Hollywood Bowl 2023 Full Schedule: Janet Jackson To Open Another Eclectic Season

If you like getting a jump on planning your summer, now's the time. The Hollywood Bowl's summer season was announced Tuesday morning.

There are numerous highlights, but a few notable events include an opening night performance from Janet Jackson, a 90th-birthday tribute to Quincy Jones, and cult rockers Sparks playing with They Might Be Giants.

The Bowl, which is situated in the Hollywood Hills and seats 17,500 people, curates a wide variety of programming. The experience of going to a summer show has become a quintessential part of L.A. life. With its open-air setting, it's proven a particularly appealing venue in our pandemic times.

What To Expect

The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which operates the iconic venue, divides the lineup into six categories:

• Pop/rock concerts
• Gustavo Dudamel's shows conducting the L.A. Philharmonic
• Other classical concerts
• KCRW's curated shows (known as the KCRW Festival, though it takes place from July through September)
• Jazz/soul/R&B
• Music from the stage and screen

The Legends

Other legendary pop/rock artists performing this year include the Beach Boys as part of the Bowl's annual July 4th Fireworks Spectacular; Kool & the Gang together with the Village People; '80s pop group Culture Club; and Air Supply with Michael Bolton. You'll also see film composer John Williams joining conductor Dudamel for the annual John Williams shows with the L.A. Phil, as well as a full lineup of jazz, soul, and R&B led by L.A. Phil Creative Chair for Jazz Herbie Hancock.

The Full Lineup

June

• 6/10: Opening Night at the Bowl — Janet Jackson: Together Again, with special guest Ludacris, musicians of YOLA
• 6/17-6/18: Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival hosted by Arsenio Hall; lineup includes Kamasi Washington, Leon Bridges, West Coast Get Down (additional special guests to be announced), St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Digable Planets, Poncho Sanchez, Aziza, The Soul Rebels with Big Freedia, Samara Joy, Lionel Loueke and Gretchen Parlato, Boukman Eksperyans, Butcher Brown, Andrew Gouché and Prayze Connection, The Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance Ensemble at UCLA The Cardinal Divas of SC, LACHSA Jazz, LAUSD / Beyond the Bell All-City Jazz Big Band, and additional names to be announced.
• 6/21: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
• 6/22: Jill Scott
• 6/24: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in Concert with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
• 6/25: The Game Awards 10-Year Celebration with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
• 6/30: Louis Tomlinson (formerly of boy band One Direction)

July

• 7/2-7/4: July 4th Fireworks Spectacular with The Beach Boys joined by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
• 7/6: A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Dudamel — Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale
• 7/7-7/9: Maestro of the Movies: John Williams with the L.A. Phil, joined by Dudamel
• 7/11: Dudamel conducts Verdi’s Requiem — L.A. Phil, L.A. Master Chorale
• 7/12: Charlie Wilson with En Vogue
• 7/13: An Ellington Celebration — L.A. Phil, conducted by Dudamel
• 7/14-7/15: Kool & The Gang and the Village People
• 7/16: Sparks and They Might Be Giants
• 7/18: Estancia with Dudamel — L.A. Phil, Grupo Corpo
• 7/19: Diana Krall
• 7/20: Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky with Dudamel — L.A. Phil
• 7/21-7/22: Café Tacvba — L.A. Phil, conducted by Dudamel
• 7/23: Reggae Night XXI (KCRW Festival), featuring Beres Hammond, Steel Pulse, Third World
• 7/25: Rhapsody in Blue — L.A. Phil
• 7/27: Pictures at an Exhibition — L.A. Phil
• 7/28-7/29: Quincy Jones’ 90th-Birthday Tribute: A Musical Celebration — Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with special guests to be announced
• 7/30: Everybody Rise!: A Sondheim Celebration

August

• 8/1: All-Rachmaninoff — L.A. Phil
• 8/3: A Live Presentation of 2001: A Space Odyssey — L.A. Phil, L.A. Master Chorale
• 8/4-8/5: Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert — L.A. Phil with special guests
• 8/6: Portugal. The Man, Chicano Batman, Say She She (KCRW Festival)
• 8/8: Elgar and Beethoven — L.A. Phil
• 8/9: Joe Bonamassa with orchestra
• 8/10: Sibelius and Grieg — L.A. Phil
• 8/11: Rubén Blades & Roberto Delgado Big Band Salswing Tour!
• 8/12: Carla Morrison
• 8/13: Maggie Rogers and Alvvays (KCRW Festival)
• 8/15: Symphonie fantastique — L.A. Phil
• 8/16: Gladys Knight
• 8/17: Shostakovich and Dvořák — L.A. Phil
• 8/18-8/19: Tchaikovsky Spectacular — USC Trojan Marching Band
• 8/20: My Morning Jacket and Fleet Foxes (KCRW Festival)
• 8/22: Chris Thile and Appalachian Spring with L.A. Phil
• 8/23: Herbie Hancock
• 8/24: Joe Hisaishi and La mer with L.A. Phil
• 8/25-8/26: Culture Club
• 8/27: Smooth Summer Jazz with Dave Koz and Friends — special guests Candy Dulfer, Eric Darius, Morris Day & The Time
• 8/29: Beethoven at the Bowl — L.A. Phil
• 8/31: The Four Seasons — L.A. Phil

September

• 9/1-9/2: Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in Concert — L.A. Phil
• 9/3: Air Supply and Michael Bolton
• 9/5: Mozart Under the Stars — L.A. Phil
• 9/6: Buddy Guy and Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
• 9/7: Bach and Mendelssohn — L.A. Phil
• 9/8-9/10: Fireworks Finale: Maxwell
• 9/12: The Planets — L.A. Phil, Pacific Chorale
• 9/13: Jacob Collier with the L.A. Phil
• 9/16: Sing-A-Long Sound of Music, hosted by Melissa Peterman
• 9/17: Artists to be announced (KCRW Festival)
• 9/20: Promises featuring Floating Points with Shabaka Hutchings and more
• 9/24: Los Auténticos Decadentes, more artists to be announced (KCRW Festival)