Shaquille O’Neal electrifies Sacramento crowd as DJ Diesel at Heart Health Park
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- Shaquille O’Neal performed as DJ Diesel at Heart Health Park in Sacramento.
- The EDM event featured acts like Bear Grillz, Peekaboo and Rated R before Diesel.
- Fans endured high heat and crowded barricades to experience Diesel's headline set.
After falling ill Monday, a bedridden Leilani Cueto received a text from friend Kacey Lacaste asking if she wanted to see DJ Diesel, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal’s turntable-spinning alter ego.
Feeling much better Friday, the incoming Sacramento State freshman came to the concert on a whim, figuring it only made sense to see Shaq — the incoming basketball general manager of the university’s men’s basketball team — in person.
“Dude, Shaq is why we’re here,” Cueto said. “The vibes are unreal, and this is my first rave ever, so I really wanted to see what it was about. I thought I was going to the State Fair, and I ended up seeing Shaq.”
On Friday, DJ Diesel performed alongside supporting acts Rated R, Celo, Bear Grillz and Peekaboo for Shaq’s Bass All Stars, a collaborative showcase of artists from the EDM music scene, at Heart Health Park. The event was separate from the nearby State Fair, which opened Friday, with both taking place at Cal Expo.
Attendees came in droves starting at 6 pm. The crowd grew in size as the scorching sun dipped below the horizon after a day that topped 100 degrees in Sacramento. Popular garb for the evening included leather skirts, leather belts, leather vests, fishnet stockings and, for some, almost nothing at all.
Celo opened up the concert and was quickly followed by Rated R, both offering crunchy remixes of songs from artists like 50 Cent and Playboi Carti. Halfway through his set, Rated R invited out collaborator and Miami-based DJ Benda, who sent audience members’ torsos swaying and heads thrashing. Behind them were strobe lights and a striking LED screen backdrop splayed with lyrics and images of animated alligators shooting lasers from their snouts.
Bear Grillz succeeded Rated R with spirited reworks of Panic at the Disco and his own “Happy and You Know It.” Then came Peekaboo, who frequently jumped on top of his DJ booth to shout at and rile up audience members.
Shortly after 9 p.m. people began spilling from the bleachers to the field and murmuring low as they waited for the 7-foot-1 DJ Diesel to take the stage.
O’Neal arrived to the stage with a small posse of fans trailing behind him and opted to quickly swap the gray-green shirt he arrived in for his trademark black tank top and towel.
Wasting little time, he released a deep baritone cry, “Sacramento!” and began his thumping set that sent the crowd roaring and pressing their bodies against the iron grates of nearby barricades for a closer listen. The set ran well past 11 p.m.
It was Meghan Pistolesi’s first time seeing Diesel. She brought her boyfriend to the concert and admitted that, although the weather wasn’t ideal, it was hardly enough to stifle their enthusiasm for his set.
“It’s definitely scorching, but it’s been great,” Pistolesi said. “I just loved the music, and being able to hear the artist that I listen to all the time is super cool to see in person.”
This story was originally published July 12, 2025 at 2:11 PM.
