Of all the commonalities that we share as human beings, one of the most dominant of these things is our desire to be entertained. And among the ways that Sacramentans have kept themselves entertained is through local music venues.

As the years have passed throughout the history of Sacramento, thus have many of the once very popular music venues.

While a few of the city’s historic music venues such as the Memorial Auditorium have held on, many others have faded away.

Ghosts of the Stage
One early Sacramento music venue was Sacramento Stadium (today’s Hughes Stadium) on the campus of Sacramento Junior College, which later became Sacramento City College.

As early as 1932, the stadium began to be used as an occasional music venue, when a Sunday evening free summer concert series was launched in July 1932.

One of the most famous concerts at the stadium occurred on April 20, 1988 with a performance by the English rock band, Pink Floyd.

Kevin Hartman, owner of Records at 1618 Broadway, said that he enjoyed the band’s Hughes Stadium performance, which was enhanced by its fair share of visual effects.

“It was very visual and they had [an inflatable] bed that flew over the audience and crashed into the stage and they had a giant [inflatable] pig that was floating in the air and at the end, they had fireworks,” Hartman said.

Another venue during this era included the Trianon Ballroom, above the Senator Theater on K Street. This venue featured live performances by such acts as Buster Peart and Haden “Bunny” Crites, who was a longtime student at Sacramento Junior College.

Also during this time, Johnny Brazil’s The Cellar at 628 J St. and “Okie Paul” and Ola Louise Westmoreland’s Detour Inn on Bell Avenue provided a selection of live music.

Sacramento native Stan Gilliam said that in addition to serving as the Detour Inn’s owners, the Westmorelands were also regular performers at this venue.

Gilliam added that although he does not recall what venues the group performed at, Maddox Brothers and Rose – aka “The Most Colorful Hillbilly Band in America” – from Stockton was a very popular act in Sacramento from the 30s through the 50s.

Across the street from the Tower Theatre, The Trio, a venue owned by Bill Blanas and Frank Files at 1517 Broadway, began a tradition of live music at this site, which continued for more than a half-century. The venue, which during the 80s was known as Melarkey’s Place, still stands as a rich memory of the past.

Another Sacramento venue of the past was the Governors’ Hall on the old state fairgrounds on Stockton Boulevard.

Gone, But Not Forgotten
Sacramento native Joeann Nelson said that she has fond memories of the Governors’ Hall.

“I would go there every once in awhile [in the 40s] and see bands,” Nelson said. “It was just a big ballroom with a stage and we would dance to the music of the era. The [big band] music was so much different than [music] today”

The Governors’ Hall was also quite popular during the 60s, as the venue featured a variety of surf rock bands, including the Safaris, Dick Dale and his Del-Tones and Sacramento’s own, The Inlanders.

Non-surf rock bands performing at the Governors’ Hall during this era included the Grateful Dead, the Yardbirds, Steppenwolf and Buffalo Springfield.

With the relocation of the fairgrounds in 1968, Cal Expo became the site of music shows in various venues that are no longer used for music.

Some of the earliest Cal Expo shows, many of which were held in Building C, included performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and B.B. King.

Later shows by such as acts as Aerosmith, Rush, Steve Miller and Jane’s Addiction were held at the Cal Expo Amphitheater during the 80s and 90s.

Sacramento resident Mario Grandinetti, 29, said that the amphitheater was “the best place to see a show in Sacramento.”

“I liked [the amphitheater] because it was always general admission, the tickets were cheap and it was never far away,” Grandinetti said.

A Class Act
Getting his start promoting shows and dances at The Vortex at 15th and C streets, Sacramento resident Jerry Perry eventually opened the extremely popular Cattle Club at 7042 Folsom Boulevard in 1989.

Perry, who today books bands for the free Friday night summer concert series at Cesar Chavez Plaza, said that his purpose for opening the Cattle Club was to better promote local bands.

“I wanted to create a club that kind of championed our local bands,” Perry said of his club, which remained in operation until Oct. 31, 1995. “We were just the right club at the right time to handle a lot of the excitement. With national bands [such as Green Day, Nirvana, Primus, Beck and No Doubt] coming through and local bands [such as Deftones, Cake and Far] emerging, it really was a club of the 90s.”

In more recent times, the Press Club at 2030 P St. remodeled its interior and permanently removed its stage, thus eliminating a popular live music venue.

Prologue and Prospects
Today, Sacramento’s music scene continues through such venues as the Memorial Auditorium, Old Ironsides at 1901 10th St., Harlow’s Nightclub at 2708 J St., the Torch Club at 904 15th St., the Stoney Inn Bar and Grill at 1320 Del Paso Blvd and of large arenas like Arco Arena, Raley Field and Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

And one day, the words of those who fondly remember Sacramento’s now-defunct music venues such as Wills Point, the Sound Factory and the Cattle Club will be replaced by other locals who will one day say, “I remember attending that show at that venue way back in 2008.”