When Cake wasn't even mentioned in the press release, it was clear something was up.
Mayor Kevin Johnson had announced Friday that Sacramento rock band Cake would be headlining a rally for the Kings - previously scheduled for Wednesday - at downtown's Cesar Chavez Park. The event would celebrate the Kings' staying in Sacramento and the team's pending sale to new owners.
However, when the Kings put out a press release about a date change for the rally (from Wednesday to Thursday), Cake was a notable omission among big-name attendees, with the release only stating that there would be "a live musical performance."
Our friends at ranSACked have seemingly put the pieces together, suggesting that Johnson may have gotten ahead of himself with Friday's announcement, citing Cake's writing on its Facebook page that the band never agreed to play the gig. From ranSACked:
On their Facebook wall, a CAKE fan asked about the upcoming (Sacramento Kings) gig on a thread discussing public education. CAKE responded with the following: "We're not playing that rally. Mayor announced it without even checking with us!"
And then early-afternoon Monday, Ben Sosenko, press secretary for Johnson, released this statement:
"The members of Cake are absolutely thrilled by this historic win for Sacramento. In the excitement of last week's victory, Cake's participation was announced prior to fully finalizing their availability due to a staff miscommunication. While unable to participate in this week's rally, Cake looks forward to commemorating this special moment with the people of Sacramento in the near future."
So while they won't be at Cesar Chavez, Cake will be playing Sacramento soon, with three sold-out shows scheduled for May 31-June 2 at Folsom Lake College's Three Stages.
Thursday's "Long Live The Kings Rally" - which includes appearances by the Kings new majority owners, Kings players, dancers and mascot - will be held from 5-9 p.m. Thursday. The event is free. Attendees are encouraged to show up wearing Kings gear and to tweet up the event using the hashtag #LLTKRally.







