Muse, Morrissey, The Killers and Thirty Seconds to Mars Headline KROQ’s 2017 Almost Acoustic Christmas

Jordan Bailey

KROQ is back with the announcement of their annual Almost Acoustic Christmas concert featuring rock’s most legendary and brightest rising stars. This year during two nights from Dec. 9-10 at L.A.’s Forum in Inglewood, the pre-holiday festivities will feature a slew of indie, folk, alternative and punk rock, even a hip-hop act for good measure.

For the 2017 lineup of this 28-year-old event, prog-rock connoisseurs Muse will hold down the top spot on the bill. As both Britain and American-award winning rockers, the Matt Bellamy-lead outfit are currently on tour with fellow headlining act Thirty Seconds to Mars where they’re gearing up for their eighth studio album set for a 2018 release. Speaking of the Jared Leto fronted alt-rock band, Thirty Seconds to Mars are currently gallivanting Europe before their sought after pre-Christmas performance. They’ll perform the first night of the event with their tour fellows Muse as well as Josh Homme’s Queens of the Stone Age. Joining them on Saturday will be aught emo band Rise Against, who just dropped a new album in June of this past summer, and the newly formed formed supergroup Prophets of Rage who debuted their sound on their self-titled album last month. Prophets features politically-charged rap-rock backed by the likes of members of Rage Against the Machine, Cypress Hill, Public Enemy and Audioslave. Cold War Kids, Royal Blood, Judah & The Lion and the one and only rap group on the bill, Run the Jewels.

The following night will find The Smith’s front man Steven Patrick Morrissey, known mononymously as Morrissey, take the main stage ahead of his forthcoming eleventh solo album known as “Low in High School.” The Killers are hot off their latest release “Wonderful Wonderful,” Brandon Flowers’ most lyrically personal album yet. Annual Christmas singles are a big part of the band’s holiday so fans should expect to hear renditions of songs like “Christmas in L.A.” and 2007’s “Don’t Shoot Me Santa.” Weezer joins the lineup this year ahead of their next official album “Pacific Daydream” set for an Oct. 27 release. They too have performed holiday-themed music by way of “Christmas with Weezer” from 2008. Sunday will also see folk-rockers The Lumineers perform whose last album “Cleopatra” was an acoustic-filled ode to women. Indie giants Foster the People, Phoenix and Walk the Moon will join Franz Ferdinand, X Ambassadors and Vance Joy on Sunday night as well.

Tickets for the weekend will go on sale Oct. 20 where single-day passes will be available. As always, earnings from the event will go towards a local charity. This year the Para Los Ninos and Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center will reap the proceeds.

KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas will be held from Dec. 9-10 at The Forum. Tickets can be purchased here.