{"id":485786,"date":"2026-10-05T14:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/485786\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:34:13","slug":"dance-gavin-dance-oleander-represent-hometown-at-aftershock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/485786\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance Gavin Dance, Oleander represent hometown at Aftershock"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sacramento loves music. With dozens of music venues and one of the largest rock and metal concerts in the nation calling the state capital home, it\u2019s not hard to recognize the city\u2019s adoration for the art form.<\/p>\n

However, the city has never been particularly known for producing big names. Only a handful of musicians and bands hailing from Sacramento have found major commercial success. But this year at the Aftershock music festival, two of those bands returned to remind the hometown crowd what Sacramento is capable of.<\/p>\n

Oleander, a rock band most popular in the late \u201990s and 2000s, and Dance Gavin Dance, a beloved group with a mural immortalizing its name in downtown Sacramento, performed at Aftershock on Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"Oleander Oleander performs at Aftershock at Discovery Park in Sacramento on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com Back on the home stage, 10 years later<\/p>\n

The last time the Oleander<\/a> crew looked out onto a crowd of Sacramento fans was more than seven years ago. In September 2018, they played a show at Thunder Valley Casino\u2019s outdoor amphitheater in Lincoln.<\/p>\n

That was the band\u2019s final performance before taking a multi-year break from performing, which ended in April when they joined Creed on the Summer of \u201999 and Beyond Cruise<\/a>. According to Oleander\u2019s lead vocalist, Thomas Flowers, the vacation was \u201c100%\u201d needed to bring back a love for touring.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just did 1,600 miles in four days in an RV that went 60 miles an hour, and we loved it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m ready to do some more of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oleander first played the inaugural Aftershock concert in 2012, when it was a single-day event featuring only 14 bands. Since then, the festival has \u201cquadrupled in size,\u201d said bassist Doug Eldridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing,\u201d Flowers said. \u201cIt\u2019s a testament to what we have here in Sacramento. You know, they\u2019re single-handedly putting Sacramento a little bit more on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Thomas Thomas Flowers lead singer for band Oleander during rehearsal for a show on Aug. 14, 2010. Oleander has performed on-and-off throughout the nation in the years since, including a festival run in 2026 that concluded with a hometown show at the Aftershock festival in Discovery Park on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Manny Crisostomo mcrisostomo@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

On Sunday, crowds gathered near the Shockwave Stage under unseasonably high temperatures to welcome the group home. It was evident the time off did the band members good, as they were engaged with fans while on stage and seemed to enjoy every note played.<\/p>\n

Guitarist Dan Camacho even took time out of his 17th anniversary with his wife to reunite the band at home, but he made sure to wear a muscle tank featuring her likeness on it.<\/p>\n

Oleander most recently released a single titled \u201cFourth of July\u201d during the eponymous holiday. The band said its newest track, \u201cBruise,\u201d will come out later this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter that, every six to eight weeks, our goal is to put out more music and keep going,\u201d Flowers said.<\/p>\n

\"Oleander Oleander performs at Aftershock at Discovery Park in Sacramento on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com Dance Gavin Dance: A return feature<\/p>\n

Though the band has expanded from its native Sacramento, Dance Gavin Dance<\/a> does not forget its origins.<\/p>\n

The band last played a Sacramento-area concert just over a year ago, in June 2025, at the Hard Rock Live venue in Wheatland. However, the last time Dance Gavin Dance performed in Sacramento proper was during Aftershock 2023, which marked the third time the band played its hometown festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve been in actual Sacramento,\u201d said the band\u2019s drummer, Matthew Mingus. \u201cI grew up here in Sacramento, so to play in front of friends and family is special.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dance Dance Gavin Dance performs at Aftershock at Discovery Park in Sacramento on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Though not all of Dance Gavin Dance\u2019s current members have Sacramento roots, the band\u2019s strong tie to the capital region has created some honorary Sacramentans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with (the band) over a decade, and so I\u2019ve been coming here for 12 years, like constantly. It\u2019s like my second home,\u201d said vocalist Andrew Wells, who is based in Utah. \u201cOut here it\u2019s just a different energy, it\u2019s a different vibe. I love the music scene, I love the culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

For its fourth time performing at Aftershock, Dance Gavin Dance helped close out the festival on the Faultline Stage. While headliner Tool performed its atmospheric, powerful metal sound at the main stage, the hometown band kept the party going as fans gave all they had to one last mosh pit.<\/p>\n

\"Fans Fans cheer as Dance Gavin Dance performs at Aftershock at Discovery Park in Sacramento on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. HANNAH RUHOFF hruhoff@sacbee.com <\/p>\n

Before the band even took the stage, crowd members surfed overhead, eventually turning into a traffic jam of horizontal bodies on extended arms. Swirling pools of moshers developed during every song, spurred on by Wells.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re so rowdy, they\u2019re so fun,\u201d he said. \u201cThey sing louder, they party harder, it\u2019s just fun. I love Sacramento.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dance Gavin Dance plans to release a new album in 2027, Wells said Sunday. To accompany the release, the band will set off on a tour across the country, which of course, will once again make a stop at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some of our eldest fans that have been with the band the longest here, so it\u2019s really cool to see,\u201d Mingus said. \u201cWe\u2019ve gotten to connect with a lot of them in different ways, you know, out and about. I run into people sometimes in the grocery store. It\u2019s cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Camila Pedrosa<\/a><\/p>\n

The Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n

Camila Pedrosa is the California Diversions Reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked on The Bee\u2019s service journalism team and was a summer reporting intern for The Bee in 2024. She graduated from Arizona State University with a master\u2019s degree in mass communication.\n <\/p>\n