Out and About in May and June 2025
There’s an Englishman in Wheatland as Sting takes the Hard Rock Live stage; the ninth annual Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival lights up the screen at The Sofia; Leon Bridges at Thunder Valley, and more. Here are 10 local events rounding out the spring.
Sting (Photo by Carter B. Smith, courtesy of Hard Rock Live)
Sting
May 28 We think every little thing that Sting does is magic, so we’re thankful that the former Police front man rescheduled his concert at Hard Rock Live for this May after needing to cancel his January concert there due to illness. At the Wheatland gig, he’ll be leading a trio, as the name of his “3.0” tour suggests, and performing intimate, stripped-down versions of many of his greatest hits, like “Englishman in New York,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Roxanne.” hardrockhotelsacramento.com
Sacramento Asian Pacific Film Festival
May 2–3 This ninth annual cinema fest heads to The Sofia and highlights about two dozen Asian films and filmmakers from around the world. Headlining two days of films, discussions and more is the documentary Third Act, which premiered at Sundance in January and examines the life and career of Robert A. Nakamura (aka the Godfather of Asian American Media, pictured below, as chronicled by his filmmaker son, Tadashi Nakamura. sapff.org
Robert A. Nakamura (Self-portrait, courtesy of Third Act)
Parade
May 6–11 Parade, which premiered on Broadway in 1998, earned a second life when it was resurrected in 2023, winning Tony Awards for best revival and best direction. Broadway Sacramento brings the renewed version of this powerful musical drama—which is based on the real-life wrongful imprisonment, trial and execution of a newlywed Jewish man in 1910s Georgia—to downtown’s SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. broadwaysacramento.com
James Arthur
May 29 Winner of 2012’s The X Factor, this British pop-rocker proved his staying power once again when his album Bitter Sweet Love debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts last year. During this concert at the brand-new Channel 24 venue in midtown, which follows the April release of his latest album, Pisces, expect to hear new songs like “Embers” and “Karaoke,” as well as hits like “Say You Won’t Let Go” and “Lasting Lover.” channel24sac.com
Photo from the Center for Sacramento History, Sacramento Bee Collection, 1983/001/SBPM03196, courtesy of the Sacramento History Museum
Sacramento In a Can
May 24–Sept. 1 Sacramento was once the canning capital of the world, tinning everything from soup to nuts, salmon, peaches and yes, tomatoes. In this new exhibition, the Sacramento History Museum serves up artifacts and stories from that era, with a special focus on the nearly seven-decade history of south Sacramento’s Campbell’s Soup factory. sachistorymuseum.org
Mahler’s Titan
May 31 Ten years ago, the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera—which merged the Sacramento Philharmonic and the Sacramento Opera—launched, kicking things off with an auspicious performance of Gustav Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony. To celebrate its milestone anniversary, SP&O revisits Mahler in its season finale, this time for a rendition of the Austrian composer’s Titan at the SAFE Credit Union Performing Arts Center. sacphilopera.org
San Francisco Symphony
May 31 This concert offers a chance to catch conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen—whom The New York Times has called “one of the field’s only universally admired figures”—in action before he steps down as musical director of the San Francisco Symphony in June. He’ll be taking the podium at Davis’ Mondavi Center for the first time, leading a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 and Violin Concerto in D, which will also feature the virtuosic talents of three-time Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn. mondaviarts.org
Reform to Restoration
June 1–Sept. 14 The fall of the ancient French monarchy, a bloody revolution, Napoleon’s imperial rule and the return of the Bourbons to the throne. One of history’s most tumultuous periods is on full display at Crocker Art Museum’s Reform to Restoration exhibit, assembling 125 drawings and 20 paintings created between the reigns of Louis XVI and Louis XVIII by artists like Jacques-Louis David and Théodore Géricault. crockerart.org
Leon Bridges
June 7 “The way Bridges sings makes everything feel unassailably real and true,” The Guardian wrote in its review of Leon, the eponymous 2024 album from this platinum-selling singer-songwriter who has drawn comparisons to soul legends like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. At this Thunder Valley concert in Lincoln—the final U.S. show of Leon Bridges’ world tour—expect new tracks like “Peaceful Place” alongside signature songs like “Beyond” and “River,” which was featured in Big Little Lies. thundervalleyresort.com
Courtesy of Thunder Valley Casino Resort
King James
June 25–July 27 Capital Stage heads courtside in this play chronicling two Cleveland basketball fans’ friendship from the time of LeBron James’ 2004 rookie year through his 2016 championship season. King James explores the relationship “with a sharp eye and genial warmth,” writes New York magazine’s Vulture about this 2022 dramedy by Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rajiv Joseph. “It’s a hangout drama about the unspoken dynamics of hanging out.” capstage.org
