KROQ’s Almost Acoustic Christmas (AAC) began in 1990 and is annually held at the KIA Forum since 2014. KROQ has been Los Angeles’s premiere Alt-Rock station for over 30 years and at AAC, KROQ has hosted Blink-182, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Jane’s Addiction, Coldplay Linkin Park, Korn, Rage Against the Machine, Weezer and even Tony Bennett and David Bowie among the 100+ acts to perform over the years many which were up & comers the first time they played. AAC was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For 2023 AAC hosted a mix of first-timers as well as a few veterans. The lineup consisted of The Beaches, Bakar, Lovejoy, Cannons, and Bleachers who all gave their AAC debut followed by Portugal the Man whose first AAC was in 2013. 311 took over for Red Hot Chili Peppers who were going to play their first AAC but had to cancel four days before due to an undisclosed injury to a band member.