LAX To Soothe Travel Woes With Live Music

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — When you think concert venues, you probably don't think of LAX.

But soon you may be greeted upon arrival or sent off on your trip with live music from local artists showing off a diverse city.

It's called "LAX Presents."

About $195,000 will pay for the next three years of entertainment by artists with the company Grand Performances.

It's funded through fees collected by the City of L.A. for new construction. One percent of those fees has to be used to fund art.

"Why not create a distinct kind of feel for Los Angeles so we don't just look like a vanilla airport," said Michael Alexander, executive director emeritus of Grand Performances.

The airport is going through a $14 billion makeover. Los Angeles World Airports hopes artistic performances will help LAX stand out.

"Music instills memory into us of where we are at any given time, and I think that that's what we're really trying to do here and I think that's what we're trying to do is make your experience here at LAX memorable for the future," said Gabriel Eshaghian, commissioner of Los Angeles World Airports.

The plan is to have 18 shows through November. They'll be mostly in the Tom Bradley International terminal, but they'll rotate into domestic terminals.