Sacramento’s R Street corridor has been one of the busiest rock corridors in Northern California this fall, and the stretch through the end of November is no different. Of Mice & Men — the Southern California rock band that has been a fixture on the heavy music circuit for the better part of 15 years — plays Ace of Spades on Saturday, November 21. If you’re a fan of hard rock that leans on both aggression and melody, this is the November show to put on your calendar.
Who Is Of Mice & Men?
Of Mice & Men formed in 2009 in Costa Mesa, California, and spent the better part of the 2010s building a devoted following in the metalcore and hard rock world. The band draws on the kind of dual-dynamic sound — heavy breakdowns paired with melodic vocal hooks — that made them a reliable presence on Warped Tour, Download Festival, and major rock lineups across North America and Europe.
Their studio catalog runs across eight albums. Restoring Force (2014) remains the record that brought them the widest mainstream rock audience, cracking the top five on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Subsequent releases like Cold World (2016), Defy (2018), and Tether (2022) show a band that’s continued to refine and experiment with their sound rather than staying locked into a single era.
Lead vocalist Aaron Pauley, who also handles bass duties, has been a central voice in the band’s evolution — his range spans the gritty lower registers and the kind of melodic upper register that gives Of Mice & Men a broader appeal than pure metalcore acts. The band is from Sacramento’s own backyard; Costa Mesa is about six hours down I-5, and Of Mice & Men draws a strong fanbase across the Central Valley and Northern California.
What to Expect at This Show
Ace of Spades is the right room for Of Mice & Men. The venue’s standing-floor layout keeps the energy close, and the R Street corridor makes for an easy pre-show dinner or post-show drink within walking distance. Capacity at Ace of Spades keeps the crowd tight without feeling overwhelming — close enough to feel the room moving, far enough from the stage that you can take the whole show in.
For longtime fans, expect the kind of setlist that covers multiple eras — the band has enough catalog at this point to pull from records spanning over a decade without leaning exclusively on any one album. For first-timers, the show is a solid introduction: the live energy tends to hit harder than the studio recordings suggest.
November is shaping up to be one of the heavier months on Ace of Spades’ calendar. If you’re building out a November rock schedule, the club has had a strong run this month — see also the Rival Sons show on November 4, the Arch Enemy date on November 18, and Gary Numan on November 17 for a full picture of what’s on at the R Street venue this fall.
The Details
- Show: Of Mice & Men
- Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026
- Venue: Ace of Spades, 1417 R St., Sacramento, CA 95811
- Phone: (916) 930-0220
- Tickets: Available at aceofspadessac.com or through Ticketmaster
- Parking: Street parking on R Street and surrounding blocks; paid parking structures nearby on 14th and 16th Streets
- Getting there by light rail: Sacramento RT’s R/W Line stops at 16th Street, about a four-block walk from the venue
Tip: Check the Ace of Spades website for show time and door time before heading out — door times vary by show and are typically not printed on the ticket itself.
The Bottom Line
Of Mice & Men is the kind of band that rewards seeing live. Their catalog has enough depth at this point that the setlist will pull from multiple eras, and the Ace of Spades room is a comfortable size for this kind of show — close enough for the energy to translate, small enough that you’re not watching the stage from a football field away. If you’re a rock fan in Sacramento and November 21 is open on your calendar, this is worth the ticket.
Tickets are available now at aceofspadessac.com. Check the venue’s website for current pricing and any support act announcements closer to the date.
