An annual sampler of so-called alt-rock, Almost Acoustic Christmas squeezes into two nights more than three decades’ worth of bands that have all but defined the genre, alongside half a dozen relative newcomers vying for similar status. Night one brings together Pixies-aping 1990s Brit radio staple Bush; 2000s guitar-based juggernauts Incubus, Linkin Park, System of a Down and Fall Out Boy; and more recent KROQ constants Rise Against, New Politics, Walk the Moon and Royal Blood. Night two’s big coup was supposed to be U2, but they’ve been forced to cancel as Bono recovers from a bad cycling accident. New wave–y peers Tears for Fears will have to pick up the slack, along with 120 Minutes mainstays Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer; new millennium breakouts Interpol and Modest Mouse; and contemporary “alternative” torch-bearers Alt-J, Imagine Dragons and Vance Joy. Also Sunday, Dec. 14.

Sat., Dec. 13, 3:30 p.m., 2014
(Expired: 12/13/14)

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