First-hand reviews of Los Angeles concert venues from a well versed teen
Hundreds of stages spread throughout Los Angeles ensure live music as an art can thrive through current times. As a teen who goes to many such events, I understand the concerns - whether it be safety or age restrictions, location or price - and how these components fundamentally shape a concert. Out of the many venues across the city I wanted to share my thoughts, anxieties and praises to better inform where and how people plan their live music outings.
The Hollywood Forever Cemetery
This is one of the more unique venues I’ve been to, with the stage literally being in the middle of a cemetery. Despite the eerie nature of this concept, the Hollywood Forever Cemetery delivers a wonderful concert experience. The platform is placed in a large lawn, with the layout mimicking that of a festival stage and allowing for picnicking. The production quality and speakers were also excellent when I saw Magdalena Bay in September of 2025. The venue hosts many smaller acts on the rise, many of whom have gone on to become some of the biggest acts in the world like The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey. Unfortunately, the lackluster security degrades my overall impression; our group accidentally bypassed the security checkpoint during the drop off process. Instances like this are concerning when you consider how easily others could get around security if they were to do it intentionally. Even with these safety issues, I find that the location has an easygoing presence and reasonably priced tickets, usually within the range between $40 and $50. If I lived closer I could definitely see myself going to these smaller gigs on a regular basis and having an outstanding time.
Art by Sara Polster
Intuit Dome
Despite its recent opening in 2024, the Intuit Dome is the least guest friendly location I have ever been to. In order to enter, guests have two options: link their tickets to an app requiring facial recognition or wait in the long standard entrance line which puts them at risk of missing parts of the event. In addition, the facial recognition setup is necessary for purchase in all food shops where cameras scan customers, automatically charging their account without any contact between guests and employees. Guests being forced to make this account in advance to set up payment is alienating to new visitors, including minors who may not feel comfortable with having information about their identity compromised through facial recognition. Furthermore, the shape of the dome warrants itself to many seats with an obstructed view, whether sight lines are blocked by screens or seats are placed behind the stage. Back in 2024 I attended the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball here to see SZA and was thoroughly disappointed by the obstructions. Having such a poor viewing does a massive disservice to artists performing here and is unfair to guests intending to actually watch the events they paid to see. Half a star extra for delicious chicken fingers.
Art by Sara Polster
The Wiltern
The Wiltern is a fairly charming venue in the middle of Koreatown. It was opened in 1931, boasting intriguing art-deco architecture which is still reflected in the theater today. The sonic atmosphere, unlike the stylings, is modern as ever, with great acoustics and bookings which span artists from many genres and popularity levels. This site has minimal age restrictions on shows and keeps up reliable security screenings. In addition, it is easy to find places to be dropped off or picked up in the surrounding area, making The Wiltern highly accessible to students. At my most recent visit here, seeing Pink Pantheress towards the end of last year, I was able to score tickets for around $60 which seems to be an average price for tours here before resale. Whether it’s the high popularity of its artists or the consistently pristine views, The Wiltern has always hosted, and will continue to host impeccable concerts with manageable prices.
Art by Sara Polster
The Fonda
Right on Hollywood Blvd, The Fonda sits as another early 20th century theater in line with that of The Wiltern. Despite their similar nature I found this ordeal to be worse overall. My friend dragged me here to see The Dare last year, both of us expecting a standard concert adventure. A lack of parking nearby forced me into an expensive lot which ended up costing around my actual ticket price, and while that’s not a direct fault of the venue, it shows how the surrounding location can impact your night. While this may also not be a common occurrence, the sound mixing and system was exceptionally unpleasant on my visit. The electronica we had expected to enjoy instead came across quite harsh, drowning out the artist. There is a diverse roster of artists shown here, and the building and security works well enough, but the aforementioned unfortunate factors held back the experience as a whole.
Art by Sara Polster
The Observatory
One of my personal favorite venues on this list, The Observatory sits in Santa Ana and is a balanced site extraordinary for any concert. Similar to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, The Observatory is an outdoor stage, this time placed in a standard parking lot in the center of an office district. I came here last year to see Snow Strippers with a friend in the area and was surprised by how this simplicity contributed to the experience, amplifying my existing connection to the music beyond what I could expect. The crowd was respectful to an extent I hadn’t encountered before and haven’t since. The sound quality exceeded that of many real festival stages I’ve attended- I’m hating on you Rolling Loud. A key advantage of this site is its free transportation to a local college’s free parking lot, allowing us to comfortably park in a safe place and shuttle to and from the venue. Being farther out than many Los Angeles venues, ticket prices here also tend to be lower in resale which provides another benefit. The Observatory more than makes up for its distance through these perks which uniquely round out the whole production.
Art by Sara Polster