If you are talking about the seats I think you are (Row FF I beleive). They are the best in the house in my opinion. Sat in them for the Jack Ingram show and you are stage level so you don't have to look up all night and you have a place to set your drinks.

Yep, those seemed like the best possible, didn't know exactly the height relative to the stage, but sounds like we made a good pick, thx for the info.

Yep, those seemed like the best possible, didn't know exactly the height relative to the stage, but sounds like we made a good pick, thx for the info.

You definitely did... Even if people below you stand up you can still see the performer on the stage seated.

If you are dead center of row FF... This will be your view for the evening.

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^^^ We're at the left end, but will be almost exactly that view, nice. Wife gave me that look when I told her I bought tickets to another show (we've been averaging a show of some sort every 3 weeks for the past year or so), but when I told her it was seated, she gave me a thumbs up...

Got GA tickets for them, will let you know how "the other side" looks after the show...

So the seating for The Fixx was 2 tables, 4 seats each, on each level on each side, with a row of seats directly in front of those tables, but behind the "bar rail", which was added in the past few weeks (due to demand, they said). No velvet rope separating the GA standing from the seated, and a few folks wandered into the seated area and stood at the back of each level or against the wall. Show was good, but a bit too mid-tempo (although that's what they kind of always were, but damn, they coulda kicked out the jams on "Deeper and Deeper", my favorite of theirs). Volume was also not loud enough, as has been a common complaint for some Tower shows (which Pete confirmed - good to see ya at the show, sir), but it was still a good show, about 2/3 full.

Volume was also not loud enough, as has been a common complaint for some Tower shows (which Pete confirmed - good to see ya at the show, sir), but it was still a good show, about 2/3 full.

Hmmm... I was there the night before for Bottle Rockets/Shinyribs and the sound was amazing where I was... I didn't wander around during the show to see how it sounded around the room.

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I loved the show last night and ran into Fixx frontman Cy Curnin at The Pump afterward.

Nobody else recognized him but I shook his hand and told him 'great show' and he seemed like a really nice and gracious guy. Still has a fantastic, strong voice.

^
(Re-reading that, one of those moments where I have to stop and be grateful for how incredibly far OKC has come!)

There is so much to be said for parking a block away from the venue, rolling into the Bunker Club 30 minutes before the show, walking into the place and standing right in front, having plenty of space even with the more gung-ho attendees, being able to come and go a couple of times for drinks (which was also very easy), and then leaving in a similar, easy fashion.

Ironic because it was almost 6 years to the day that I had seen The Fixx at the Hollywood Bowl, with nearly 20,000 others (they were part of a lineup that included the B-52's and Human League). Yes, it's a gorgeous and amazing venue but it requires about a half a day commitment to get there and get out... Pretty much the polar opposite of last night.

As a result, I see just as much live music here now. Just so easy to do and plenty of great acts these days.

Hmmm... I was there the night before for Bottle Rockets/Shinyribs and the sound was amazing where I was... I didn't wander around during the show to see how it sounded around the room.

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Seems to be random, some shows have loud enough and clear enough sound (Psychedelic Furs, Flying Lotus), and some aren't loud enough, but clear, and some aren't loud enough and aren't clear (The Fixx wasn't loud enough but pretty clear, except that his vocals and between-song chatter were only about 85% understandable). For The Fixx, we were center at the bar-rail on the level right below the sound/lighting booth, for Flying Lotus we were at about the same spot on the right side.

Slightly off-topic, but I think the best sound I've heard in a year or so has been Bon Iver at The Criterion.

As a result, I see just as much live music here now. Just so easy to do and plenty of great acts these days.

I've seen more national touring artists in OKC in the last year than I've seen in the previous 30 years thanks to The Tower and Jones Assembly.... It was almost always a trip to Tulsa, Wichita, or the DFW area in the past.

Heck... I've been listening to the Bottle Rockets since the 90's and never saw them live until a road trip a few years ago passing through St Louis..... I've seen them 3 times here in the last year.

I loved the show last night and ran into Fixx frontman Cy Curnin at The Pump afterward.

Nobody else recognized him but I shook his hand and told him 'great show' and he seemed like a really nice and gracious guy. Still has a fantastic, strong voice.

^
(Re-reading that, one of those moments where I have to stop and be grateful for how incredibly far OKC has come!)

Random odd fact my wife found out last night - He and his wife run an incredible bed and breakfast in France:

https://www.vrbo.com/690435a

And definitely agree on how nice and easy it is to go to shows here, takes us 15 minutes to get to the Tower, Criterion, Jones (and about 20 for OCCC).

I've seen more national touring artists in OKC in the last year than I've seen in the previous 30 years thanks to The Tower and Jones Assembly.... It was almost always a trip to Tulsa, Wichita, or the DFW area in the past.

Standing next to me last night was a really nice couple from Tulsa, down specifically for the show.

Talk about a reversal of fortune.

Random odd fact my wife found out last night - He and his wife run an incredible bed and breakfast in France:

She was with him at The Pump. I guess they live there (France, where she's from) when he is not touring.

Funny to hear strong British and French accents in OKC.

Standing next to me last night was a really nice couple from Tulsa, down specifically for the show.

Talk about a reversal of fortune.

A guy I work with in Tulsa (my team is in Tulsa, but I'm in OKC) is coming to OKC to see Kurt Vile/Dino Jr., so yeah, wonder how much more of them coming here is happening now?

Eh, Tulsa still kicks OKC's butt on the arena circuit. Not even a fair fight. Not sure why OKC fails so badly to get decent arena shows. Oh well.

Eh, Tulsa still kicks OKC's butt on the arena circuit. Not even a fair fight. Not sure why OKC fails so badly to get decent arena shows. Oh well.

The arena shows have gotten quite a bit better this year so I think the gap is closing on that one.

Eh, Tulsa still kicks OKC's butt on the arena circuit. Not even a fair fight. Not sure why OKC fails so badly to get decent arena shows. Oh well.

not really

Journal Record saying that Tower purchased Pony Boy recently.

I think this has been discussed over in the ponyboy thread

Eh, Tulsa still kicks OKC's butt on the arena circuit. Not even a fair fight. Not sure why OKC fails so badly to get decent arena shows. Oh well.

:rolleyes:

Eh, Tulsa still kicks OKC's butt on the arena circuit. Not even a fair fight. Not sure why OKC fails so badly to get decent arena shows. Oh well.

The answer to your question is to consider who the management company is for BOTH venues.

..... SMG, that's right.

So why would SMG make an effort in OKC when they have Tulsa to book? OKC already has 41+ dates booked per year with the OKC Thunder, does Tulsa even have an anchor tenant?? .. complete open calendar there. And since they're only 90 minutes away, SMG treats OKC and Tulsa like a single market (just look at the Ticketmaster website, not a separate OKC or Tulsa market but OKLAHOMA).

I can almost assure you that bookings in OKC would be different/improved if SMG were not also in Tulsa. At least now SMG is starting to somewhat realize that OKC is the primary market of the state with the latest and future slate of concerts.

The answer to your question is to consider who the management company is for BOTH venues.

..... SMG, that's right.

So why would SMG make an effort in OKC when they have Tulsa to book? OKC already has 41+ dates booked per year with the OKC Thunder, does Tulsa even have an anchor tenant?? .. complete open calendar there. And since they're only 90 minutes away, SMG treats OKC and Tulsa like a single market (just look at the Ticketmaster website, not a separate OKC or Tulsa market but OKLAHOMA).

I can almost assure you that bookings in OKC would be different/improved if SMG were not also in Tulsa. At least now SMG is starting to somewhat realize that OKC is the primary market of the state with the latest and future slate of concerts.

The Tulsa Oilers are the anchor tenant at the BOK. ECHL season is 72 games, so 36 home games, plus playoffs (Tulsa had 11 playoff home games last season, which puts them at more games than the Thunder)

The answer to your question is to consider who the management company is for BOTH venues.

..... SMG, that's right.

So why would SMG make an effort in OKC when they have Tulsa to book? OKC already has 41+ dates booked per year with the OKC Thunder, does Tulsa even have an anchor tenant?? .. complete open calendar there. And since they're only 90 minutes away, SMG treats OKC and Tulsa like a single market (just look at the Ticketmaster website, not a separate OKC or Tulsa market but OKLAHOMA).

I can almost assure you that bookings in OKC would be different/improved if SMG were not also in Tulsa. At least now SMG is starting to somewhat realize that OKC is the primary market of the state with the latest and future slate of concerts.

different parts of SMG book the 2 venues OKC now has wonderful SMG mgmt and bookings ..

The Tulsa Oilers are the anchor tenant at the BOK. ECHL season is 72 games, so 36 home games, plus playoffs (Tulsa had 11 playoff home games last season, which puts them at more games than the Thunder)

This is true, but it's ultimately about attendance. The Oilers average around 6k a game, or about 1/3 that of Thunder games. But, as Boulder pointed out, the booking structure has changed and "balancing the markets" is less likely of a factor.

The reality is that BOK really only gets a handful of more concerts a year and many of the tours that got to Tulsa, go to OKC or have been to OKC. Obviously, each market gets some exclusive dates, but evaluating which does better in that regard really just comes down to personal taste. Looking at the current bookings, the discrepancy seems to be more in "specialty" acts like kids stuff and something like Cirque (though I think that's been to OKC in one incarnation or another at some point, as well).

Overall, it does seem like BOK has a few more non-sports bookings in the next year or so, but a claim that it's kicking Chesapeake Arena's ass in bookings is just a product of the ongoing and unusually bizarre comparisons made between the markets.

At the end of the day, hopefully whatever either of them book is a success. The last one I went to at BOK was so poorly attended, it was uncomfortable at times.

Cirque on ice was at the Cox last winter...so some of those things are booking Cox. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tulsa does not have a 2nd downtown arena do they?

Cirque on ice was at the Cox last winter...so some of those things are booking Cox. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tulsa does not have a 2nd downtown arena do they?

Just FYI, in the 10 years we've been back, I believe Cirque has had all their shows at Chesapeake. I don't think Chesapeake has ice-generating capability any longer, so that's most likely why Cirque on Ice had to be at Cox. Lackmeyer's chat last week was with the SMG guys and quite interesting.

Just FYI, in the 10 years we've been back, I believe Cirque has had all their shows at Chesapeake. I don't think Chesapeake has ice-generating capability any longer, so that's most likely why Cirque on Ice had to be at Cox. Lackmeyer's chat last week was with the SMG guys and quite interesting.

I know way off topic.. but I hope we are someday a market that can support a real Cirque tour in big tops.. we instead are smaller market and get the shows once they have converted them from big top residencies into arena tours.

Something to keep in mind when criticizing how OKC doesn't get as many shows as Tulsa. Chesapeake actually blacks out around 71 dates for the Thunder, plus playoffs (we will be back in a few years!!). Performers usually announce their tours months in advance of when they even begin touring, unlike the NBA that releases the schedule just a couple months in advance. For example: the Chainsmokers are coming to Chesapeake in November: they announced their tour in February and don't perform their first show on that tour until tonight. The NBA didn't release this season's schedule until August and the first game is in October.

Something to keep in mind when criticizing how OKC doesn't get as many shows as Tulsa. Chesapeake actually blacks out around 71 dates for the Thunder, plus playoffs (we will be back in a few years!!). Performers usually announce their tours months in advance of when they even begin touring, unlike the NBA that releases the schedule just a couple months in advance. For example: the Chainsmokers are coming to Chesapeake in November: they announced their tour in February and don't perform their first show on that tour until tonight. The NBA didn't release this season's schedule until August and the first game is in October.

Yes, but every NBA arena deals with this and many arenas have multiple major league tenants along with minor league tenants. If the Thunder is affecting bookings, it would mean that they have a more exclusive arrangement with the arena than is normal or that the NBA is willing to workaround bookings at other arenas, but not Chesapeake for some reason. I don't know why either would be the case. Not ruling it out, but I don't see any inherent reason why it would be so different here than other NBA markets. If the Staples Center can host 2 NBA teams, the NHL, and the WNBA, and still have several concert bookings a year, there's no logistical barrier for Chesapeake to book whatever concerts a given promoter might want to place there.

Concerts this year (to date) at Chesapeake Energy Arena:
Justin Timberlake, Blake Shelton, KISS, Pink, Mercy Me, Kenny Chesney, New Kids on the Block, Ariana Grande, Luis Miguel, Cody Johnson, Twenty One Pilots, Khalid, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood

Concerts this year (to date) at BOK Center:
Metallica, Kelly Clarkson, Elton John, Jeff Dunham, James Taylor, Zac Brown Band, Travis Scott, Weezer/Pixies, Snoop Dogg/Nelly, Bob Seger, Luke Combs, Avett Brothers, Pentatonix, Jimmy Buffett, Jason Isbell/Father John Misty, Michael Buble, Shawn Mendes, Cardi B, Backstreet Boys

Cirque on ice was at the Cox last winter...so some of those things are booking Cox. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tulsa does not have a 2nd downtown arena do they?

Not anymore. The old civic center arena has been converted to convention space. There is the Fairgrounds Pavilion which has hosted ice shows in the past.

Just curious as to why they block off 71 dates plus playoffs? If there are only 41 home games in the regular season and a few exhibition games?

Because the schedule comes out so late over against other acts.

Because the schedule comes out so late over against other acts.
And how does that explain other arenas with mutiple major league tenents getting just as many shows?

According to Pollstar:
Chesapeake Arena has sold 97k tickets to non-sporting events this year through July.
BOK Center has sold 134k tickets in the same time period or 38% more tickets.
BOK has 28 non-sporting events on the current calendar, Chesapeake has 14.

According to Pollstar:
Chesapeake Arena has sold 97k tickets to non-sporting events this year through July.
BOK Center has sold 134k tickets in the same time period or 38% more tickets.
BOK has 28 non-sporting events on the current calendar, Chesapeake has 14.

Yeah, we're talking such a low rate to begin with it's hard to say either of them are kicking anyone's ass, to be honest. Hopefully, BOK didn't have double the non-sporting events YTD through July as Chesapeake. If it really is simply a BOK v. CHK thing, booking wise, then clearly someone is making the wrong call. I have to assume a lot of that discrepancy are the smaller acts that don't even list the whole room for sale, like maybe the kids stuff and mid-tier acts. Twice the bookings and only 1/3 more sales wouldn't look good otherwise. Though, I did go to the Father John Misty / Sturgill Simpson show at BOK and that probably never should have been booked there. I don't do a lot of arena shows, but I assumed that was an anomaly, as I have been to other well attended shows there.

Yeah, we're talking such a low rate to begin with it's hard to say either of them are kicking anyone's ass, to be honest. Hopefully, BOK didn't have double the non-sporting events YTD through July as Chesapeake. If it really is simply a BOK v. CHK thing, booking wise, then clearly someone is making the wrong call. I have to assume a lot of that discrepancy are the smaller acts that don't even list the whole room for sale, like maybe the kids stuff and mid-tier acts. Twice the bookings and only 1/3 more sales wouldn't look good otherwise. Though, I did go to the Father John Misty / Sturgill Simpson show at BOK and that probably never should have been booked there. I don't do a lot of arena shows, but I assumed that was an anomaly, as I have been to other well attended shows there.

That is a weird booking, considering Misty played The Jones Assembly and Simpson played The Criterion, doesn't seem like both together would warrant a BOK/Chesapeake-level arena show.

And how does that explain other arenas with mutiple major league tenents getting just as many shows?

I would assume because they're big cities and they tell the acts "You can come play these dates if you would like to play in our city". Acts will accommodate Dallas and Houston's schedule...OKC and Tulsa not so much.

That is a weird booking, considering Misty played The Jones Assembly and Simpson played The Criterion, doesn't seem like both together would warrant a BOK/Chesapeake-level arena show.

Vampire Weekend played Criterion in OKC but is playing BOK in Tulsa.

Vampire Weekend played Criterion in OKC but is playing BOK in Tulsa.

The BOK set up for their show is lower bowl only and the concert is in 4 days and has maybe sold 1/3 of the tickets.

Vampire Weekend played Criterion in OKC but is playing BOK in Tulsa.

That's also weird. For that show, is BOK blacking out the upper level like Chesapeake sometimes does (the Cirque shows and the Stevie Wonder shows are ones we've been to where they've done that) or are all 15,000-ish seats available? Is there that much higher attendance in Tulsa than OKC for concerts so that bands can get 5x more attendance (Criterion is about 3000 capacity, I think)?

Edit - nevermind, Bullbear answered my questions as I was typing them.

The BOK set up for their show is lower bowl only and the concert is in 4 days and has maybe sold 1/3 of the tickets.

The concert is in 4 days and 1 year - it's in 2020, not this year.

The concert is in 4 days and 1 year - it's in 2020, not this year.

Talk about advance booking! the OKC show did sell out pretty quickly.

You definitely did... Even if people below you stand up you can still see the performer on the stage seated.

If you are dead center of row FF... This will be your view for the evening.

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Had row EE, 9/10, first row on the second tier, center section, leftmost two seats, and yeah, they were great. Bar rails were at shoulder height when seated so we you can see easily over them (didn't realize they were that low since that's our first seated show there). Complete 180 from pretty much every show we've been to there - seated, we might've been the youngest there, quiet/acoustic, but still a really great show. About 4 songs in, they said "We had a list of songs, we've gone completely off that" and everybody cheered, also got some good stories about dreams, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, someone trying to order all-you-can-eat at a drive-through window....

About 4 songs in, they said "We had a list of songs, we've gone completely off that" and everybody cheered, also got some good stories about dreams, Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, someone trying to order all-you-can-eat at a drive-through window....

Was this the Flatlanders show? I bet that was an amazing set!

Was this the Flatlanders show? I bet that was an amazing set!

Yes, and yes. Been listening to them for decades, never thought I'd see them live before we all died, very glad we went (we were apparently their first stop on this tour).

The Dollop podcast is coming to Tower on April 5th, which should be fun. I saw Gareth Reynolds do his stand-up set while I was in Denver back in July and he was absolutely hilarious.

Yes, and yes. Been listening to them for decades, never thought I'd see them live before we all died, very glad we went (we were apparently their first stop on this tour).
Great concert, saw Joe Ely and his band perform at VZD’s many years ago, his hair was still black then. During a break, asked him I’d he would do ‘Boxcars’, as I was working on the railroad, and had worked in Amarillo. He said a grandparent had worked the rails, and he played ‘Boxcars’ after the break. Great show it was.

FYI, there are some great local bands playing at the Tower for free tomorrow evening. Stepmom and Audio Book Club, in particular, are two of the best OKC bands going right now IMO.

Another great local show at Tower tomorrow night. Husbands is an indie pop/rock band that just put out a fantastic new album earlier this week, and two other great local bands are opening, Lust (electropop) and LCG & The X (garage rock).

Has the partnership between The Granada in Lower Greenville and The Tower been terminated?

Been seeing a lot of acts passing through The Granada lately that I would like to see but they don't get booked here now.

^

Was told last week that nothing has changed with the Granada.

Tower is opening up again for a Sep 11 show, 20% capacity (204 people).

Oklahoma City has the access to two arenas, one inside the Cox Convention Center and the other just across the street (south).

Cox Convention Center:

Arena - 13,846 permanent seats for ice hockey, 14,005 basketball.
100,000 sq.,ft., exhibition space
A 25,000 sq. ft. ballroom
21 meeting rooms

New Oklahoma City Convention Center & Chesapeake Energy Arena:

Arena - 15,152 ice hockey,18,203 basketball
200,000 square feet of exhibit space
30,000 sq.,ft., ballroom
45,000 sq.,ft., of flexible meeting room space

A few more hotels in the downtown core will allow Oklahoma City invaluable space to simultaneously bid on larger conventions & trade shows throughout the year.

This is the edge OKC will have on many of its peer & competing cities; this alone will take Tulsa out of the mix when both cities are competing for the same conventions.

Didn't mean to get off topic; however, that's why you will never get rid of the Cox Convention Center & Arena because as an overflow venue; this puts OKC in contention to bid on more than one large meeting at a time.

IF the new convention center and hotel were complete, OKC could surely have hosted the 2020 RNC. With the two cc's, Fair "arena", Lloyd Noble Center, and with more hotels downtown - could OKC also host the NBA Allstar week?

It's not important to the current theatre, but i happened to be watching the latest installment of the History Channel show called "The Booze, Bets, and Sex that Built America. They have a story line about the Hollywood Reporter founder, William Wilkerson, who also helped with the early development of Las Vegas as a gambling mecca. The interesting thing that caught my eye was a picture on his office wall. It was a picture of the marquis of the Tower Theatre.

I really wish one of Tower, Jones or BCMH would pick up Cigarettes After Sex. They have open dates coming and going that could easily route through OKC. If anyone knows the promoters, hit them up.

I really wish one of Tower, Jones or BCMH would pick up Cigarettes After Sex. They have open dates coming and going that could easily route through OKC. If anyone knows the promoters, hit them up.

they are playing the Granada Theater in Dallas, which as far as I know, still holds a financial stake in Tower. I can guarantee those folks there know about the tour and put in an effort to snag em. Sometimes they put in bids and the bands just pass on the opportunity. Sometimes cities like ours get added late because the bands finally conclude the bid is worth it. I agree it would be nice for them to stop here though

they are playing the Granada Theater in Dallas, which as far as I know, still holds a financial stake in Tower. I can guarantee those folks there know about the tour and put in an effort to snag em. Sometimes they put in bids and the bands just pass on the opportunity. Sometimes cities like ours get added late because the bands finally conclude the bid is worth it. I agree it would be nice for them to stop here though

after dallas they are going to Atlanta which may have something to with it?

I wish the Tower Theater could keep their neon working, for whatever reason there's always a letter or two out at any given time.

At this point it may as well be an OKC tradition that every neon sign or LED lighting will never be properly working.