Concerts Any country music fan will tell you that if it isn't Nashville, it had better be Bakersfield. Home to the "Bakersfield Sound" pioneered by hometown heroes Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, we're still the hotbed of Cowboy Swing. Local bands such as Big House, Tracy Barns and The Smokin' Armadillos are on the rise, and the next major star might be found in one of the Kern

County's many small clubs. The legacy of the legendary Buck Owens lives on in Bakersfield as the Crystal Palace (his combination theater, restaurant and museum) still packs them in.

And we're more than just country. Bakersfield gave rise to current hard rock chart-toppers Korn, and up-and-coming bands can be seen at venues all over town. The Majestic Fox Theater in downtown Bakersfield and the state-of-the-art Rabobank Arena regularly play host to visiting stars covering the range from KISS to Neil Diamond and everything in between.