While he can proudly claim to have seen bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and No Doubt play small, now-closed rooms like the Cattle Club in the 1990s, the city needed to grow to keep up with the changing live entertainment landscape. He books and advises programming in clubs and theaters in the region while independently owning and operating a handful of other venues in the area.Įntertainment veterans like Rushing have seen the city evolve alongside sports. Rushing and his business partner Bret Bair sold Ace of Spades to Live Nation in 2016 and Rushing became a full-time talent buyer with the company. SEE: Sacramento Select Venues In Play (Click for PDF) With all the amazing talent between the amphitheater and the arena and small rooms like Ace of Spades and Harlow’s and the Goldfields, there’s some great things going on in Sacramento and some great acts coming through the market.” “It’s still another 10 years out to be really blossoming, but we’re getting there.

Rushing opened the 1,050-capacity Ace of Spades club downtown in 2011.

“It’s taken a long time, but I think the city’s on track,” says Eric Rushing, life-long Sacramento resident, club owner and local talent buyer.

But with mild winters, the relatively low cost of living and a healthy music and sports scene, it’s still taken a little while to get there - and it’s still a work in progress. (Steve Thrasher)Ĭonditions have long been ripe for California’s capital city to grow beyond its reputation as a political base, agriculture hub and commuter town in the shadow of the Bay Area. The festival has become a tourism magnet in Sacramento, with people flying in from as far as Sri Lanka. Wherever I May Roam: Aftershock Festival during Metallica’s 2021 set.

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