Anthrax (Photos by Gabriel Teague)

Photo Essay: For 2 Weeks in October, Sacramento Transforms from Heavy Metal to Country Music

Back Article Nov 11, 2024 By Gabriel Teague

Judas Priest

Richie Faulkner, one of the guitarists for the band Judas Priest, thrills the crowd at Aftershock music festival held at Discovery Park Oct. 10-13. The four-day heavy metal concert drew in 40,000 people each day, featured 130 bands and brought in $30 million to the local economy through hotels, bars and restaurants, according to Visit Sacramento. About 70 percent of the attendees for the festival came from out of town.

Luke Bryan

The next weekend, Discovery Park was transformed from heavy metal to cowboy hats and boots for the GoldenSky country music festival. A whopping 75,000-90,000 attended the three-day festival, which featured country artists Luke Bryan, Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett and Ashley McBryde. 

Ashley McBryde

Bailey Zimmerman

Recommended For You

Is Our Future Tied to the Tracks? with James Stout

PODCAST EPISODE: Journalist James Stout delves into his latest feature for Comstock’s “What’s Holding Up Valley Rail?” where he investigated delays in railway expansion throughout the Central Valley. We discuss the hurdles that are baked into the system, changing attitudes towards public transit and whether hopping on a train might be more commonplace in future America. 

Oct 14, 2024 James Stout

Shining Lights

Hobrecht Lighting and Lofings Lighting have longevity while competitors have come and gone

At a time when anyone can order lighting fixtures off Amazon or wander the aisles of Home Depot or Lowe’s and select something readily available and cheap, visiting Hobrecht or Lofings can feel like a trip to a different era. Still, there’s a story worth telling connected to each of these Sacramento stores which shows how family businesses can endure even in changing times.

Oct 11, 2024 Graham Womack

Roseville’s Unique Shopping and Entertainment Gathering Place

Family business spotlight: The Denio family embraces the future while honoring their roots

Eric and Tracy Denio remember Roseville before it was a suburban powerhouse — back when their childhood days were spent roaming among fields, ranches, ponds and gravel pits. Flash forward to today, and Denio’s Farmers Market & Swap Meet is surrounded by oceans of homes and shopping centers that span for miles in every direction. But one thing that hasn’t changed is its ethos.

Oct 10, 2024 Scott Thomas Anderson

A Pioneer in Organic Farming

Family business spotlight: Pleasant Grove Farms in Sutter County grows popcorn, wheat and rice the natural way

Driving along a country road in rural Sutter County and seeing endless rows of corn, you can’t help but think of the movie “Field of Dreams.” The Sills family decided to build their dream eight decades ago. Pleasant Grove Farms, a family-owned, certified organic grain and bean farm, has been growing corn and other crops for nearly 80 years. 

Oct 8, 2024 Judy Farah