23 June 27th-July 3rd, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | genre of event, and while the fest no longer tours the U.S., it helps inform and shape not only the summer moods and schedules in the Windy City but is also a model for big events nationwide. This year, Lollapalooza’s organizers somehow managed to pack even more musical goodness into the four-day lineup, with a suite of genre-spanning up-and-comers filling up the undercard. As for the headliners, there are some especially weird pairings, including SZA and Stray Kids on Friday and The Killers and Future/Metro Boomin on Saturday. While you should run to see as much as possible, it’s another way that Lollapalooza makes space for every- one’s tastes and still manages to present the gold standard. Must-See Headliner: SZA Undercard Standouts: Worry Club and The Last Dinner Party Hard Summer Los Angeles Aug. 3 and 4 How could you make it through the summer and not attend something to do with elec- tronic music/EDM? Hard Summer is sort of the premier attraction for all your favorite house and techno-adjacent artists, and the 2024 lineup includes Disclosure, Fisher and Chris Lake, Zeds Dead, Major Lazer, Hamdi, Hedez, Infet and Level Up, among a couple dozen more acts. But there’s also something to be said around the community surrounding Hard Summer and electronic music in general — a kind of subculture, if you will, that’s got its own traditions and is generally open and welcoming to anyone seeking fun and connection. And unlike other events on the list, this celebration’s only a five-hour drive. That makes all the difference when you’ve been raging all weekend before your 9 a.m. desk job. Must-See Headliner: Disclosure Undercard Standouts: Notion and Juelz Outside Lands San Francisco Aug. 9 to 11 Sure, because it takes place later in the “season,” you may see Outside Lands’ own headliners elsewhere (including Tyler, the Creator and The Killers). But there’s so much more working in favor of this unique fest. For one, it’s got an especially packe- dUndercard of talent, including Jungle, Young the Giant, Schoolboy Q, Amyl and The Sniffers, Chappell Roan, Slowdive and many, many more. Plus, there’s always some special addition or other feature; in 2024, it’s a Sunday night country set from none other than Post Malone. And, of course, few other locales feel quite as scenic and magical as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. With Outside Lands, it’s as much about the experience as the music, and this one’s got few competitors that could ever fully match these vibes. Must-See Headliner: Sturgill Simpson Undercard Standouts: TV Girl and BADBADNOTGOOD Fool in Love Festival Los Angeles Aug. 31 Every couple of years or so, a new festival debuts that proves to be some combination of really novel or especially intriguing. And in 2024, that honor goes to the Fool in Love Festival, an event so insanely wild and packed with talent that one of the first Google searches is “Fool in Love festival real?” And it’s very easy to see why people might doubt a lineup with this much star power, including Lionel Richie, Al Green, Diana Ross, The Isley Brothers, Chaka Khan, Dionne Warwick, Morris Day and Kool and the Gang. It’s nice to see a festival exploring a niche like soul, and to lean into legacy acts in a way that offers a different experience to balance out your usual summertime offerings. With a lineup this massively soulful, falling in love isn’t really much of a choice, is it? Must-See Headliner: Lionel Richie Undercard Standouts: War and Cameo Life Is Beautiful Las Vegas September, exact date TBD No, the lineup for the 2024 edition of Life Is Beautiful isn’t out just yet, Does that matter? Not really. We already know that the fest has a solid pedigree, with the 2023 edition featuring Kendrick Lamar, Yung Gravy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ODESZA, Flume, The 1975, Nelly and many more. So we can probably intuit that the 2024 lineup will feature a similarly jam-packed roster of electronic, pop and rap music from exciting rookies and beloved veterans alike. We can also bank on the fact that it takes place in downtown Las Vegas, an audio-visual expe- rience in itself that’s also just a short distance from the pleasures of the Strip. So, yes a lineup would help, but Life Is Beautiful is one of those pillars of the season that demands to be experienced regardless. See The Black Pumas at Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago in July. (Photo by Neil Schwartz Photography)