Hollywood Forever Cemetery is one of Los Angeles’ most unusual and quirky places to catch a concert that may put chills down your spine for many reasons.

Built back in 1899, the grounds at 6000 Santa Monica Blvd in Hollywood, fell into disrepair during the 1980s and '90s but was resurrected under new management that introduced showing movies and holding events on the vast lawn around Douglas Fairbanks' lawn.

The initial reaction to holding events at the cemetery were mixed. Supporters argued the gigs honored solemn spot several blocks south of Sunset Blvd. by bringing life to the cemetery known for its feral cats and wild peacocks.

Critics complained pop concerts and movie screenings risked trivializing a sacred space.

Many of those concerts take place on the Fairbanks Lawn, named after the dashing silent film star Douglas Fairbanks, who (along with his wife Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin) was a cofounder of United Artists and helping usher in the studio era of Hollywood.

His enormous crypt, which he shares with Pickford, is a huge marble mausoleum that stands at one edge of the lawn. It looks out into a long rectangle reflecting pool and is surrounded by a two acre grassy expanse that can comfortably accommodate over 3,000 living souls.

The grounds sit directly north of Paramount Pictures the studio that gave us Rear Window (1954), Star Trek (1966–1969), The Brady Bunch (1969–1974), MASH (1972–1983), Cheers (1982–1993), Forrest Gump (1994), and Austin Powers (1997) among many others.

There are many musicians honored there and music-related markers on the grounds including Darby Crash (Germs), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave), Judy Garland, Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead), Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age), Arthur Lee (Love), Ray Manzarek (The Doors), Hattie McDaniel, Tomata du Plenty (The Screamers), Lisa Marie Presley, Dee Dee Ramone (Ramones), Johnny Ramone (Ramones), Nelson Riddle, Hillel Slovak (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Yma Sumac, Bob Welch (Fleetwood Mac), Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver).

It's also where Rick Rubin in 1993 buried the word Def when he renamed Def American to American Recordings.

That ceremony included the likes of Tom Petty and Johnny Cash who made their way to the nearby Hollywood Star bowling alley (which is where the bowling scenes of Big Lebowski were shot) for an extended more celebration.

Over the years many artists have performed at the cemetery including Tim Armstrong, Devendra Banhart, Death Cab for Cutie, Explosions in the Sky, Finneas O’Connell, Halsey, David Hidalgo, Billy Idol, Los Lobos, My Morning Jacket, Pulp, Sigur Rós, Spoon, Tame Impala, The Format, The National, and The xx.

Here are a small collection of other concerts that took place at Hollywood Forever.

Bon Iver, 2009

Concerts didn't really start happening regularly at the cemetery until 2009 and Bon Iver was one of the first acts to break the seal.

Although the group had just performed the night before at the nearby Wiltern Theater, how could they resist playing their recently released LP For Emma, Forever Ago at a place with Forever in its name?

The Flaming Lips, 2011

We have three setlists for the Lips at Hollywood Forever in 2011. On June 14 they did a full set that featured The Soft Bulletin.

The next day they covered the entirety of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Can you even imagine what it must have felt like to be laying down on a blanket in that place with that beautiful music and laser lights and the stars above and the spirits vibing?

According to frontman Wayne Coyne, the cemetery reached out to the band to do the shows, in part because "Do You Realize," with its deep lyrics about life/death is one of the most-played songs at funerals.

Wayne said he agreed because it was such a unique venue.

"All around America there's theaters that are a hundred years old and they're amazing, but the minute you turn the lights off everything that's great about the theater kind of disappears and then you just watch a boring old band do the same old thing.

"So I think they were realizing as the Lips came in here, maybe the cemetery would be part of the experience and it wouldn't just be, oh, we happen to be playing in the cemetery and who cares about that," he told the Morton Report before the shows.

At dawn on he 15th they did a special version of "Do You Realize" utilizing bells from the graveyard's bell tower.

The Lips were joined with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for the one-song early morning performance.

Lana Del Rey, 2014

While Lana's Coachella appearance might be the most iconic show she played to a large audience, the pair of dates she blessed two lucky audiences at Hollywood Forever on October 17 and 18, 2014, during her Ultraviolence era, might eclipse it.

Known for her obsession with Hollywood glamour, love, and mortality, and crooning beneath palm trees and in the spooky shadows of mausoleums, the neo-emo queen was more than in her element.

The first night, the songstress played a collection from Born to Die, Paradise, and Ultraviolence.

And on the second evening she gave the crowd the gift of the live debut of "Shades of Cool."

The scene was also unique in that many of the fans brought flowers and signs. One read, "This is Happiness."

As one of the lucky attendees, I'd fully agree.

The Masonic Lodge

Hollywood Forever outdoor concerts should not be confused with smaller ones on the grounds at the Masonic Lodge, which hosts intimate indoor performances by emerging artists and special events.

Over the years, the Lodge has seen high-profile appearances by Sparks (2013), Gary Numan (2013), Grouplove (2013), Richard Thompson (2022), Local Natives (2022), and others.

While the Fairbanks Lawn accommodates thousands under the stars, the Lodge typically holds fewer than 200 people and features more experimental sets, film screenings, and private gatherings.

Dia de los Muertos

If that wasn't enough, each November, the Day of the Dead is observed at Hollywood Forever with colorfully beautiful ceremonies. There are altars covered in marigolds, candles, and sugar skulls. Guests hear traditional music, processions, and storytelling focused on those buried there. The face paintings, costumes, and celebration of the Mexican culture that is central to so much of Los Angeles, is in full force.

Tickets for upcoming concerts, and films are available on the Hollywood Forever website.

Other Venue Spotlights: The Apollo Theater, Aragon Ballroom, The Bluebird Cafe, Carnegie Hall, Chain Reaction, Commodore Ballroom, First Avenue, The Fillmore, The Gorge, The Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood Palladium, KIA Forum, Madison Square Garden, Massey Hall, The Metro, Nippon Budokan, O2 Arena, O2 Academy Brixton, Pappy & Harriet's Palace, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks, Royal Albert Hall, The Ryman Auditorium, Slane Castle, The Sphere, Staples Center, Stubb's Bar-B-Q, Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, The Viper Room, The Whisky, 9:30 Club