Raley Field home of the Sacramento River Cats baseball team also hosts music events during the summer and early fall. The stadium is located in West Sacramento and is a short walking distance to the waterfront and Old Sacramento. It has nice views of the downtown area from the stands that add to a great atmosphere for concert fans. The Dave Matthews Band concert scheduled for Monday, August 25th has been postponed. No news yet on a new date. They will finish their North American Summer Tour in two weeks with three sold-out shows at The Greek Theatre in Berkeley. The band and DMB fans got very sad news that founding member saxophonist LeRoi Moore passed away on 8/19 from injuries he sustained in an ATV accident in June. More musical events this season include Annual Rhythm & Ribs - Music Festival and Rib Cook Off from Friday, September 19th - Sunday, September 21st. Click on Raley Field in Sacramento for a listing of all events or go to Ticketmaster.com.
The California State Fair will run from Friday, August 15th - Monday, September 1st. Events for over two weeks will feature an expanded kids park, motocross and car shows, horse racing, all kinds of vendors, crafts, and food. Mid-way carnival rides for the entire family, a beautiful California Wine tasting garden, and a great concert series line-up with a variety of popular artists. The cove concert arena has been improved to include VIP seating and is great for outdoor shows. Some concert events have advance seating Gold Circle reserved seat sales. Otherwise general seating includes the price of fair admission. Artists scheduled for the concert series include: Natasha Bedingfield - Air Supply - Jessica Simpson - Gary Allen - Al Jarreau - Chicago - Vanessa Hudgens and many more. Go to BigFun.org for a complete listing of California Sate Fair events.
The Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is located in downtown Sacramento and hosts a variety of concerts and community events. The area around the venue has new restaurants and plenty of parking within a short walking distance, which is great for music fans that want to grab a drink or some good food before shows. On Wednesday, September 3rd rock band Stone Temple Pilots will roll into Sacramento. They are in the middle of a busy North American tour that has over 50 dates scheduled in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through October. Coming soon to Sacramento Memorial Auditorium is the Sacramento World Music & Dance Festival. For a complete listing of events go to Tickets.com.
Music Circus - presented by California Musical Theatre in it's 53rd Year now takes place at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. The new venue is located in downtown Sacramento with a parking garage next door and a variety of restaurants and bars to enjoy before and after shows. The annual summer series features some of the best Broadway musicals from July - September for music fans of all ages. The 2008 Music Circus series will end with Hairspray from August 19th - August 28th. Coming this fall Broadway Sacramento will begin their 2008-09 series in October featuring some of the most popular musicals currently on Broadway in New York.
Bay Area Venues hosting concerts NOT coming through the Sacramento area:
Sleep Train Pavilion has been hosting concerts and music festivals in the east bay area since 1975 and features a variety of musical acts every year from April - October. Two sections of reserved seating and a comfortable grass area give fans an intimate experience with a capacity of just over 12,000. On Wednesday, August 27th Sheryl Crow will appear with James Blunt and opening guest Toots and the Maytels. Their summer tour has traveled to over 20 cities in the U.S. so far and will continue through the end of September. Sheryl Crow is also scheduled to appear in Lake Tahoe at Harvey's Outdoor Arena on Saturday, August 23rd, and James Blunt will continue to tour across Europe this fall. More concerts coming soon to Sleeptrain Pavilion that are not scheduled to pass through the Sacramento area include Mary J Blige & Robin Thicke - Maroon 5 & Counting Crows - Al Green - Gladys Knight - Dennis Edwards & Temptations Review - Santana. Click on Sleep Train Pavilion for more concerts scheduled this summer or go to Ticketmaster.com.
The Mountain Winery Concert Series in Saratoga began in July and run through September. The annual series features a variety of artists in an incredible setting at a beautiful winery located in the silicon valley near San Francisco. Go to Ticketmaster.com for more information on the concert line-up.
Konocti Field Amphitheatre is located two hours north of Sacramento at Konocti Harbor Inn Resort on Clear Lake, a popular Northern California destination for boating and wineries. The modern outdoor venue overlooks the lake and hosts a variety of well known artists from April - October. Their indoor venue also hosts concerts in an intimate dinner setting.
More links for Sacramento/Bay Area/Lake Tahoe/Reno Concerts: Abstract Entertainment - Sacramento based concert promoter for great indie shows at venues in the downtown area.
Live Nation - (Formerly BGP in Northern CA) National concert and venue promotions that include links and information to most major venues in the NorCal regional area. Information for many venues and shows in Sacramemto the San Francisco Bay Area and in Lake Tahoe/Reno.
Another Planet - National concert promoter located in Northern CA that promotes major concert events and independent artist shows. Listings for Sacramemto the San Francisco Bay Area and Lake Tahoe/Reno.
AWESOME PHOTO GALLERY See Your Favorite Artists. Check out EMC photographer Charr Crail's Blog for concert reviews and more!! Her incredible art is also on display for 2nd Saturday with a T.V. interview for Channel 13. *New: THE POLICE - JONAS BROTHERS - MAYHEM FESTIVAL - SAMMIES - Cruefest*
Blogging The Grid - Sacramento by former Sacramento Bee music critic David Watts Barton. Great information on whats happening in Sacramento Arts & Entertainment and more. Artist videos and links to other websites and music events of interest in Sacramento and beyond. Also tune into KFBK on Wednesday evenings at 6:15 PM for Plugged-In with David Watts Barton or check out some great tunes and write-ups on David's music Blog
NoisyArtifacts .
Get Out and Support Your Local Music Scene!! The Sacramento area has a variety of *Nightclubs * Live Bands * DJ's* to choose from. On Wednesday:Old Ironsides will feature Open Mic Night with host Lare Crawley, Marilyn's will host Games Night - Guitar Hero and Roberta Cheverette, and The Press Club will host War Paint Wednesday w/DJ's Tobias & Whores. The Boardwalk will host Amos Lee - Lucy Wainwright, The Torch Club will feature Jimmy Pailer and his Bad Boys, and Fox & Goose will host acoustic music with Steve McLane. The Blue Cue will host Blues & Brews and Blue Gecko presents their weekly night of Reggae on the River next to Chevy's on Garden HWY. Fire Escape Bar & Grill will host Karaoke Night, Power House Pub will host live music with Hits, and Yager's will feature dance music on 2 floors. Thursday: Crawdad's On The River will host dance band Wonderbread 5, Marilyn's will host V101 Presents Home Grown Soul, The Blue Lamp will host Time Line Drum & Bass, and Old Ironsides and Alive & Kicking present CaCa PooPoo PeePee - The Common Men. The Distillery will host DJ Epic & Supe, The Park Ultra Lounge will host Hair Wars Runway Show and Scene, Cabana will host Oasis with DJ Chris The Rebel, and Fox & Goose will feature East Portal Express. Harlows will host Latin Funk band Kaweh and The MoMo Lounge will host Electro Shock Thursdays, Luna's Cafe will feature their weekly night of Poetry Unplugged, and The Torch Club will host live blues at 5PM with X Trio and Aaron King & the Imperials at 9PM. In Citrus Heights Fire Escape Bar & Grill will feature Pure Intense Torture - Still Dead - Akuma, and in Folsom Yager's will host live music, and Powerhouse Pub will host country/rock music with Dave Russell.
Friday Evening: Old Ironsides and Alive & Kicking present Two Sheds - Mumlers - Chelsea Wolfe, Marilyns will host Tip Top Trio - Mad Juana, and The Distillery will host punk rock with Diseptikons - Secretions - Lesdystics. Blue Lamp will host DJ Larry Rodriquez, Fox & Goose will host Jay Shaner - Mark Growden - James Finch Jr., Pyramid Alehouse will feature live acoustic music with Clay Bell, and Faces will host Dancing on Three Floors with High NRG - Old School R&B - Video Dancing all weekend. Empire will host DJ Charlie Ramos, Harlows will feature party band Mercy Me downstairs and DJ Rigatony is up in The MoMo Lounge. Other clubs hosting great DJ Events are Park Ultra Lounge with DJ Eddie Edul - Jus James, Image VIP Lounge is a new downtown club with DJ's playing music on two floors, Capitol Garage will host Get Down To The Champion Sound, and in Roseville The Station Ultra Lounge will host DJ Mash Ups & Club Hits. In the greater Sacramento area Swabbies On The River will feature Blue Blazers, Crawdad's On The River will host dance music with Bad Iron, Zigatos @ The Clarion Hotel will host live rock & blues, The Kennel Club presents Walking Dead - Con Of Man - Pushbox, and Silk Bar will host Filthy Dreams. On The Y will host Punk Rock Holocaust, Aces Supper Club will host live R&B all weekend, and Stoney Inn will host Country DJ Dancing with lessons at Rockin Rodeo and live music. The Boardwalk in Orangevale will host Save and Continue - Breva - Silent Treatment - Ones & Zeroes. In Davis G Street Pub will host Method Echo - Fair Trade, in Rancho Cordova Louie's Cocktail Lounge will host live rock and blues, and in Elk Grove Elk Grove Sports Bar will host dance band Junk Funkies all weekend. In Placerville PJ's will host DJ Smitty, and Cozmic Cafe will host Friday Jazz Night with Phil Pucca. In Old-Town Folsom all along Sutter Street you can find a great mix of restaurants, bars, and live music. At Powerhouse Pub check out Mother Hips, Scarlet's is next door, Yagers will feature live R&B, and historic saloon the Folsom Hotel will host live blues & rock.
On Saturday:Blue Lamp will host Darling SweetHeart (We Prick You) - The Proles - Phantom Jet - Candy Apple, Marilyns will host The Vibro Counts - KDog, and Harlows will host Hip Service and DJ Katz is up in The MoMo Lounge. Old Ironsides and Alive & Kicking presents Not An Airplane - The Polymers, Fox & Goose will host Ross Hammond - Friendly Creatures, and Crawdad's on the river will dance music with Bad Iron. Azukar Lounge will host DJ Ricardo Rayas, Aces Supper Club will host live R&B, and Swabbies on the River will feature Spotted Dog. Fire Escape Bar & Grill will host Terra Ferno - Inverse - Alpha Children, The Boardwalk presents Whitechapel - Through The Eyes of the Dead - Impending Doom - A Different Breed of Killer, and Kennel Club will host Subject - Man Automatic - 40th Street Diaries. In Folsom Powerhouse Pub will host Mercy Me. Yagers will host live dance music, and Folsom Hotel will host live music and also has a new back deck, and in Placerville Cozmic Cafe will present Rock & Reggae bands Abandon Theory - Sol Bridge. In Old Sacramento entertainment takes place at many restaurants and clubs within walking distance. 2 Grand Saloon features live R&B dancing and pool, The Back Door has a Brat Pack and Elvis tribute show every weekend with Rudy Valentino, Fulton's Underground hosts old school DJ music all weekend, and Tunel 21 has hip-hop and DJ house playing Fridays and Saturdays with a nice trendy atmosphere inside. For some great live blues downtown this weekend the Torch Club has Pailer, Taylor and Fratis start things off most Friday afternoons and later on the evening of the 29th John Nemeth will appear. On Saturday the 30th the club will host Duke Robillard. Most Sundays there is a Blues Jam at 5PM and Stacie Eakes & the Superfreakes appear at 9PM.
Sacramento Area Community Music Events Happening This Week:
Wednesday, August 27th: Twilight Concert Series will take place at Fairytale Town on 3901 Land Park Dive in Sacramento. The event will feature rock and Reggae with Cuesta Drive and will run from 6-8PM. Tickets are $10. For more information go to FairyTaleTown.org.
Thursday, August 28th: Fair Oaks Village Park will present big band and patriotic music with Capitol Pops at Fair Oaks Village Park on 7997 California Avenue in Fair Oaks. The event is Free and begins at 7PM. Lawn Chairs and picnics welcome. For more information go to FairOaksPark.org.
Thursday, August 28th: Summer Nights at El Dorado Hills TownCenter off HWY 50 and Latrobe Road feature free weekly concerts in an amphitheatre setting. The events run from 6:30 - 8:30 PM and are Free. For more information go to EldoradoHillsTownCenter.com.
Friday, August 29th: Midtown Stomp featuring Stompy Jones playing vintage jazz with East Coast swing dancing lessons. The concert will take place at The Sacramento YWCA on 17th and L Street in Sacramento and begins at 8:00PM - Dance from 9-midnight. Tickets are $10. For more information go to midtownstomp.com.
Friday, August 29th - Sunday, August 31st: 45th Annual Greek Festival at Sacramento Convention Center on 1400 J Street in Sacramento. The event will feature Greek food, music, and cultural events. FRI 11 AM - 10PM SAT & SUN Noon - 10PM. Free admission until 3PM/Tickets are $4-$5. For more information go to annunciation.ca.goarch.org/festival.
The 
Music Circus - presented by California Musical Theatre in it's 53rd Year now takes place at the 
Get Out and Support Your Local Music Scene!! The Sacramento area has a variety of *Nightclubs * Live Bands * DJ's* to choose from. On Wednesday: 
Friday Evening: 
On Saturday: 
