen King’s “Desperation” on ABC or the Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS. NBC really threw......

The LA-based, music production/management company Xperimental Entertainment is trying to break the William Hung stigma attached to Asian American pop singers by conducting its own American Idol-type contest on its website. The site features live performances of 10 Asian American singer/musician finalists. Voters can cast ballots once every 24 hours for their favs. Unlike its AI counterpart, there isn’t a Ryan Seacrest in sight, and some of the contestants choose to accompany themselves with......

Sample these tracks and let us know what's in your iPod playlist this week. The Shore | Local Rock Hard Road [download | watch video] Formed in Silverlake during 2002, The Shore's hard work paid off when they were signed to the Maverick label. Listen to "Hard Road" from their self-titled debut. If you like what you hear, you can see them at Spaceland on November 16. Judd and Maggie | Folk Perfectly [free......