On Wednesday, a federal jury found that Live Nation engaged in anticompetitive practices that stifle competition and harm the live music industry.
What artists are saying: Several artists and organizers NPR spoke with say they don't expect to see any immediate changes in the live music industry — but they see this is a first step in the right direction.
Read on ... for more on what the ruling means for the industry.
On Wednesday, a federal jury found that Live Nation engaged in anticompetitive practices that stifle competition and harm the live music industry. The verdict marked a major victory for more than two dozen states in the antitrust trial against the live entertainment company, and has the potential to transform the concert ecosystem in the U.S.
Live Nation owns, operates or works with hundreds of venues across the country. It also manages artists, promotes concerts, books tours and owns Ticketmaster, which is one of the largest ticketing companies in the world. Throughout the trial, an attorney representing 33 states and the District of Columbia argued that Live Nation wielded too much power over the industry at the expense of fans, venues and artists. Live Nation repeatedly denied those accusations, but the jury ultimately sided with the states, declaring that the company had an unfair dominance in the industry.
Afterward, Live Nation issued a statement saying the verdict "is not the last word on this matter" and pointed to several pending motions that the court still has to rule on. The company said it plans to appeal any "unfavorable rulings."
Several artists and organizers NPR spoke with say they don't expect to see any immediate changes in the live music industry — but they see this is a first step in the right direction.
Having this scale of a win is a huge development for artists.Downtown Boys member and UMAW co-founder Joey La Neve DeFrancesco
Joey La Neve DeFrancesco is a guitarist and vocalist in the Providence, R.I. punk band Downtown Boys. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the music industry, DeFrancesco founded the United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), a grassroots union advocating for the wellbeing of artists. Since then, the group has organized campaigns focused on increasing streaming royalties, merchandising payouts and SXSW payment rates for musicians. DeFrancesco says UMAW heavily supported the antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation and was closely monitoring the trial.
"We were all ecstatic. It's been decades that artists have been fighting this company," DeFrancesco says, citing Pearl Jam's boycott of Ticketmaster in the early 1990s. "It remains to be seen what the judge is going to do with this verdict — if we're going to truly break apart this Live Nation-Ticketmaster monopoly. But having this scale of a win is a huge development for artists."
The Live Nation verdict comes at a time when many working musicians say they're struggling to make ends meet. As the value of recorded music has decreased with streaming, there's an increased emphasis on touring and merch sales to make up the difference. But artists NPR spoke with say the rising costs of transportation, lodging, food and other factors required to put on shows are creating an untenable situation.
Conor Murphy is a St. Louis, Mo. based musician who spent more than a decade as the lead vocalist of the emo band Foxing and now continues to perform as Smidley. In the fall, Foxing announced it would be going on an indefinite hiatus. Murphy says there's a multitude of reasons for the break, but one of the leading factors is how financially unsustainable it's become to be a full-time musician. He says it's especially frustrating, then, to see fans spending more than ever on concert tickets. (As part of the Live Nation verdict, the jury found that Ticketmaster had overcharged fans in some states by $1.72 per ticket).
"My bands in particular, from my experience, we're not seeing the benefits of ticket prices being more expensive," he says. "We're not taking home more money at the end of tours."
Murphy's not alone Damon Krukowski is a writer, UMAW organizer and one-half of the indie-folk duo Damon & Naomi. He says he and his wife Naomi Yang recently sold out three performances in London, and still ended up in the negative.
"Three nights at our favorite club, sold out, and we lost money because expenses are so high right now," he says. "It's not the club's fault. We love that club and they're transparent about money and everything. It's not the fans' fault. But it's like, if you're charging normal money at a decent, normal club, it's not adding up right now."
Krukowski says he thinks the problem is a wider consolidation of power across the industry — that includes Live Nation, but also extends to streaming giants and recorded music companies. He says the industry looks completely different today than it did when he started playing music in Boston in the 1980s.
"We used to have such a wide variety of partners to work with as independent artists. We had venues that were independently owned. We had record stores that were independently owned," he says. "We had a network on the radio that was community and college radio stations, and we had a way of touring that didn't depend on these huge companies that are backed by enormous capital."
All of the artists NPR spoke with say they hope the Live Nation verdict leads to lower ticket fees for fans as well as more robust competition and investment in small, local music scenes across the country. A study conducted by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) found that 64% of independent venues, promoters and festivals were not profitable in 2024.
It's a win for the fans and the artists that have suffered under Live Nation for way too long.Stephen Parker, executive director of the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)
Stephen Parker, executive director of NIVA, tells NPR that the verdict is incredibly meaningful at a time when so many venues are struggling.
"It's not just a win for the states. It's a win for the small businesses and nonprofits that I represent," he says. "It's a win for the fans and the artists that have suffered under Live Nation for way too long."
In past statements to NPR, Live Nation has said that it promotes thousands of shows in independent venues across the country.
In Boston, Krukowski says the local landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. Two major venues with over 3,500 capacity have been built in the city since the pandemic; one is operated by Live Nation and the other is owned by a partner of AEG Presents, which is Live Nation's biggest competitor. But small clubs and independent venues with much lower capacities have shuttered across the city.
"That means that my friends who play adventurous, independent music or improvised music have nowhere to play in Boston. So they don't," he says. "They go on tour and they don't play here."
Krukowski's not the only one who's noticed a shift. Online, some music fans on Reddit have posted about certain bands skipping Boston on tour, and touring in smaller markets instead. Krukowski says one such place booking notable lineups is Portland, Maine.
There, the Maine Music Alliance — a coalition of artists, venues, music industry workers and community members — has been leading a fight against Live Nation's proposal to build a 3,300-seat concert hall in the city. So far, the group has succeeded in getting a temporary moratorium on large venues in Portland, which was recently extended until September.
Scott Mohler is executive director and co-founder of the Maine Music Alliance. He says the verdict comes at a crucial moment for the group's ongoing battle against Live Nation.
"This is incredible legitimacy added to what I think a lot of people have thought are just a bunch of hippies and hipsters shouting about the corporation for the past year," he says. "I do think that it's going to certainly create more engagement and the council will be hearing from voices that they hadn't heard from before."
In the meantime, individual artists are doing what they can. Pop-rock singer Caroline Rose says they've been avoiding working with Live Nation as much as possible in recent years. They say the verdict is "a pretty amazing milestone" for now, but they're curious about what will actually happen next.
"We'll see how it pans out. I have a general distrust that things ever turn out in artists' favor," Rose says, laughing. "We've just been burned so many times."
In 2025, Rose released their album year of the slug exclusively on Bandcamp and in physical format. Since then, they've been focused on smaller solo tours in independent venues across the country. They say playing intimate rooms creates an incredibly rewarding, almost spiritual connection with the audience — and they say it's been refreshing to focus on those interpersonal connections rather than constantly trying to size up to the next biggest possible venue.
"By far, the most positive and nourishing experience has been working with the venue staff and the promoters that work at these independent clubs," Rose says. "It's a totally different type of show and a totally different type of experience, as opposed to when you get into the bigger rooms and you have better sound systems and maybe there's not a bathroom with no seats on the toilets anymore. But I do think it's important to pay homage to those venues and actively support them and treat them with respect."
Topline:
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stormed ahead in early returns Tuesday night, overshadowing six little-known rivals and potentially securing him four more years in office in a race that strengthens his standing for a potential run for higher office.
More details: With over 56,000 ballots counted and more still being tallied, Richardson was holding just over 56% of the vote. Joshua Rodriguez, a former law enforcement officer, was in second with 20.4%, followed by local business owner Chris Sweeney at 10.2%.
The backstory: The mayor’s race in Long Beach is a tough one for political newcomers. The city has not elected a mayor who hasn’t first sat on the City Council since Beverly O’Neill’s inaugural win in 1994.
Read on... for more on the mayor's race in Long Beach.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson stormed ahead in early returns Tuesday night, overshadowing six little-known rivals and potentially securing him four more years in office in a race that strengthens his standing for a potential run for higher office.
With over 56,000 ballots counted and more still being tallied, Richardson was holding just over 56% of the vote.
Joshua Rodriguez, a former law enforcement officer, was in second with 20.4%, followed by local business owner Chris Sweeney at 10.2%.
Standing beside family and several City Council members at a rooftop election night party, Richardson thanked his supporters, saying the results reflect a voter base that supports his vision for the city and the direction it is headed.
“For me, this means we’re going to continue building jobs, jobs that are accessible, good high-paying union jobs in our city,” he said. “We’re going to continue to attract companies as the fastest growing aerospace cluster in America in Space Beach. We’re going to continue building housing in every part of our city.”
Richardson used his speech to reiterate his plan to remake Long Beach as an entertainment and sports destination.
He gestured for the crowd to look right, toward the newly built coastal amphitheater that debuts Saturday. “The industries of the past will not serve us well in the future,” Richardson said.
Richardson first won his seat in a 2022 general election with 56.6% of the vote, or 63,184 ballots, over then-Councilmember Suzie Price.
None of his challengers this year had as much political experience as Price, and Richardson substantially outraised them all.
Richardson spent more than $358,000, pulling from the $472,000 raised through donations from powerful unions, established Democratic colleagues and many of the defense companies he has helped bring to the city. By comparison, nonprofit executive Terri Rivers spent $17,000, and Sweeney spent nearly $10,000.
The mayor’s race in Long Beach is a tough one for political newcomers. The city has not elected a mayor who hasn’t first sat on the City Council since Beverly O’Neill’s inaugural win in 1994.
Results are as of 2:08 a.m. Wednesday. See the latest numbers at results.lavote.gov
Five City Council offices and the city auditor’s seat were also at stake in Tuesday’s primary, with incumbents across the city — except in the 7th District, where longtime Councilmember Roberto Uranga was termed out — holding early leads over their challengers.
Incumbent Laura Doud was leading Ginny Gonzalez with 71.1% of the vote compared to 28.9%. They are the only two candidates in the race.
Incumbent Mary Zendejas was leading with 50.9% of the vote. Deb Kahookele was in second place with 14.6% of the vote. There are six candidates in the race.
Incumbent Kristina Duggan was ahead with 66.5% of the vote. Rebecca Hinderer was in second place with 25.9% of the vote among four candidates.
Incumbent Megan Kerr had 51.2% of the vote versus 48.8% for her challenger Tara Riggi. They are the only two candidates in the race.
Kerr said she was “cautiously optimistic” her lead would hold after a bruising race. “This was not an easy ride this time around,” she told her supporters.
Richardson, who endorsed her, said he expected her to cruise to victory at this point.
“Councilwoman Megan Kerr stood up for affordable housing, and they tried to punish her for it, because she believes in a Long Beach that looks like this, where everybody has a seat at the table and a place to call home,” Richardson said in his election night speech. “And I’m so proud that the Fifth District voters agree.”
LBCC Trustee Vivian Malauulu had 75.1% of the vote. Dameon Gordon was in second place with 17.5%. Jamies Shuford had 7.4% of the vote.
Incumbent Joni Ricks-Oddie led with 66.6% of the vote. Sequoia Neff is her only challenger and had 33.4% of the vote.
Any candidate who earns more than 50% of the vote in the June 2 primary wins outright. If no candidate reaches that mark, the top two vote-getters will advance to a Nov. 3 runoff. In tight races, final results may not be clear for weeks.
Voter turnout appeared strong Tuesday, with Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan reporting earlier in the day that at around 2 p.m., more than 100,000 voters had cast a ballot in person and nearly 1 million mail-in ballots had been received — about three percentage points higher than the June 2022 gubernatorial primary election.
What to expect: Another day of low morning clouds followed by afternoon sun and warm temperatures.
Where it will be the warmest: The valleys, dessert communities and Inland Empire will see highs in the 90s, with some areas hitting the low 100s.
Read on...for more details.
Today and Friday will be the warmest days of the week here in Southern California followed by cooler weather this weekend.
Where it's going to be the warmest: Coachella Valley temperatures will range from 104 to 109 degrees. In the Antelope Valley, afternoon highs will reach 103 degrees. Meanwhile, in the Inland Empire, afternoon highs will reach 96 degrees and in L.A. County valleys, temperatures could reach 93 degrees.
Where it's going to be the coolest: Head to the coast if you want to beat the heat. L.A. County beaches will see highs from 67 to 72 degrees, while in Orange County, coastal temps will range from 71 to 79 degrees.
Topline:
The men's soccer World Cup kicks off next week at 16 stadiums across North America, just as summer weather arrives in many of the host cities. Millions of fans, players and workers could be exposed to potentially harmful heat, an NPR analysis finds.
More details: NPR looked at two decades of temperature data for each host city, as well as the time each World Cup match is scheduled to start, and checked those temperatures against heat hazard guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Which matches? The high-risk events identified in NPR's analysis include multiple high-profile matches, such as the game that determines which team takes home third place in the World Cup, and the World Cup final.
Read on... for more on the high-risk events identified in this analysis.
The men's soccer World Cup kicks off next week at 16 stadiums across North America, just as summer weather arrives in many of the host cities. Millions of fans, players and workers could be exposed to potentially harmful heat, an NPR analysis finds.
More than one-third of World Cup matches are at high risk for dangerously hot, humid conditions, NPR found, and dozens more matches come with moderate heat risk.
NPR looked at two decades of temperature data for each host city, as well as the time each World Cup match is scheduled to start, and checked those temperatures against heat hazard guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American College of Sports Medicine.
The high-risk events identified in NPR's analysis include multiple high-profile matches, such as the game that determines which team takes home third place in the World Cup, and the World Cup final.
"Players can overheat, and match officials as well," says Donal Mullan, a climate scientist at Queen's University Belfast, who co-authored a study last year about heat risk at the 2026 World Cup.
"They can also overheat and collapse," Mullan warns. "This has happened to people."
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In an email to NPR, a spokesperson for FIFA, the governing body for international soccer, wrote that the organization "is committed to protecting the health and safety of players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff."
FIFA scheduled many games for cooler afternoon and evening hours, added extra water breaks for players and referees and installed air conditioning on the sidelines for those who are sitting on the benches, the email states.
"Outdoor matches during the hottest parts of the day have been strategically limited, kick-off times adjusted in certain markets, and matches expected in warmer windows prioritized for covered stadiums where possible," the email also states. FIFA did not respond to further questions about why some matches were nonetheless scheduled for high-risk locations and times.
When the weather is especially hot, "spectators will be permitted to bring one factory-sealed water bottle, and venues will activate additional cooling capacity, including shaded areas, misting systems, cooling buses and expanded water distribution," the FIFA spokesperson wrote to NPR.
FIFA did not respond to questions about how hot it would need to be to trigger protections, whether every venue has misting systems available or whether workers at stadiums would have the same access as spectators.
Out of the 104 games, 67 of them are being held at locations and times that come with potential danger for heat illnesses, with 39 of those at high risk, according to their historical wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). The WBGT measurement is a strong indicator of overall heat risk because it takes into account humidity, shade and solar radiation to calculate the temperature.
"All hot weather is dangerous, but hot, humid weather tends to be more dangerous," says Jennifer Vanos, who studies heat policy at Arizona State University.
Miami, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta rank near the top in temperature for their games, with averages as high as 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Attendees and workers in those stadiums will have air conditioning.
Stadiums in other parts of the U.S. don't have the same infrastructure, with games in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Kansas City, Mo., averaging as high as 79 F with no roofs covering their stadiums.
Miami's stadium is the hottest venue without air conditioning. The historical average temperature this time of year is around 80 F. That threatens multiple matches with dangerously hot weather, including the match that determines which team wins third place in the tournament.
Multiple scientific studies have come to similar conclusions, including one published last month by researchers at Imperial College London and collaborators, who found that about a quarter of World Cup games this summer are likely to be held while temperatures exceed 79 F.
It is possible that individual matches in Miami and other high-risk cities will get lucky and see overcast skies and cooler-than-average temperatures. But climate change makes such luck less likely. Overall summer temperatures across North America are steadily rising, as global warming drives longer, hotter heat waves. The last 10 years were the hottest decade ever recorded on Earth.
The dangers of hot, humid weather are not new to professional soccer players and tournament organizers, though the risks are getting more pronounced as the planet warms.
The last men's World Cup tournament was held in the winter because of concerns about dangerously hot, humid weather in the host country of Qatar. Summer weather in Qatar's capital is often so hot and muggy that the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating.
Many North American cities also get extremely hot and humid, and heat emergencies have happened at professional soccer matches in the United States in the past.
Two years ago, hot, humid weather caused a health emergency at a stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. During a June 25, 2024, international soccer match, referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed on the field due to heat illness and had to be rushed to the hospital.
A nearby stadium in Kansas City, Mo., will host the World Cup match between Tunisia and the Netherlands exactly two years later, on June 25, 2026, raising concerns about the safety of conditions during that upcoming game.
At another 2024 match, held in Miami, a star player for Uruguay left the game at halftime and later told The Athletic that he suffered from dizziness and dehydration.
In 2017, professional soccer player Rachel Daly collapsed due to heat exhaustion during a match in Houston, despite additional water breaks during the game. She recovered and later posted on X: "those conditions are not safe to play at your maximum."
The sport's largest players union, FIFPRO, has expressed concern about player safety at the 2026 World Cup. FIFPRO did not respond to specific questions from NPR about heat safety at the tournament.
The reasons for avoiding the heat of the day go beyond protecting player and fan health. Soccer is a more dynamic game when it's played in cooler weather, studies have found, because players run faster and cover more ground.
One of the simplest ways to protect people from hot weather during the World Cup is to schedule games for the evening, when temperatures are slightly cooler and there is less direct sunlight.
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"The heat risk goes down significantly after about 6 o'clock in the evening, typically," Mullan says. "FIFA have by and large avoided the worst times of the day."
In an email to NPR, a FIFA spokesperson wrote that the organization took such considerations into account when it created the World Cup schedule.
FIFA did not answer questions about why the World Cup final is scheduled for the heat of the day, 3 p.m., on July 19 at an uncovered stadium outside New York City.
That start time, during the hottest part of the day, may have been chosen to maximize the global audience, much of which is located in later time zones. An evening start time would have required fans in Europe, Africa and Asia to tune in late at night or in the very early morning.
But the heat risk at that match is clear, Mullan says. "Obviously, if you schedule these matches for the midafternoon at some of these hottest locations, then that's your recipe for disaster," he explains. NPR's analysis found that the World Cup final match is likely to see wet bulb globe temperatures of 79 F, putting players and fans at risk for dangerously hot, humid weather.
The players and referees running around on the field are not the only ones at risk from very hot weather. Spectators and workers are also threatened.
That's because you don't need to be exercising to be affected by heat illness.
"I think about the person dying at the Taylor Swift concert in Brazil," says Vanos, of Arizona State University. In 2023, a Brazilian university student died while waiting for a brutally hot concert by the pop star.
In 2024, more than 1,300 people died during the Hajj, when that pilgrimage coincided with very hot weather in Saudi Arabia.
Both of those tragedies occurred during heat waves, when temperatures exceeded 100 F. While average summer temperatures in World Cup host cities generally remain lower than that, North American heat waves in recent years have led to triple-digit temperatures. And climate change means record-breaking heat waves are happening more often.
Vanos says large gatherings, like concerts, pilgrimages and sporting events, exacerbate the threat posed by heat because people are in large crowds, often visiting areas they are unfamiliar with. "Understanding the local context of the climate, where you can go to get water, where the water is safe, where you can go to find air conditioning — all of these things that sometimes it's easy to take for granted, but that can actually be really hard to find and get if you're in a really different context that you've never been in before," Vanos explains.
More than 6 million tickets are available for World Cup matches, according to FIFA, although the organization is not disclosing exactly how many it has sold.
Such a large event requires thousands of extra workers and overtime hours for local employees, many of whom will be working outside. The federal government is spending $625 million on local security in U.S. host cities — for example, NPR member station KCUR reports that Kansas City is using $59 million of that funding to cover police overtime at matches and extra officers from other locations.
Vanos says such workers could face dangerously hot conditions, especially if they're exposed to the sun during the hottest part of the day. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends that workers be given water and shade breaks to prevent heat illness, but some states, including Florida, do not have laws on the books to enforce such recommendations.
This story was edited by Neela Banerjee. The graphics were edited by Alyson Hurt.
Copyright 2026 NPR
In this edition:
West Hollywood Pride, a tarot festival, Primary Trust at the Mark Taper Forum and more of the best things to do this weekend.
Highlights:
What better way to welcome L.A.’s newest resident than with a fruit cart, paletas, pastries from Porto’s, Philippe’s French dip sandwiches and Kogi tacos passed out by Roy Choi himself? That’s exactly how the L.A. Philharmonic heralded new music director Daniel Harding at a conversation and reception last week, and I don’t think you can top it. Well, maybe only with the big sendoff happening for Gustavo Dudamel, who conducts his final shows at the big “Gracias Gustavo” celebration at Disney Hall this weekend after a glorious 17-year run. Bravo, maestros!
For more music, Licorice Pizza has your picks. On Friday, Secondhand Serenade is at the Roxy, Latin rock stars Maná play their first of two nights at the Honda Center and Scottish indie-pop darlings Belle & Sebastian perform their album Tigermilk in full at the Palladium with special guests Beachwood Sparks — they’ll be there Saturday, too, doing If You’re Feeling Sinister, with Tyler Ballgame opening.
Saturday, Alex Warren and Nat and Alex Wolff are at Crypto.com Arena, Snoop Dogg and Friends play a hometown show at the Long Beach Amphitheater and Mongolian folk metal band the Hu are at the Wiltern.
Sunday, Paul Simon plays the Hollywood Bowl and “School’s Out, ICE Out: An All-Ages Celebration of Community” hits the Echoplex with the Linda Lindas, Starcrawler, Illuminati Hotties, Allison Wolfe and more. But perhaps THE biggest concert tour of the year, the reunion of Rush, kicks off that night at the Forum.
Elsewhere on LAist, you can learn about the weird things people leave behind in L.A. Ubers and check out our interview with Ziggy Marley.
Friday to Sunday, June 5 to 7
West Hollywood
COST: VARIES, MANY FREE EVENTS; MORE INFO
Pride kicks off big time in the mother of all Pride hubs: West Hollywood. This year’s street fair features free performances and appearances by Meg Stalter, Willa Ford, Cailin Russo, Say Now, Elio and more along Santa Monica Boulevard. Sunday’s parade starts at noon and is grand marshalled by Kathy Hilton; the weekend’s big Outloud Festival is ticketed and includes headliners Ashlee Simpson and Confidence Man, drag performances and much more
Through Sunday, June 28
Mark Taper Forum
135 N. Grand Ave., Downtown L.A.
COST: $40.25; MORE INFO
Knud Adams, who just recently directed the fab production of English at the Wallis, returns for the L.A. premiere of Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Primary Trust. The one-act play tells the story of a young man (played with a light touch by Petey McGee) who has to find his way on his own after losing his bookstore job in upstate New York. It’s a tight, moving look at the changes in small-town America (the set gives Mr. Rogers vibes) and the challenges of moving through the world and finding your community — kind of an Our Town for our times.
Saturday, June 6, 7 p.m. to 1 p.m.
Angels Gate Cultural Center
3601 South Gaffey St., San Pedro
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Sound Pedro is one of my favorite immersive art events of the year. Perched up on the hill overlooking the harbor, art installations featuring sound echo across the former Army barracks at Angels Gate. This year, the event celebrates its 10th anniversary with a riff on the traditional gift, tin. The one-night-only event includes sculptures, environments, installations, timed and ongoing performances, interactions and more throughout the site.
Sunday, June 7, 4 p.m.
Barnsdall Gallery Theater
4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz
COST: $15; MORE INFO
I got many, many emails from you all after the first previews of the David Geffen Galleries, and everyone had strong feelings. So if you sent us a note, this event is for you. Get your hot takes out and hear from architects and art experts about the new LACMA building at the LACMA Therapy Session, brought to you by our friends at L.A. Material, Punch List and the New York Review of Architecture. Bring your own Erewhon smoothie.
Through Sunday, June 7
Philosophical Research Society, 3910 Los Feliz Blvd., Los Feliz
Tarot Arts, 1017 Mission St., South Pasadena
COST: FROM $39; MORE INFO
Your weekend plans are in the cards. Meet tarot experts, take a card-reading workshop, find your favorite new deck and get special readings with the best card readers in Los Angeles at the L.A. Festival of Tarot.
Sunday, June 7, 5 p.m.
Only the Wild Ones
1031 Abbot Kinney, Venice
COST: $39.66; MORE INFO
Cut Chemist (Lucas MacFadden) has to be in the running for coolest Angeleno. The accomplished DJ and producer has worked with Jurassic 5, Ozomatli and so many more. He’s hosting a series of intimate conversations and music sessions on the back patio of natural wine and vinyl bar Only the Wild Ones in Venice all summer long. Part VH1 Storytellers, part living room hang, it’s a really fun, low-key Sunday-night party. This week, the focus is Tuned In, Comped Out, about McFadden’s musical education; there will also be events on July 5 and August 2.
Saturdays, 10 a.m.
Westridge Trail, Brentwood
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Put on your hiking boots and head up to Westridge Trail above Brentwood to make some new friends and get some exercise with the Venice Hike Club. The group heads out weekly, so make this Saturday your week! Can’t promise there won’t be a rattlesnake sighting.
Saturday, June 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica
COST: FREE; MORE INFO
Clearly, sound is the theme this week. Dublab is hosting Ocean of Sound, a free event at Santa Monica’s Annenberg Community Beach House. It’s currently sold out, but check back to see if you can score a ticket to this evening of restorative listening. Periphone, a sound installation by Nina Keith, will be presented alongside Light & Air Studies, a textile installation by Faith-Ann Kiwa Young. Find a spot poolside or hop in to listen to work by Meg Duffy and Qur’an Shaheed via underwater speakers.
