The Goldfield Trading Post is a bar and live music venue situated right in the heart of old Roseville on Vernon Street. It is a secondary location, the first being in Sacramento. The Roseville location opened in 2021.
It has 10,000 square feet of space and two fully stocked bars. There is a long bar opposite the stage, and the first floor is standing room only. The speaker system is great, but some people might find it a tad loud, so bringing earplugs might be a good idea.
There is also a second story that is split in two. One side is off to the right of the stage and one is off to the left of the stage. The one on the left of the stage also houses a second bar.
There is also a smoking area outside the front of the building.
The tickets are reasonably priced compared to other big concerts, and they do vary in price based on who is playing. Though mostly local bands, Goldfield’s trading post also hosts bands from across the U.S..
One of these such bands is Lucero, a punk country band from Tennessee.
I saw Lucero on Nov. 16, 2024, at The Goldfields. The Vandoliers opened for them and did a terrific job as an opening band. Their set featured fast, joyous songs, which did an excellent job of pumping up the audience. The Vandoliers came all the way from Texas.
Halfway through the Vandoliers’ set, Ben Nichols, the lead singer of Lucero, came onstage to sing a song with them. Then he ran offstage as the Vandoliers played one more song.
Then it was time for the main act. Although fairly large, the venue was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with patrons. Lucero casually walked onstage, and the fans applauded. It seemed that most people there had been Lucero fans for a long time, and knew the material really well.
Concert goer, Dylan Rogers, has a strong relationship with Lucero and their music. Rogers turned to Lucero’s music after his first serious breakup, when he was in college, and it brought him to a state of “emotional catharsis” as he puts it.
“It’s funny how music has a way of showing up when you need it most, tapping into that primal rhythm inside of us that longs to break free, while simultaneously anchoring us to life, to each other,” Rogers writes. He just went through another breakup, and Lucero’s songs were there for him yet again.
Rogers observed that seeing Lucero brought back familiar emotions from his college days. “…as the opening chords echo through the venue, I’m transported back to that college dorm room, sitting on the floor, headphones on, trying to piece myself back together. It’s a thread connecting the person I was to the person I’ve become…,” Rogers states.
Some more words from Rogers about the show, and music in general: “The reality is, music won’t take the pain away. It won’t magically fix a breakup or patch up the cracks left behind. But for a few hours, surrounded by people who get it, with your small tribe beside you and a band that once guided you through the same dark waters, it’s enough. And sometimes, enough is all you need. So I’ll take the small victories and carry them with me—until the next heartbreak, the next show, or maybe, just maybe, the next new beginning.”
The band was very relaxed and interacted well with the audience, taking song requests and giving background insight into the songs, as well as cracking jokes and smiles.
The band played a range of faster songs, with slower melancholy tracks thrown into the mix. I admired this because most bands are afraid to do this in fear that they will kill the spirit of the crowd. This wasn’t a problem for Lucero, considering that the audience was mostly dedicated fans.
Overall, it was a very personal show, and the audience seemed connected to the performers in a big way. Overall, Goldfields Trading post is an awesome venue with a western twist, and a great atmosphere.
