





In the summer of 1983, I moved over from the Sacramento Union’s sports department to become a staff writer in news, and thus, a regular day shift. With my nights now free, I was able to write concert reviews for our Showcase section, beginning an incredibly fun run that lasted more than four years. Those years proved to be a great period for music in Sacramento. The original Palms Playhouse in Davis was a vibrant showcase and Cal Expo Amphitheater -- still my favorite outdoor venue ever in Sacramento -- opened with Neil Young in June 1983, and Cal Expo provided more opportunities for quality acts than we’d ever had before. Looking at the 50 or so reviews I’ve posted, I realize I captured something; my own little window to the ‘80s Sacramento music scene.
































































Boz Skaggs/Caesar's Tahoe/July 26, 1982
Billy Joel/Oakland Coliseum/October 1982
Neil Young/Cow Palace/January 1983
Johnny Rivers/El Dorado Saloon/Aug. 2, 1983
Beach Boys/Chico State/July 17, 1983
BJ Thomas/Cal Expo/Aug. 21, 1984
Steelbreeze/Cal Expo/Aug. 24, 1983
Kenny Loggins/Cal Expo/Sept. 6, 1983
James Taylor/Berkeley Greek/Sept. 19, 1983
David Clayton-Thomas/El Dorado/Sept. 29, 1983
Huey Lewis interview/Oct. 23, 1983
Huey Lewis & the News/Crest Theater/Oct. 26, 1983
Stray Cats/Memorial Auditorium/Nov. 19, 1983
Blue Oyster Cult/Memorial Auditorium/Dec. 1, 1983
Stephen Stills/Palms Playhouse/Dec. 11, 1983
Tommy Tutone/El Dorado Saloon/Dec. 15, 1983
X/Lord Beaverbrooks/Jan. 31, 1984
Jerry Lee Lewis/Cherokee Music Hall/March 1, 1984
Weird Al Yankovic/Warfield Theater/June 13, 1984
Big Country/UC Davis/April 2, 1984
Grateful Dead/Cal Expo/May 1984
James Taylor//UCD Rec Hall/May 12, 1984
Mountain Aire/Calaveras Fairgrounds/June 23, 1984
Night Ranger/Memorial Auditorium/July 20, 1984
Berlin/Placer Co Fairgrounds/July 20, 1984
Dave Mason/Sunset Cabaret/August 1984
The Psychedelic Furs/Crest Theater/Aug. 15, 1984
The Tubes/Cal Expo/Sept. 24, 1984
Gordon Lightfoot/Community Center/September 1984
The Youngbloods/Palms Playhouse/Sept. 24, 1984
Al Stewart/UCD Coffee House/Oct. 8, 1984
John Waite/Scandal/U of Pacific/Nov. 5, 1984
Rickie Lee Jones/Warfield Theater/Dec. 8, 1984
Los Lobos/Club Can't Tell/Jan. 18, 1985
UB40/UCD Freeborn Hall/February 1985
Crosby, Stills & Nash/Cal Expo/June 28, 1985
Huey Lewis & the News/Cal Expo/Aug. 16, 1985
Bryan Adams/UOP Spanos Center/April 1985
Rick Springfield/Cal Expo/Aug. 12, 1985
Dire Straits/Cal Expo/Sept. 16, 1985
Bruce Springsteen/Oakland Coliseum/Sept. 18, 1985
Music Video Feature/April 6, 1986
The Grateful Dead/Cal Expo/May 3, 1986
Bob Dylan & Tom Petty/Cal Expo/June 12, 1986
Nicks & Frampton/Cal Expo/July 17, 1986
Beach Boys/Cal Expo/July 18, 1986
1st Bridge Benefit/Shoreline Amphitheatre/Oct. 14, 1986
1st Bridge Benefit/Pulse Magazine/November 1986