Goldfield Trading Post was a live-music venue and bar in Sacramento, California, located at 1630 J Street in midtown.[1] Described as "new" when it began hosting shows in 2014, it became a regular stop for both touring acts and local Sacramento artists across genres ranging from folk and funk to metal.[1][2] The venue closed permanently on November 23, 2025, after an 11-year run, with owners citing inability to cover rising rent, utilities, insurance, and employee costs.[3]
At a glance
- Address: 1630 J Street, Sacramento, CA.[1]
- Opened/first covered as Sacramento's "new" venue in September 2014; closed November 23, 2025.[1][3]
- Online presence: Goldfieldtradingpost.com (used for tickets and info).[1][2]
- Hosted both 21-and-over and all-ages shows.[1][4][2]
- Booked touring and local acts; also used for non-music events such as a food film festival party.[5]
- Over 1,500 concerts held during its run.[3][6]
History and role in the scene
Goldfield Trading Post was characterized as Sacramento's "new" venue in September 2014, when singer/songwriter Jake Smith (The White Buffalo) was scheduled to play there.[1] The venue occupied the former Hamburger Mary's space (also reported as Hamburger Patties, which closed in 2013) at the corner of 17th and J Streets, a building that had also previously housed Sam's Hof Brau.[6][3][7]
The venue was founded by Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, who are former owners of Ace of Spades — sold to Live Nation in 2016 — and the long-running midtown bar Old Ironsides.[7][8] According to the Sacramento News & Review, Rushing founded 720 Records in 1996, which evolved into the Artery Foundation in 2004; he and Bair also maintained co-ownership of the Boardwalk in Orangevale and departed management roles at Assembly Music Hall in fall 2014.[8]
Goldfield originally operated with a country-music focus before expanding its programming to include punk and heavy metal.[3] In 2023, according to Abridged.org, Bair and Rushing expanded within the same building to open Tack Room, an equestrian-themed cocktail bar.[7]
Across the venue's coverage in Submerge from 2014 through 2018, it functioned as a Sacramento stop on national tours and as a stage for local bands.[1][4][9][10] The venue was held up by local musicians as one of the rooms that matter for the city's scene. Chuck Bradley of the Sacramento band The Damn Liars named Goldfield, alongside Folsom's Powerhouse Pub, as the kind of venue that is "important for a city to have," framing a booking there as a sign that the room "believes in what you're doing."[9]
Programming and notable shows
Over its 11-year run, Goldfield hosted more than 1,500 concerts, including early performances by artists who later became nationally prominent such as Morgan Wallen and Kane Brown.[3][6] The bookings spanned a wide range of styles:
- The White Buffalo (Jake Smith's country/soul/punk project, then based in Los Angeles) played the venue on Sept. 27, 2014, a 21-and-over show with doors at 8:30 p.m. and $18 tickets.[1]
- Chuck Ragan, the Grass Valley–based former Hot Water Music frontman, played a solo show on Jan. 10, 2015 (9 p.m., 21-and-over, $20).[11]
- The premier party of the fourth annual Sacramento Food Film Festival was held at Goldfield on March 19, 2015, screening winning short films with food from guest chefs Michael Thiemann and Jay Veregge ($45–$55), benefiting the Food Literacy Center.[5]
- The Main Squeeze, an Indiana-formed (later L.A.-based) post-funk band, brought its Without a Sound tour to Goldfield on April 21, 2017 (7 p.m., all ages).[4]
- Sacramento's own Life in 24 Frames played the venue on Nov. 26, 2016 with Epsilona and Skylis, an all-ages show with $10 advance tickets, tied to the release of their album CTRL-Z.[2]
- The Damn Liars, a Sacramento band, played Goldfield on Jan. 26, 2018 (paired with a Jan. 25 date at the Powerhouse Pub in Folsom).[9]
- Deafheaven, the Modesto-formed, San Francisco–based metal band, performed on Aug. 15, 2018, at 7 p.m. with Uniform and Drab Majesty.[10]
Ticketing and event information for these shows were directed to the venue's website, Goldfieldtradingpost.com.[1][11][2][10]
Closure
Goldfield closed on November 23, 2025, ending an 11-year run. Owner Bret Bair stated: "We simply aren't selling enough tickets and beverages to make ends meet. We just couldn't keep up with the increases in rent, utilities, insurance, and employee costs."[3] Bair also cited the post-COVID disappearance of a Friday and Saturday country line-dance night as a contributing factor in the decline.[3]