Wilco @ Bricktown Events Center 06/15

[BDP]

W I L C O

[Matt]

I thought about starting this thread, but was gonna wait until after I got my tickets.

A DVD this month, and a local show and the new album in June. Good time to be a Wilco fan.

[OkieHornet]

terrible venue, though... that place has no soul...

[Matt]

Yeah, I'm kind of surprised they're playing OKC after all the all the love they've given Cain's the last couple of years. I guess they figure they have to throw the OKC people a bone, but I'd rather see them at Cain's again, honestly.

(Incidentally, several songs from their performance at Cain's last year are featured in the new DVD that's out this month.)

[trousers]

God I hate that venue.
Still I also hate driving to Tulsa.

[BDP]

It works out great. You can buy the DVD and watch them at Cain's, then buy a ticket and watch them live without the drive.

I agree the venue sucks, but they seemed to like it here the last time they played. Didn't hurt that the set was very good. Probably smart for them to not saturate either market, even though probably half the crowd in each city is from the other.

[Easy180]

Playing OKC right after Bonnaroo?...Sure they will be amped up for the show

Great pick up for the events center...Already in on several other summer concerts so I may have to skip this one though

[BDP]

They'll probably be excited to get back to a normal show. Festivals are a cluster.

[wsucougz]

Holy sh*t! I had tickets years ago when they came to Bricktown events on the YHF tour, but something at work came up so I gave them to a friend.

[OKCMallen]

This is great. Bircktown ERvents Center does more or less suck....the structure is fine, and if they TRIED, they could get it better. The better sales are ridiculous. They need to build some semi-premanent bars that could be placed and removed in the back corners instead of that stupid table right int he middle of the place. Would prefer the Farmer's Market.

[Caboose]

Got my tickets this morning. Had to go through Frontgatetickets.com to order today. Ticket brokers are the scum of the Earth.

[Matt]

Holy sh*t! I had tickets years ago when they came to Bricktown events on the YHF tour, but something at work came up so I gave them to a friend.

They played here in 2005, after A Ghost is Born came out. That was the first time they played OKC since 1997, almost an eight-year gap.

Nice to have them back so relatively soon!

/wilconerd

[okcboy]

I'm sorry for the hatred. The event center is built on the lot that previously was the Oklahoma Casket Company that burned down. Rumored
to be where Elvis' casket was made. The concept was to re build
a building with a multi purpose event facility that would
be a smaller option to the convention center. I wish it could be a true music
venue but the economics do not work. Civic Center/House of Blues
are multi millions. Also, not confident our state can support two small venues (Cains and BEC). We have to do non music events and take the good with the bad to keep the bills paid. We do have a new sound system which we fly now that has helped. If you come to the show I think you will tell a difference. I thought the Kings of Leon show was really good with it. We also have plans to put in a mezzanine. No time table yet. This show looks like it will probably sell out.

[OkieHornet]

so are you the owner/operator/promoter of the BEC?

i will admit the sound at the Derek Trucks show was better than what i've heard there before...

and maybe it needs curtains around the stage or something to give it some warmth...

and i may have to take back my comment about the place having no soul... apparently with the casket company being there previously it may have too much soul!

[OKCMallen]

I'm sorry for the hatred. The event center is built on the lot that previously was the Oklahoma Casket Company that burned down. Rumored
to be where Elvis' casket was made. The concept was to re build
a building with a multi purpose event facility that would
be a smaller option to the convention center. I wish it could be a true music
venue but the economics do not work. Civic Center/House of Blues
are multi millions. Also, not confident our state can support two small venues (Cains and BEC). We have to do non music events and take the good with the bad to keep the bills paid. We do have a new sound system which we fly now that has helped. If you come to the show I think you will tell a difference. I thought the Kings of Leon show was really good with it. We also have plans to put in a mezzanine. No time table yet. This show looks like it will probably sell out.

Don't take it as "hatred" as much as it is a free marketing focus group.

[okcboy]

Free marketing is great. Yes I am the owner and trying to do the best with the resources I have. We have had Joe Cocker to Robert Plant and many more that probaby wouldn' t have come to okc. I love music production and am trying to slowly get the place to where we all want it to be.

[Matt]

The new album, Wilco (The Album), is now streaming on Wilco's site:

WILCO (the album)

Great chance to get familiar with it, because the album doesn't officially release until two weeks after they play here.

(By the way, the new DVD features five tracks from last year's show at Cain's, and has some really nice shots of the portraits in the interior and whatnot. Well worth checking out.)

[Lord Helmet]

Free marketing is great. Yes I am the owner and trying to do the best with the resources I have. We have had Joe Cocker to Robert Plant and many more that probaby wouldn' t have come to okc. I love music production and am trying to slowly get the place to where we all want it to be.

The venue will never be Cain's just because of the history that place has.

However, the only medium sized venue we have is the BEC. We just need more good shows there. Cains has a big name every weekend it seems. BEC doesn't. Bring the bands, and we'll all be there.

BTW...Wilco is gonna kick ass.

[OKCMallen]

Free marketing is great. Yes I am the owner and trying to do the best with the resources I have. We have had Joe Cocker to Robert Plant and many more that probaby wouldn' t have come to okc. I love music production and am trying to slowly get the place to where we all want it to be.

Don't take it personally. We appreciate your efforts to improve. But I will say again, as a guy that's been to plenty of shows in plenty of venues (and I'm sure the other posters in this thread are too...) our opinions posted might be worth something.... But then again, everyone on this board is hyper-opinionated about things (myself included).


Wilco will be awesome like ninjas.

[FlounderinDC]

I absoutley cannot wait for this show!

[Easy180]

Free marketing is great. Yes I am the owner and trying to do the best with the resources I have. We have had Joe Cocker to Robert Plant and many more that probaby wouldn' t have come to okc. I love music production and am trying to slowly get the place to where we all want it to be.

Booketh jam bands and ye shall have me thereth

I appreciate any bands you can get...Lord knows OKC isn't high on most bands must see lists

[Lord Helmet]

Woohoo! Tonight's the night!

Just heard they were sold out too

[OkieHornet]

Heartless Bastards are opening... get there on time!

[OKCMallen]

Wilco was awesome.

But look, the venue still sucks. One way to improve opinions of it 20% super simple is to work on the beer situation. It's. Completely. Retarded. EVERYONE was complaining. Do you have a specific deal with Brewer Entertainment/are you Brewer Entertainment? If so, fix it. If not, stop using them when your contract with them is up...that mickey mouse crap is insulting.

1. Stop all coupon sales. That is just a ripoff and it's insulting to your patrons. I'm not at the fair.
2. If you continue the ridiculous coupon sales, at least make the coupons easier to get to!!! Having lots of people serving beer is completely and utterly pointless if you make everyone wait in just one or two super long lines to get coupons. The beer people were standing around waiting. Isn't the idea to sell LOTS of beer to make money?
3. The super long coupon lines at the beginning of a show get in EVERYONE'S way, people cut, people get irritable.
4. The ceiling is really high for a concert venue; the sound tends to dissipate and it feels cold and distant. You don't feel like you're a part of the show so much. I'd consider lowering the hanging lights to bring it in a little. It wouldn't help the sound, but it would help the ambiance.
5. The sound was not good last night, but that could be Wilco's fault. It wasn't out-and-out bad, but it wasn't good. Their mixman could have been the blame.
6. I'd also consider raising the stage a couple of feet. Since you have no incline to the floor, people can't see very well from the middle to the back. Could be a unique aspect to the BEC if the stage was noticeably higher.

There are some ideas. The coupon thing is the worst though. When I say everyone was complaining, I mean EVERYONE over the age 21 was complaining. This is a simple fix.

[onthestrip]

How was the Heartless Bastards?