Sad Summer Festival opens new outdoor Sacramento concert venue

SACRAMENTO — Thousands of music fans braved the heat to help celebrate the opening of a new outdoor concert venue in Sacramento. We got a front-row look at the site and saw what's being done to keep people cool.

The band Real Friends is among the eight musical acts taking the stage on the opening night of the Sad Summer Festival . It's the premier concert at a new outdoor stage called The Backyard, located behind the Rock & Brews restaurant at Cal Expo.

"There isn't anything else in Sacramento of this size outdoors," said Rena Wasserman of Nederlander Concerts , which operates the venue.

Concert promoters say they are taking precautions to keep people safe.

"We have ambulances ready to roll if necessary. We have cold water. We have six water stations that are iced down and free to the public," Wasserman said.

The new year-round concert site can hold 4,200 people and is booking a variety of different music genres.

"Four years ago was when we had the idea for that," said Joe Johal, owner of Rock & Brews. "Unfortunately, COVID happened and we couldn't do much but it's finally starting. Now we're going to take it to the next level."

The next show is August 9 and features Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys. Other upcoming shows will feature heavy metal, yacht rock, and Spanish indie-pop.

"We have eight shows booked this season and next year we expect to grow it by 20 to 30 events a year," Wasserman said.