Gwen Stefani returned on Dec. 6 to The Venue at Thunder Valley for the second time in two years to a nearly sold-out crowd of almost 4,500.
The 90-minute show had Stefani perform her hits spanning three decades with not only her solo material, but radio chart-topping songs that brought her to fame from the earlier days of No Doubt such as “Sunday Morning,” “Spiderwebs,” and “Just a Girl”.
The Venue in Lincoln is fairly new to hosting concerts as it opened on Valentine’s Day 2023 with the first band to perform, The Eagles. The Venue is not only known for its intimate setting but for its vibrant atmosphere with modern interior touches with a theater-like-feel. Once inside, The Venue seems larger than expected when pulling in. On-site parking is free with its only entrance requiring concert-goers to enter through the casino floor. That evening the audience was diverse ranging from many elders, to young pre-teens with their parents and all ages in between.
Once the show began Stefani had the audience on their feet to the opening number “The Sweet Escape” a hit that obtained huge success during the second phase of Stefani’s solo career in 2006. The show consisted of an actual band including trumpet and trombone players along with back-up dancers. The lighting on-stage was synced to the music and even at times LED lighting in the audience lit up accompanied by a giant digital screen with backdrops that offered entertaining visuals. The volume of the music was just right, not too loud, not too low.
Throughout the show in between songs, Stefani would look out into the crowd to spot a handful of super fans either dressed like her or sporting her former clothing and eyewear collection branded “L.A.M.B” that Stefani created in 2003 then eventually sold parts of the company after 2010 with new ownership. There were a handful of fans with signs claiming the love they had for her and requesting to take a selfie with Stefani and at times was generous to invite them on stage for their picture moment.
Stefani is no stranger to Sacramento. Her original band No Doubt made a handful of appearances at the now-closed The Cattle Club (across from Sacramento State) with shows between 1992-1995, an appearance at the now-closed El Dorado Saloon in Carmichael for a Christmas radio show hosted by KWOD 106.5 FM and eventually making stops to bigger venues around town such as the Crest Theater, Memorial Auditorium, ARCO Arena, Marysville’s outdoor amphitheater and the Golden 1 Center for a private gala benefiting the Sacramento Kings Foundation in 2016.
Stefani ended the show with one of her biggest solo hits “Hollaback Girl” which became No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in 2005 and became a commercial success due to its catchy chorus and anthemic vibe.
Even though Stefani does not tour a lot today, she proved at The Venue she still has the energy, voice and can still entertain a crowd after all these years at the age of 56.
