Don't mean to imply they are somehow successful or secure in their future, was just saying I've been surprised to see it in use at times when I didn't think there was anything going on. I agree there will eventually be another operator and that when that happens it will finally be the venue we deserve.

Don't mean to imply they are somehow successful or secure in their future, was just saying I've been surprised to see it in use at times when I didn't think there was anything going on. I agree there will eventually be another operator and that when that happens it will finally be the venue we deserve.

Sorry, wasn't addressing anyone in particular or trying to be argumentative.

It's just that this whole issue is a hot button, mainly because the misguided desire to not say anything bad has led to this company screwing lots of people out of lots of money and it looks like we will be adding the City of OKC to that list.

And I'm not saying it is the case with Levelland, but there are plenty who take advantage of the fact that the press and business community seem more concerned with being 'nice' and trying to save face than actually telling the truth. Many, many examples and it's really bad for the community.

Moved several posts on TIF here:

http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=39599

Idk whats going on with levelland, but this is one of the best live music venues in the city and its criminally underutilized. Maybe they are having more private events than shows, and maybe I'm biased being a music fan, but this just seems like such a waste of an amazing venue imho. Like Pete said, levelland has been struggling the last few years with all their closed venues not to mention the now debunked rawhide music festival, all this raises questions of their ability to run a venue of this scale.

To bring in live music, the promoter has to front a lot of the costs.

Levelland does not have the money to do this, hence very few shows.

I am getting confused. Are the lasts several posts about the Criterion or about Tower Theater?

I am getting confused. Are the lasts several posts about the Criterion or about Tower Theater?

My comments are about the Criterion.

But remember Levelland had the same sort of agreement with the Tower for a year or so and booked virtually nothing. The current group is doing a fantastic job of keeping the Tower humming with live music, events and movies.

Meanwhile, the Criterion sits there like a big black hole.

My comments are about the Criterion.

But remember Levelland had the same sort of agreement with the Tower for a year or so and booked virtually nothing. The current group is doing a fantastic job of keeping the Tower humming with live music, events and movies.

Meanwhile, the Criterion sits there like a big black hole.

Indulge me with the shameless opportunity to pat myself on the back for predicting this years ago, when the parties involved in the Criterion were announced. Yes, venues are important. Quality promoters are more important. We don't have great promoters in OKC, and no, DCF is not a great promote, they are a marginally good promoter. We won't have a great concert scene here until we do.

Special event helps uncork Uptown 23rd District growth

By: Molly M. Fleming The Journal Record March 6, 2018

OKLAHOMA CITY – In 2013, the Uptown 23rd District Association wanted people to see the few restaurants that were in the area, so Uptown Uncorked was born.

“We had a handful of restaurants,” said Matt Ralls, who serves on the association’s board of directors. “We even toyed with the idea of having a $23 ticket just so we could get people there.”

Ralls said he thinks the first Uptown Uncorked served more as a marketing event rather than a food-tasting. He said it showed people there was something happening on NW 23rd Street, and they could get involved with a growing district at the beginning.

This year, the event on March 29 will feature 12 eateries and is being held in the district at the Tower Theatre. Restaurants providing food include HunnyBunny Biscuit Co., Cuppies and Joe, Chick N Beer, Guyutes, and Cheevers.

The past few years, it was held at the Oklahoma History Center. The first Uncorked was at the Gold Dome.

Restaurant developer Chris Lower said it’s been the association’s dream to have the event at the theater, even before it was redeveloped.

Lower’s been involved in the district for several years. Eight years ago, he opened Big Truck Tacos with chefs Kathryn Mathis and Cally Johnson. Mathis and Lower have since opened Pizzeria Gusto and Back Door Barbecue.

“It was hard to envision eight years ago that this area would become as popular as it has,” he said.

“We’re certainly glad to be one of the pioneers down here,” he said. “To say I pictured it would look like this: I really didn’t. It’s a nice surprise.”

With more restaurants participating, the ticket price has increased about $10 through the years. Association Director Amanda de la Torre said the association has focused this year on increasing the VIP-ticket value.

VIPs can get into the event an hour early and will get to party in the theater’s balcony. The old balcony can only hold 200 people, so VIP tickets are limited. This year, the tickets will come with high-end liquor pours, a tasting of the Okie Poke restaurant, which isn’t opened yet, gift bags, and wine and beer. Some of the wine and beer may be new to market. The alcohol is provided by Uptown 23rd business Byron’s Liquor Warehouse.

Money raised from the event goes to support the association’s work in the district. The fundraiser backs about 40 percent of the association’s total budget.

De la Torre said sponsors have backed all the event costs, so the ticket sales will go directly to improving Uptown 23rd, which spans from Broadway Avenue to Oklahoma City University.

The association would like to add way-finding signs to the area and more public art, she said. The buffalo mural and the bike racks were paid for by money raised from other Uncorked events.

Uptown 23rd is in the city’s Commercial District Revitalization Program.

General admission tickets are $50, though there is a 23 percent discount until Thursday. VIP tickets are $75.

Lower said he and Mathis are glad to see the restaurant growth and that he expects the event will help generate even more traffic.

“If they don’t know how vibrant [Uptown] is, they’ll get a sample of what’s available at Uncorked, and hopefully it will bring them back,” he said.

Book Of Love at Tower July 27th.. Just went to Dallas two weeks ago to see them at Granada. Fun show for us of a certain New Wave era.

Book Of Love at Tower July 27th.. Just went to Dallas two weeks ago to see them at Granada. Fun show for us of a certain New Wave era.

Wow, did not know they were touring, I'm gonna have to touch some roses and ring some tubular bells with the pretty boys and pretty girls and go see them, thanks for the heads-up!

Book Of Love at Tower July 27th.. Just went to Dallas two weeks ago to see them at Granada. Fun show for us of a certain New Wave era.

Hell yes! Saw them at the old Rome in Norman in the 80s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivq0HeLVI8M

Wow, did not know they were touring, I'm gonna have to touch some roses and ring some tubular bells with the pretty boys and pretty girls and go see them, thanks for the heads-up!

They toured last year with 3 out of 4 members and I saw them in Dallas.. I guess they liked the extra income so started another round of dates with just 2 of th 4 and saw them two weeks ago in Dallas. Glad they booked the Tower will be fun

They toured last year with 3 out of 4 members and I saw them in Dallas.. I guess they liked the extra income so started another round of dates with just 2 of th 4 and saw them two weeks ago in Dallas. Glad they booked the Tower will be fun

Aw, crap, didn't know they were only half a band, but I guess it'll still be worth it, not much of a fan of "live" shows like that, but they can sometimes work out.

My understanding is that it has been that way for a few years. The way it was described to me - and keep in mind that this is second hand - is that DCF and Cain’s had a great relationship until DCF started also booking shows at Brady, at which point Cain’s ownership cut them off completely from booking the venue.

I have no idea if it is related, but I personally feel like Cain’s traditionally strong bookings have dwindled a bit over the past couple of years. I just got tickets to Lord Huron in October, but there hasn’t been much over the past year especially that has caught my interest.

Dude I hear you but Cain's is putting any venue in our town to shame. Just saw they got Beach House on May 5! Damn. Why don't we get shows like that in OKC? I think it's because bands have come through and played at places like Diamond and thought this city is a hellhole they won't return to soon. It's sad the owners of Criterion aren't getting it done. Can't they just work with a national promoter to keep the place booked? This is a much bigger city than Tulsa.

Dude I hear you but Cain's is putting any venue in our town to shame. Just saw they got Beach House on May 5! Damn. Why don't we get shows like that in OKC? I think it's because bands have come through and played at places like Diamond and thought this city is a hellhole they won't return to soon. It's sad the owners of Criterion aren't getting it done. Can't they just work with a national promoter to keep the place booked? This is a much bigger city than Tulsa.

I think part of that just has to do with Cain's itself. It's a historic venue and widely considered one of the best (of its size range) in the nation. When bands plan tours through Oklahoma, do they want to play at this amazing venue, or test the waters somewhere else? I hope with places like Tower and Jones that OKC can steal some of that market. I don't think Criterion will touch it until Levelland goes under/away.

Beach House played Cain’s just a couple of years ago (I attended). Makes sense they’d book there again. Developing reputation takes time. Obviously Criterion is underperforming (though since opening they have brought a few shows OKC could not have previously dreamed of; My Morning Jacket, The XX, David Byrne, Dave Chappell, plus a number of others). Tower is building show after show and it’s exciting as hell to think what they will be bringing a year from now. Jones is doing some really cool stuff (Spoon, for instance). Even Diamond has stepped up considerably.

That’s not meant to be a defense of Criterion, but if you look at all of the shows OKC has had in the past two to three years - combining Criterion, Tower, Jones, ACM Performance Lab, Diamond, even the odd show like Alt-J at the Chevy Bricktown Event Center - the cumulative effect is greater than the entire decade or more before it. It is undeniable that the live music scene is exponentially better now than it was just a couple of years ago.

It’s just going to take time, unfortunately. Tulsa has decades of supporting a wide variety of live music, OKC does not. We need to continue to prove ourselves as a market, which hopefully attracts more promoter interest and confidence, and obviously some wrinkles like promoter issues need to be worked out at places like Criterion and Chevy.

All of that said, shows like David Byrne, The XX, My Morning Jacket, Chappell, Alt-J (Chevy), Elvis Costello (Chevy) Local Natives (Diamond), Tame Impala (Diamond)...these shows are/were every bit as big as Beach House. One great show in Tulsa that doesn’t come here doesn’t mean OKC is failing as a market.

And I'll add to Urbanized's post that the bands I've seen at the Criterion seemed to have very good crowd support and seemed to be happy to play there, so hopefully they'll be back there on their next tours, and pass the word along that the Criterion is a decent place, despite Levelland being really crappy at their job. Not sure how much those count in getting bookings, but .....

And I'll add to Urbanized's post that the bands I've seen at the Criterion seemed to have very good crowd support and seemed to be happy to play there,

I've seen Jason Isbell there twice and both times had great crowds and after the first time he played there he even tweeted about how much he loved the venue. At the last show he commented during the show how much he enjoyed seeing people standing and enjoying the music after having played in some venues with seating.

UGH. You keep saying, "Diamond." Words cannot express how badly I hate seeing shows at that place. Also, Urbanized, you missed my rhetorical question wondering why the Levelland guys can't figure out a way to team with a national promoter to get that place booked. Can they? Do they care? It would seem they would be better off having the venue consistently full than sitting empty.

Whether you (or me, or anybody else) LIKE Diamond is immaterial to what we are talking about, that is, are there better acts coming to OKC today than a few years ago. There are, and for better or for worse a lot of them are at Diamond Ballroom.

Regarding the Levelland question as far as I know they still have a relatiop with LiveNation. I heard it got dicey at one poin, but not sure of the current status. Obviously the room is currently underperforming, though still getting occasional acts which are bigger names than any other venue’s present bookings. Tower is closing fast though.

Hell yes! Saw them at the old Rome in Norman in the 80s.

I'll be there!

One great show in Tulsa that doesn’t come here doesn’t mean OKC is failing as a market.

LOL. "One great show in Tulsa"? It is literally dozens and dozens of shows, every single year, for decades, that smaller-market Tulsa gets, which OKC does not. And you know this. As you pointed out for us, you were astute enough to go to Beach House way back in 2015. Wow!

What good does it do to act like Tulsa doesn't kill OKC in concert bookings? Call it failing or whatever you want to call it. OKC has A LOT of ground to make up in order to do just AS GOOD as Tulsa.

As far as Diamond goes, Diamond has been good for a handful of solid indie shows a year for at least a decade. That's not new.

I dont think he said that OKC was as good of a market as Tulsa, I think he meant that just because Tulsa got one great show that OKC didn't - doesn't mean that OKC is a failing market. Could OKC be doing better? ABSOLUTELY Would OKC be better than Tulsa if we utilized Criterion and Chevy much better along with Tower/Diamond/Jones/etc? I would think so.

but just because OKC isn't there yet doesn't mean OKC is failing. OKC is growing and that's a good thing because prior to 2014 really I think everyone would agree that OKC was failing, not so much now but still much more room to even meet the little sister to the NE.

I don't know what "failing" in this context even means.

We're getting consistently, massively outbooked - and have been for decades - by a smaller city 90 miles away. Whatever you want to call that, pretending this a "one great show in Tulsa" problem is completely delusional self-reassurance.

Great page that shows the disparity between Tulsa and OKC bookings - http://oklahomarock.com/shows/

It's also a great page in general, but it does highlight how much Tulsa gets over OKC all in one handy place.

Whether you (or me, or anybody else) LIKE Diamond is immaterial to what we are talking about, that is, are there better acts coming to OKC today than a few years ago. There are, and for better or for worse a lot of them are at Diamond Ballroom.

Regarding the Levelland question as far as I know they still have a relatiop with LiveNation. I heard it got dicey at one poin, but not sure of the current status. Obviously the room is currently underperforming, though still getting occasional acts which are bigger names than any other venue’s present bookings. Tower is closing fast though.

Something isn't working. You know it. I know it. Why are you trying to argue and obfuscate? This isn't a Lincoln-Douglass debate. I love you man but sometimes you are a little obtuse. Nothing happening in OKC is remotely competitive with what is happening at Cain's. Nothing. It's nice that we've had a few more bro-bands and some more frat-rock faves, but I can count on my right hand the shows that have gotten my attention in the last year in OKC.

This market is ready for something better, and it is totally relevant that a depressing venue like the Diamond Ballroom has a disrupting impact on concert attendance in our city. I recall a post a few years ago in which you or someone else here said they purposely drove to Tulsa to see Local Natives, which also played at Diamond, because Cain's is a better place to see a show.

I don't know why you are defending the status quo when it pretty much sucks. We have seen improvement, yes, but we need to see more.

LOL. "One great show in Tulsa"? It is literally dozens and dozens of shows, every single year, for decades, that smaller-market Tulsa gets, which OKC does not. And you know this. As you pointed out for us, you were astute enough to go to Beach House way back in 2015. Wow!

What good does it do to act like Tulsa doesn't kill OKC in concert bookings? Call it failing or whatever you want to call it. OKC has A LOT of ground to make up in order to do just AS GOOD as Tulsa.

As far as Diamond goes, Diamond has been good for a handful of solid indie shows a year for at least a decade. That's not new.
I was NOT saying Tulsa gets one good show. Don’t put words into my mouth or twist what I’m saying. I was referring only to soonerguru’s post that made it sound like just because Beach House booked Cain’s this time around means it’s the end of the world for the OKC concert market or something. There will continue to be shows that Tulsa gets that we believe we should be getting here. That’s the way it’s going to be for a while until the new venues are proven. It’s a process.

I would be surprised if any regular posters on this board (who haven’t lived in Tulsa) have been to many more shows at Cain’s than I have. Same with Brady. I’ve been to many, many dozens of them over the past 25 years or so and probably still average 10 or more Tulsa shows per year. I have tickets to four different Cain’s shows right now and will probably pull the trigger on 3-4 others currently on the calendar. I’m VERY aware of the bookings in both cities.

I’ve never said Tulsa wasn’t doing better in bookings. It clearly is and always has. It will for a while yet. Maybe read my posts a little more closely. What I HAVE said is that the OKC bookings have improved dramatically over the past 3-4 years, and that is undeniable and incontrovertible.

You know, if you people would contact the promoters of some of these venues you incessantly mock and deride with this ferver, you might have more luck than pissing and moaning on a message board.

Wow, that reply is even more Urbanized than I expected.

Yes, concerts have gotten a little better the past year or two. No, Diamond is not providing the boost. Diamond has been booking a few decent shows a year forever. You can save us your concert resume.

Again, maybe try reading for once before getting so overwhelmingly snarky. I never credited Diamond with the uptick in the local scene. I only acknowledged that they’ve stepped up their bookings, which is undeniable even if you hate the place. I don’t love it OR hate it. It’s just a room.

OKC concert bookings have improved because of the new venues, period. Is it equal to Tulsa? No. It’s going to take time, effort and local ticket sales to make that happen. And I’ve never said anything different. Which makes it pretty ridiculous and inexplicable that you’re trying so hard to come after me.

You know, if you people would contact the promoters of some of these venues you incessantly mock and deride with this ferver, you might have more luck than pissing and moaning on a message board.
With all due respect, how the hell would you know what others have or haven’t done away from this message board?

^^^ And also, would it do any good whatsoever to contact Levelland (the worst of the bookers, from what I can see) or others and ask them to step up their game? I'm guessing they'd say "thanks for your input" and then ignore/forget everything you just said to them. From what I've heard, Levelland just doesn't have the money to do good bookings, and asking them to do better won't help that situation, not sure what the other booking companies' problems are, though.

Aside from the bickering not relevant to the title of this thread. It is obvious that Tower is aggressively booking and ramping up production. The sound is killer and the venue has decent charm. You don’t show up as a newcomer and instantly start booking top tier acts. Obviously you have to pay your dues and book your share of bowling for soups and smash mouths. But their calendar is filled with bookings and I don’t think it will be long before they start to draw more and more serious shows. They’ve got rev. Horton heat this spring which is a steal from diamond ballroom.

I think people forget that Levelland puts on multiple festivals a year like rocklahoma, music & mayhem, and several others. So when Scott Marsh put the criterion deal together they immediately had reputation for big bookings and a relationship with live nation. I’m pretty stoked they tanked at Tower as it gave an opportunity for Stephen and Chad to create a new platform that doesn’t cowtow to the interests of DCF and levelland. Which were basically the only games in the state for the last couple decades.

^^^^^^^
Amen regarding Tower and Stephen and Chad. Exactly what I have been trying to say in my posts; their rapid progression as venue management and bookers is playing a huge role in the undeniably improving overall scene, and I can only imagine what they will be bringing a year from now. It’s just going to take time for the market to be where we all want it to be.

Instead of sitting at home on the Internet complaining and denying that we are making any headway as a market - despite indisputable progress - I’d invite anyone who truly wants better live music in this town to go to one of the many excellent shows the Tower is bringing with regularity; and certainly few if any of them are bro bands or frat rock. In fact feel free to join me there this very week at The Black Angels/Black Lips show or The Dead South - just the type of shows we’ve had a hard time seeing with regularity in this market - and I’ll buy you a beer. The surest way to more great shows is to develop a reputation for strong sales. Period.

Also by the way should be noted that Scott Marsh is involved in the management and booking of Jones Assembly (still also working with Levelland).

Your quote there at the end also demonstrates why Jones in getting shows like the pixies and spoon. They have an agent with inside connections and relationships in the industry vs true upstarts.

Yes, that and REALLY deep pockets.

Well something must be starting to work in OKC because up until last year I was pretty much exclusively travelling to Dallas or Tulsa for the handful of shows I would see a year. Last year was the first year since I was a teenager that I saw more shows in OKC than I traveled out of town to see and there were a couple I even had to pass up seeing here due to scheduling conflicts.

^^^^^^^
Exactly. I think a few people have already forgotten how bleak it was just a couple of years ago, and for decades before that. It’s still not by any means a strong live music town but we’ve made great strides recently and will continue to do so thanks to Tower and Jones, and hopefully the picture clears up a bit for Criterion and Chevy BEC, which are really excellent venues that only need a bit more promoter love.

Well something must be starting to work in OKC because up until last year I was pretty much exclusively travelling to Dallas or Tulsa for the handful of shows I would see a year. Last year was the first year since I was a teenager that I saw more shows in OKC than I traveled out of town to see and there were a couple I even had to pass up seeing here due to scheduling conflicts.

Don’t say that too loud...someone might think you’re saying that after one year of the tower, criterion, and jones assembly being open that OKC’s live music offerings have now surpassed Tulsa and Dallas combined!

Don’t say that too loud...someone might think you’re saying that after one year of the tower, criterion, and jones assembly being open that OKC’s live music offerings have now surpassed Tulsa and Dallas combined!

HAHA...I'll keep it in the down low.

And actually I only considered Tulsa twice last year. The Magpie Salute only played Cain's and Old 97's played Cain's and Diamond. So I considered going to Tulsa to see them two nights in a row but it was a weeknight so I didn't pull the trigger on it.

Cain's and the Brady are still getting great shows but this past two years have been the least I've wanted to go up there for shows. Even the maligned Criterion gets killer shows the one or two times a month they book them.

I'm in no way saying OKC is beating Tulsa because we aren't. I just don't see how someone can not be excited about how far we've come in a pretty short amount of time.

Went to Black Angels last night and saw an incredible show. The opener was Black Lips, who were also excellent. The show was essentially sold out on the floor level with balcony closed. Really great turnout and great show for a Tuesday night. Maybe it's not the show that the bellyachers are looking for, but SOMEBODY likes these bands.

Going to The Dead South tomorrow night, and it is also tipping close to sell-out.

I think every night this week is close to or sold out

How did the shows of bands going to Austin do? Anyone know?

How did the shows of bands going to Austin do? Anyone know?

I'm curious about this as well... Really wanted to go check out the 405 Pitstop on Saturday night but I was unable to due to prior obligations.

I'm curious about this as well... Really wanted to go check out the 405 Pitstop on Saturday night but I was unable to due to prior obligations.

The wife and I went for a few hours on Saturday. There was a moderate sized crowd. We had fun. I hope it becomes a yearly event. It seems like the kind of thing that would get better with more time if they do it right. Plus it gets younger up and coming bands into the venue. One of the reasons Tulsa get more high quality shows is that they have places like Cains that people know and want to play at. Developing that kind of reputation at The Tower can only help future bookings.

Went to The Dead South last night. GREAT SHOW. Packed house.

I just looked at the calendar for tonight, a nice weekend night off for me, to see what we have for live music. In the process of determining there is literally nothing of interest, I visited the Criterion website. I encourage all here to do the same. In the entire month of March, there are THREE EVENTS. THREE. This is a month when literally every band in North America and beyond is traveling through our state on I-35 to attend SXSW.

I'm a big fan of boosterism, and yes, there have been a handful of good shows in OKC this year. But I'm not about to kiss the ground and celebrate because the live music scene is a sad approximation of what it once was in this town -- when OKC pretty much sucked all around.

So, YAY to the three or four great shows! WOO! That's like one a month! We've come a long way baby! Let's have the CVB and Chamber put out a press release!

You’re basing the relative strength of the OKC scene on the performance of Criterion? Tower had sell-outs or near sell-outs this whole week.

Have you been to the Cain’s website lately? Between now and November there are 3 or 4 shows worth being jealous over. Beach House, Lord Huron, Fleet Foxes, Sylvan Esso and..? And we have had shows here in the past year that have been every bit as big as those or bigger. The XX, Alt-J, Spoon, My Morning Jacket, Sturgill Simpson, on and on...

The rest of the schedule is chock full of tribute bands, “battle of the bands,” acts made up of leftover members of backing bands for people like B.B King, plus a bunch of act who have also played OKC recently or who are scheduled to play soon at Tower or Diamond or somewhere else. Melvins (I’ve seen them in OKC twice in recent years), The Sword (same, at Diamond at at ACM, and I think they’ve been here at least one other time recently), Marty Stuart (Tower), Black Tiger Sex Machine (Farmers Market), John Moreland (just played Tower, already scheduled to play Diamond), American Aquarium (coming to Tower), Junior Brown (I saw him at Wormy Dog but know he’s played elsewhere here since), Dr. Dog (ACM Performance Lab), Of Montreal (ACM Performance Lab, several other shows, they play here often), Band of Horses (Diamond), Robert Earl Keen (Jones Assembly), Tech N9ne (Diamond), Mountain Goats (ACM Performance Lab), Shakey Graves (coming to Tower), Jimmy Eat World (multiple Diamond shows), Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (Criterion).

In fact, after going to the Brady website and seeing a very few shows and a similar mix of bands who’ve been here recently combined with some junk, I have to say Tulsa’s scene is struggling a bit itself. I’ll take the past six months and next six months in OKC straight-up vs the same timeframe in Tulsa.

Man, the hard rock/metal fan in me has ABSOLUTELY ZERO FREAKING CLUE what you guys are fighting over. Diamond gets quite a few shows I go to. But I guess since I don't listen to indie music, my opinion on the music scene doesn't matter, so I will stay in the shadows.

^^^^^^^^
Well, I think that’s just the thing. If your tastes are narrow and you’re looking for metal you’re pretty good, but if they’re narrow and skew punk/classic alternative with an indie bent (which is where I’m pretty sure soonerguru is since believe it or not he’s actually a longtime personal friend of mine) traditionally it has been very disappointing for years in OKC. In part because that’s a genre swath that was almost completely ignored by radio in this town. It’s one of the reasons I’ve said David Byrne was a great get (and soonerguru agreed). That’s an area where Cain’s has traditionally beaten OKC up badly. But we are making inroads thanks to the new venues. That’s where bands like The XX, Alt-J, My Morning Jacket, Beach House, Local Natives, Tame Impala, etc. live. The Tower had a great show in this category this past Tuesday with Black Angels.

Cain’s also gets a ton of great country and especially alt-country and Red Dirt acts. Traditionally OKC does pretty well here too. It’s an area I don’t know well, but I’ve become more and more interested and so glad to have decided to see shows like Sturgill Simpson or The Dead South. Great music is great music.

But like you said, Diamond has a strong rep for heavy stuff (though they also do quite a bit of country and are booking more quality alt/indie shows lately...probably because of pressure from the other venues). It’s not my first go-to but I’ve also seen plenty of great metal (or at least heavy-ish) shows there; most recently Mastodon. Also some good hip hop shows like Run the Jewels (which was same week as Mastodon). Tower is also doing high-quality hip-hop (he’s not my personal taste, but Ty Dolla $ign is a big act and perfect example).

The point I was making in my post is that nearly every single one of the acts on Cain’s upcoming shows either HAS played OKC recently or is ABOUT to. Just between current upcoming shows at Tower and Diamond there are maybe 8-10 acts that are upcoming at Cain’s (I’m tired of abounding around between all of the sites but I’d encourage anyone who cares about the debate to do the same and see for themselves. Point being Tulsa and OKC shows are currently pretty comparable (I feel like Tulsa is down a bit though, compared to normal level of bookings). I PROMISE that between Tower, Jones, Criterion, Diamond and the odd shows at places like Opolis, ACM et al we currently have far more good shows booked than does the Cain’s/Brady combo. BTW just checked Opolis’ site and saw they have Electric Six and also have Melvins (yet ANOTHER parallel booking to Cain’s (and two more shows I’ll be seeing).

You may have to go to more venues, and it helps to have wide-ranging tastes, but all of these bands mentioned are excellent bands and there are currently dozens of good shows on the books in this town. DOZENS. That hasn’t been the case for the 30+ years I’ve lived here, until the past couple of years. Is there lots of room to grow? Of course. But acting like it’s no different than the years that came before is ridiculous.

Just some anecdotal evidence, but when I was in high school (in the Tulsa Metro), I drove to OKC for several heavy shows and could almost guarantee I would see other people from Tulsa as well. There was a heavy show at the 89th Street Collective (which was sold out) and a good friend of mine from Tulsa drove to see it on a Thursday night. Myself and others always loved coming to OKC for shows. Even if the quantity or quality isn't always what some may hope for, it still bring people from Tulsa to OKC and vice-versa. One of my first experiences in OKC was when I was 17 headed to a show at the Diamond Ballroom in 2011. We drove by Devon, and I had no idea what it was, but it was the only time in my life I had seen a building that size being built in Oklahoma. It had a small but meaningful impact on me, and the next year I moved to Edmond to go to UCO. 6 years and a degree later, I have no intention of ever going back.

Yes, Conservatory/89th was doing lots of good heavy shows. Plus there was an excellent window when they did some great indie and caught some excellent bands on their way up and if you were paying attention you could see bands like Band of Horses, Rogue Wave, Arcade Fire etc before they got big. Well, Rogue Wave never got “big,” but what a great band. Even recently I saw Mike Watt of Minutemen. That crap hole was the first place I saw Melvins. Remarkable number of great bands came through there, but for some time that place and The Opolis were the only places doing punk/alt/indie to any substantial degree. That’s changed.

Point being Tulsa and OKC shows are currently pretty comparable

Agree seems pretty comparable. You might have to occasionally drive from OKC to Tulsa for a show, and vice versa. It’s only an hour and a half drive each way.

Agree seems pretty comparable. You might have to occasionally drive from OKC to Tulsa for a show, and vice versa. It’s only an hour and a half drive each way.

I've only driven back from Tulsa a few times after a concert, but there's not much that kills an after-show buzz than having to drive 90 minutes back home when you're on that high from the show and tired 'cos you've been up all day and had to drive 90 minutes to get there too.

I've only driven back from Tulsa a few times after a concert, but there's not much that kills an after-show buzz than having to drive 90 minutes back home when you're on that high from the show and tired 'cos you've been up all day and had to drive 90 minutes to get there too.

That's why you go with a bunch of friends so you can talk about how awesome it was the whole drive back.

^^^^^^^^
Truth. Also to keep you from nodding off.

^^^^^^^^
Truth. Also to keep you from nodding off.

If only there were some kind of transportation option that went from city to city, where you could purchase a seat and had the ability to doze off and not worry about crashing. There could also be restrooms on board and maybe a wifi signal. I don't know if that will ever be technically viable though.