Shutting down four months after its grand opening due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hard Rock elected in 2021 to go forward with expansion plans that included a gas station, convenience store, office space, warehouse - and event space. It’s a partnership between Seminole Gaming, which owns the Hard Rock International brand, and the local Enterprise Rancheria Tribe. Hard Rock Sacramento opened in 2019, the brand’s first West Coast property. “We’re looking to do 50 shows or so in our first year, and then gradually move on up and hopefully we can get to 100,” says Maddocks, noting 2022 shows with Demi Lovato, Chelsea Handler, Chris Rock, Bret Michaels and a UFC event he says will resemble “a mini MGM Garden” with boxing ring, sky boxes and balcony seats fully activated. But he says, with a full slate of shows, state of the art amenities and top talent booked well into next year, the $50 million-plus Hard Rock Live has already been a hit.

Maddocks acknowledges the plethora of Native American casino properties in the area, which includes the nearby Thunder Valley Casino Resort that hosts its own outdoor series and in March broke ground on a standalone indoor theater venue. If you speak specifically to the Sacramento-proper market, there isn’t a 2,500-to 3,500-seat club or theater of our size and amenities.”

“We want to put this venue on the map,” said Randy Maddocks, director of entertainment for Hard Rock Sacramento. The recently opened Hard Rock Live at the casino/hotel/entertainment chain’s Sacramento property is the latest example of increased activity in not only the casino sector but the overall Sacramento market as well. New Kid The Block: The 2,500-seat Hard Rock Live Sacramento opened in June with a Maroon 5 concert.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento