View Full Version : Ford Center Events (or lack thereof)



antsgomarching
01-16-2009, 01:44 PM
So, I'm not sure if this is bugging anyone else the way it is bugging me, but has anyone noticed that 85% of the large events are headed to Tulsa? Normally, I'd let it pass (because BOK is a new arena), but didn't we just vote to pass a tax so that the NBA and bigger concerts would come to our city, and not somewhere else?

As of today, here is the comparison of Tulsa arena events vs. Oklahoma City arena events - not including sporting events or events that will make stops in both cities:

Oklahoma City:
Jeff Dunham
Winter Jam (Christian Music Event)
OKC Blues Festival
Bill Gaither Homecoming

Tulsa:
Brad Paisley
AC/DC
Celine Dion
Larry The Cable Guy
Stars on Ice
Dancing With The Stars
Trace Adkins
Slipknot
New Kids on the Block
Billy Joel & Elton John
Nickelback
Fleetwood Mac


Anyone else feeling like their tax has been a waste of money so far?

Thunder
01-17-2009, 07:29 AM
When the new highway completes and the Ford Center is expanded, we'll get all the craze. Don't forget about the monster tower from Devon.

Look at the bright side, we have two theme parks.:LolLolLol

Kerry
01-17-2009, 07:37 AM
I think the 41 NBA dates you left out more than off-set the 12 shows going to Tulsa. I would have to double check but haven't most of the shows you listed for Tulsa already been to OKC in the last few years? It is time to stop comparing OKC to Tulsa. Instead, compare 2009 OKC to past years in OKC. What shows will be in OKC in 2009 that have not been in OKC over the last 5 years? The Ford Center tax wasn't sold as "we have to beat Tulsa". It was sold as we can attract events that we didn't attract before.

Plus, the improvements that will attract the new shows haven't been made yet.

TaoMaas
01-17-2009, 07:50 AM
The Ford Center tax wasn't sold as "we have to beat Tulsa". It was sold as we can attract events that we didn't attract before.


And now, with the BOK Center AND the Ford Center, OKLAHOMA can attract events that used to skip over us before. We now have two legitimate stops for acts that had to by-pass the entire state in the past.

OKCisOK4me
01-17-2009, 08:54 AM
Also don't forget that the tax for the Ford Center was put into place primarily to help out with the NBA franchise. Everything and anything that has to do with the premium upgrades are for the fans that will be in the facility at the times before, during, or after games. They will also provide on site extra use facilities for the team, coaches, and employees of the Thunder.

In all the videos online where they talk about what's going to be put in they never mention anything about concerts...just basketball. And the people in the videos are SMG employees. SMG is the company that manages the Ford Center & many other arenas around the country.

Matt
01-17-2009, 08:59 AM
Tulsa's getting New Kids?! And not us?!?! Say it ain't so!

Meh. All the best shows are at Cain's, anyway, so I'm already used to going up there to see the good stuff.

Chicken In The Rough
01-17-2009, 09:29 AM
Are the Blazers still playing in the Ford Center? I would think that their dates along with the Thunder dates would make the Ford Center a pretty busy place. Perhaps the lack of major shows is due to scheduling difficulties. This is a good problem as it may be time to consider a adding major performance venue to the downtown area (such as Nokia Live in Grand Prairie)

NOKIA Theatre (http://www.nokiatheatredfw.com/overview.php)

lasomeday
01-17-2009, 09:39 AM
There will also be a lot of construction at the Ford Center this summer, so I think they took that in mind when booking events.

dismayed
01-17-2009, 09:58 AM
I agree with you on Cain's, Matt. Ants, it has really always been that way... Tulsa seems to get the better tours, and gets more modern stuff. Construction of the Ford Center never changed this, and neither did the creation of a few smaller venues. Blame the promoters, local radio stations, but also peoples' taste.

so1rfan
01-17-2009, 10:32 AM
I don't know about you but I can't wait to not see Celine Dion or Nickelback.

bluedogok
01-17-2009, 10:57 AM
I agree with you on Cain's, Matt. Ants, it has really always been that way... Tulsa seems to get the better tours, and gets more modern stuff. Construction of the Ford Center never changed this, and neither did the creation of a few smaller venues. Blame the promoters, local radio stations, but also peoples' taste.
Yes it did, there were many major tours that played in the Ford Center since its opening that would have never considered playing the Myriad, the extra seats make a big difference along with having a national promoter like SMG. OKC and Tulsa were concert wastelands for major touring acts from the early 90's until the Ford Center and now BOK Center opened up, some of that was facilities and some of it was the poor state of local promotion. I do agree that OKC is lacking decent medium and small venues.

Just look at the concerts that have been there since it opened and ask yourself if they would have played there had the Ford Center not been built. Right now you have the basketball and hockey seasons using most of the dates, in the summer would be the telling time but since they are starting renovations I am sure that has been taken into account in bookings. All the focus here is on small, mostly regional acts in the bars and SXSW/ACL Fest.

As someone who grew up going to almost every concert (at an average of $15.00 a show it was much easier) that came through town in the 80's at The Myriad and Lloyd Noble Center I can definitely say that the Ford Center created a new dynamic in the market. We get nothing here in Austin when it comes to national tours, San Antonio is too close and some even bypass there for Dallas/Houston only.

I saw Rush at the Erwin Center last year a few days before they played in OKC, they said it was the first time they have played Austin since 1994. Rush used to alternate between OKC and Tulsa with every tour but their last show prior to the tour last year was 1992. For that period it showed how lacking facilities and promotion was in both markets because Rush wasn't the only one bypassing Oklahoma, everyone was.

* I used Rush because I have been to many of their shows and there is a very good database of past concert dates to use as a reference here at Cygnus-X1.net - Rush Tour Dates (http://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tourinfo.php).

jbrown84
01-18-2009, 04:59 PM
Normally, I'd let it pass (because BOK is a new arena), but didn't we just vote to pass a tax so that the NBA and bigger concerts would come to our city, and not somewhere else?

Anyone else feeling like their tax has been a waste of money so far?

Those improvements have not been completed, so they obviously can't have had an effect yet.


Tulsa is in the same place that we were when the Ford Center opened. They are getting all kinds of acts that would never have gone there before, such as Billy Joel and Elton John. These acts have played OKC several times recently so it makes sense that they would alternate to Tulsa this year. And in the case of things that haven't already been here, well it's just a matter of being attracted to the new venue. On top of that, the Ford Center is far busier with sports and upcoming construction.

dclokc
01-18-2009, 06:28 PM
And as mentioned, don't forget that the Ford Center will need to be completely closed for a MINIMUM of 3 months to finish the expansion projects. Give it time. :kicking:

bluedogok
01-18-2009, 06:43 PM
For antsgomarching
I don't remember DMB playing in OKC much before playing in the Ford Center a few years ago. They also were playing their usual shed dates so playing an enclosed arena during that tour was different than the norm.

They have played 3 shows in OKC, and all of Oklahoma.
1995-04-22 In Cahoots, Oklahoma City, OK
2003-07-15 Ford Center, Oklahoma City, OK
2008-08-13 AT&T Bricktown Ballpark, Oklahoma City, OK
From antsmarching.org (http://www.antsmarching.org/tour/city.php?cityid=232)

It was 8 years between the In Cahoots show and the Ford Center show. If the Ford Center showed hadn't of happened, I doubt the Ballpark show would have occurred.

Of course they have played 9 shows in Austin (http://www.antsmarching.org/tour/city.php?cityid=106), none since an Austin City Limits show in 2000. I saw them in Chicago in 2003 on our honeymoon.

Bunty
01-18-2009, 06:44 PM
I don't know about you but I can't wait to not see Celine Dion or Nickelback.

Haven't they already put on a concert in the Ford Center before. If so, maybe that's the reason why they'll be in Tulsa. And maybe they haven't played there before.

Steve
01-18-2009, 07:43 PM
The future bookings at Ford Center will completely dry up come April and that's part of what you're looking at. Oh, by the way, it's intentional. The arena will be shut down from April through October for the improvements approved by voters last year.

hipsterdoofus
01-18-2009, 08:33 PM
When the new highway completes and the Ford Center is expanded, we'll get all the craze. Don't forget about the monster tower from Devon.


Yes, because nothing attracts events to cities like their skyscrapers...

Matt
01-18-2009, 09:14 PM
The future bookings at Ford Center will completely dry up come April

. . .provided the Thunders don't make the playoffs, of course.

bombermwc
01-19-2009, 08:27 AM
No worries there...cough cough.

But seriously, after the BOK Center has lost it's "newness" then we'll see things balance out. During the NBA season, I wouldn't be surprised if we continue to see more concerts in Tulsa than OKC because of scheduling. But I'd take the NBA any day, wouldn't you?

metro
01-19-2009, 09:23 AM
And as mentioned, don't forget that the Ford Center will need to be completely closed for a MINIMUM of 3 months to finish the expansion projects. Give it time. :kicking:

Exactly! Not to mention I'd rather have the 41 NBA nights that Tulsa will never get over a few crappy concerts, some of which we knew we lost because of the remodel/construction. Sorry folks, but you can't judge the Ford Center tax yet when the majority of upgrades/remodel hasn't even been done yet. Wait until a few months or year after the upgrade, and then tell us it's not worth it. :beaten_fi

OKCMallen
01-19-2009, 09:58 AM
Meh. All the best shows are at Cain's, anyway, so I'm already used to going up there to see the good stuff.



THIS. This is what we should be focused on, especialyl considering OKC is bigger than Tulsa and Norman is 20 minutes away. Besides Cain's being a completely badass venue oozing with tradition, there's no logical reason why Tulsa gets all the best mid-level bands there.

BigTulsa
01-19-2009, 10:19 AM
THIS. This is what we should be focused on, especialyl considering OKC is bigger than Tulsa and Norman is 20 minutes away. Besides Cain's being a completely badass venue oozing with tradition, there's no logical reason why Tulsa gets all the best mid-level bands there.

That's part of the Cain's allure. If you're a musician, and tell people that 'I played the Cain's', you immediately have 'music cred'. The low and mid bill acts striving to move up use the Cain's as a stepping stone of sorts.

And it's because the promoter works harder than anyone else in the business. Bar none.

antsgomarching
01-20-2009, 12:41 PM
Mid-level bands as well! I remember that the Coca-Cola center used to be booked 10-fold what it is these days.

dismayed
01-20-2009, 10:54 PM
Not buying it. There's just not much of of significance going on in the OKC music scene. Of the entire list below I'd like to see maybe Evangelicals, Coheed and Cambria, G Love and the Special Sauce, and wouldn't mind seeing Robin Williams perform. But every one of those acts is in Tulsa, of course. Stop defending it... OKC has a promotion problem. The sooner we rip the band-aid off and start asking some critical questions the better. OKC can be so much more than the land of country music and washed up hair metal artists that it is.

OklahomaRock.com - Concert Calendar (http://www.oklahomarock.com/shows.htm)

Matt
01-21-2009, 12:06 AM
Mid-level bands as well! I remember that the Coca-Cola center used to be booked 10-fold what it is these days.

I'd still rather make the drive to Cain's and back to see my favorites than have to see them play in that dump.

mecarr
02-10-2009, 09:37 PM
Does anyone know when construction suppose to start on the renovations to the Ford Center? We passed that bond back in March and it doesn't seem like anything has happened yet.

jstanthrnme
02-10-2009, 09:49 PM
try to find a renovated restroom the next event you attend there. Completely different.

danielf1935
02-10-2009, 10:27 PM
Major construction to start as soon as the basketball season is over.

kevinpate
02-11-2009, 05:54 AM
> We passed that bond back in March

Didn't the OKC folk actually pass a sales tax to replace one set to expire?

The new temporary tax, the one dedicated to the arena, didn't even start being collected until this past December. The other penny sunsetted out, the new one took its place.

Can't say it's uncommon for govt. projects in Oklahoma to wait until funds are actually in hand to get rolling good.

bombermwc
02-11-2009, 07:02 AM
That is correct. It was an extension of the Maps for Kids tax. And we'll be voting to extend it again for Maps III.

BDP
02-11-2009, 09:32 AM
Things to keep in mind:

1) The Ford Center was in the top ten in tickets sales in North America it's first year and in the top 30 the next couple of seasons after it opened.

2) The arena concert biz sucks right now and many of the top touring acts have been to Oklahoma City recently, but not to Tulsa for obvious reasons. The business needs capitalize as much as it can on new markets, as opposed to saturating and revisiting similar markets.

3) When the Ford Center renovations ramp up late this spring, it will be impossible to load in large events due to the moving and enlarging of the docks. So, no bookings are being made during that time period.

4) Bookings are not even being made for the time after the renovations will be complete. So, you can't judge the impact of the initiative when it hasn't even been executed yet.

5) Many of the top touring acts could hardly be described as "new" and many are very very old:

Pollstar -- The Concert Hotwire (http://www.pollstar.com/top50Chart.aspx)

The real action right now is in the theater circuit and the real discrepancy between OKC and Tulsa can be found with Cain's and The Brady. Of course, some of this is a taste issue, as the Diamond seems to stay busy with the metally stuff as well as with some alternative acts sprinkled in.

No doubt there is a void in the OKC concert scene, but 1) it has little to do with the Ford Center or the BOK center and 2) it looks worse than it is because a lot of our stuff is spread across multiple mediocre venues and not just one good one, like Cain's. The promotion here seems way less organized, as well. We can only hope that the Tower Theater can help change this in the near future, but it still would be nice to see some of our 2-3k venues better utilized or just get a new one altogether.

scotplum
02-12-2009, 09:52 AM
It seems many folks are forgetting about the upcoming Big 12 tournament. That is a huge event that is very highly desired by cities in this region. Granted, it is not a music event which appears to be the main concern in this thread.