And for the record - since I know the players involved pretty well - I personally don't even have the "guarded" qualifier attached to my own optimism. I simply have optimism.

Great to know. Thanks!

Smash Mouth!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1954254838119273/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%223%22%2C%22ref_newsfeed _story_type%22%3A%22regular%22%2C%22feed_story_typ e%22%3A%22279%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null% 22%7D

Good for Tower Theater!

Love me some "Walkin' on the Sun!"

American Aquarium at the Tower on Sept 22nd..... Good grief I could go bankrupt seeing all the shows I want to see in September..... Jason Isbell at the Criterion same night as Hard Working Americans at the Tower and Old 97's at Diamond the weekend before Isbell.... And I really wanted to go to Medicine Stone this year but I'm to old to catch two concerts and a 3 day festival in the same week!

Things are looking up on the ol' concert scene in OKC. And I suspect it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Things are looking up on the ol' concert scene in OKC. And I suspect it's just the tip of the iceberg.

The only direction is up!

But you are right and I'm happy to see the Tower and Jones doing such a great job.

No doubt.... I've gone from saying "Do I really want to drive to Tulsa/Dallas on a weeknight to catch <insert band here>?" to saying "How much plasma do I need to sell to see all the shows I want to see this week???"..... The other problem I've had recently is bands I want to see playing in town on the same night... A problem I thought I would never have here.

I do have to say I was already lamenting that I don't have as many good reasons to go out of town with all the shows coming here now but I'm pretty sure I can balance it out by catching out of town shows on the weekends.

This business is taking the last available space at ground level in the Tower complex:

https://hunnybunnybiscuitco.com/

This business is taking the last available space at ground level in the Tower complex:

https://hunnybunnybiscuitco.com/

Here is their FB page..... https://www.facebook.com/HunnyBunnyBiscuitCo/

This appears to be very similar to the Buttermilk Sliders food truck owned by Todd Woodruff of Waffle Champion and Maples fame.

This appears to be very similar to the Buttermilk Sliders food truck owned by Todd Woodruff of Waffle Champion and Maples fame.

Only we won't have to go looking for it!

Buttermilk Sliders has permanent residence at Bleu Garten every weekend now.

Buttermilk Sliders has permanent residence at Bleu Garten every weekend now.

That would be pretty handy if I was ever in town on the weekends.... lol

About the only time I'm ever in OKC on a weekend is when I'm asked to cook BBQ for a catering.

This business is taking the last available space at ground level in the Tower complex:

https://hunnybunnybiscuitco.com/

Not so fast. Saving & Loan will be closing on Saturday. Apparently there was not much notice given to the employees either. This was operated under the pivot project's hospitality branch fooor 60 days?

https://www.savingsloanloungeokc.com

That's odd. They just added those neon window signs (much needed, I thought) within the last couple weeks.

That's odd. They just added those neon window signs (much needed, I thought) within the last couple weeks.

WTF? I was just there the other night. I thought it was definitely a better vibe overall. Perhaps people in this city will eventually figure out that there is no shame in marketing / advertising your venue. Few businesses can survive as super insider secrets. Also, signage that indicates you exist also helps attracts potential customers.

Pretty sure the space will re-emerge as a bar down the line, just of a different type.

That space is brand new and all it's outfitted to be is a bar. Wouldn't make much sense for it to be anything else. But for the landlords to own that kind of buildout. I don't know who could afford the rent. Maybe it's pivot pivoting away from a brand that wasn't working.

WTF? I was just there the other night. I thought it was definitely a better vibe overall. Perhaps people in this city will eventually figure out that there is no shame in marketing / advertising your venue. Few businesses can survive as super insider secrets. Also, signage that indicates you exist also helps attracts potential customers.

Like I stated in this other thread, this isn't a surprise at all. The changes were positive, but they were too little, too late. The bar had a rocky start and had a poor reputation compared to nearby places like the Pump, Rockford, and most recently the Bunker Club. I also think "Savings and Loan" is a poor name for a bar. Yes, its a nice homage to the original business that occupied the location, but it just doesn't seem like good branding for a bar. When they closed for the remodel, they should have also re-branded as well. It's an excellent location and I hope something more successful ends up there in the near future.

I know the Pivot guys didn't have a big appetite for being bar operators; they were mostly just forced into it during the split with Levelland. I haven't spoken with any of them about what's happening right now - if I had I wouldn't be talking about it here haha - but if I had to guess I'd say/hope that they have something lined up for the space, and if was a bar with new operators there would surely be a re-brand and some interior changes.

I would anticipate they still want a bar there due to the upstairs space functioning as bar during shows inside theater, and also I think bar service in the lobby during those times too. This actually probably good news for everyone except for fans of the S&L concept.

That's odd. They just added those neon window signs (much needed, I thought) within the last couple weeks.


WTF? I was just there the other night. I thought it was definitely a better vibe overall. Perhaps people in this city will eventually figure out that there is no shame in marketing / advertising your venue. Few businesses can survive as super insider secrets. Also, signage that indicates you exist also helps attracts potential customers.

Huh? I wasn't criticizing the signs. Only commenting that it's odd that they made that addition so late, and then closed so soon after.

I always thought of this place as the "no sign bar" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI22CMzL7oo from It's Always Sunny.
Sad to see it go

So...Tower is in the process of installing and configuring their permanent sound system (was not in use for MSCB show the other night). I got to go inside and listen today as they were testing. The entire system isn't even up and running yet, and it is already one of the best house sound setups I have ever heard. At the time I was there they had it at about 30% max volume, and it was loud as hell, with essentially inaudible reverb or distortion. Or at the very least not noticeable. I mean, clear as a bell. The audio treatments also blend in really well. It's going to be an audiophile's dream, and I think bands will be anxious to come back or give it good word of mouth after doing a show for the first time. I CANNOT WAIT to see a live show here.

So...Tower is in the process of installing and configuring their permanent sound system (was not in use for MSCB show the other night). I got to go inside and listen today as they were testing. The entire system isn't even up and running yet, and it is already one of the best house sound setups I have ever heard. At the time I was there they had it at about 30% max volume, and it was loud as hell, with essentially inaudible reverb or distortion. Or at the very least not noticeable. I mean, clear as a bell. The audio treatments also blend in really well. It's going to be an audiophile's dream, and I think bands will be anxious to come back or give it good word of mouth after doing a show for the first time. I CANNOT WAIT to see a live show here.

Awesome to hear! As long as they don't let bands use their own sound system, should be good. :p Los Lobos show there should be great, haven't seen them in years (Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, IL was the last time, I believe).

Great experience all-around from the moment I walked up to the ticket window for MSCB last weekend. Very friendly staff. They had a slight issue with their barcode scanners not being able to scan tickets, so they moved me around a bit before they could get a proper signal or something. They had two bars, one near the doors, which got crowded, but moved quickly. Same for the bar that was down closer to the stage. The sound inside was pretty good, but it's nice to hear it's going to sound even better with their system installed.

Really cool video posted by Tower Theatre on Twitter with their schedule (https://twitter.com/TowerTheatreOKC/status/895734083711410176)... I didn't know Talib Kweli was performing on September 2nd... one of my favorite rappers of all time. I'll have to hustle up to OKC after OU home opener to make this. For anyone unfamiliar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVtpXvzzXiA

I would think this is the biggest act Tower Theatre has booked yet, right?

Ooooooo I might make it to just to hear Hostile Gospel

Ooooooo I might make it to just to hear Hostile Gospel

Maybe my favorite Talib Kweli song. I went through phase where I just listened to all his stuff.

Maybe my favorite Talib Kweli song. I went through phase where I just listened to all his stuff.

My favorite as well. I'm don't usually get excited about these concert announcements but I might need to check this one out.

I attended the Talbi Kweli concert on Saturday night. First, I love this venue. It's very intimate, well designed, and while I'm no expert, the acoustics sounded great. Everything seemed to be running really smoothly. The show was attended with people taking up all the space in the theatre, but I suspect they were a few hundred short of capacity because it was not crowded, which was really nice. Everyone was able to stand in their own space without bumping into people. The only hiccup on the organizational side was that when we showed up at 9pm, we were told Kweli wouldn't come on until 10:30pm. We ended up deciding to go back at 10pm and I'm glad we did because he started about 10:15pm. If you're going to error, it's better to tell people to show up, not late.

As for the concert, Kweli is a great artist. He put on a really engaging and thoughtful show. In addition to his own stuff, he did a great Tribe Called Quest cover and a re-mix of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. If you're a hip hop fan, make sure you attend these shows so they keep coming. I suspect Jabee is playing a big role in bringing hip hop artists to the city. He was at the show and he's just an incredible ambassador for OKC. He's such a friendly, smart, and determined artist.

This is a great mid-sized venue for OKC that can attract artists that have skipped past the metro in the past.

Suck I missed this show. But I am elated to see we are getting shows like this in OKC. How great is this for Uptown right?!?!

I attended the Talbi Kweli concert on Saturday night. First, I love this venue. It's very intimate, well designed, and while I'm no expert, the acoustics sounded great. Everything seemed to be running really smoothly. The show was attended with people taking up all the space in the theatre, but I suspect they were a few hundred short of capacity because it was not crowded, which was really nice. Everyone was able to stand in their own space without bumping into people. The only hiccup on the organizational side was that when we showed up at 9pm, we were told Kweli wouldn't come on until 10:30pm. We ended up deciding to go back at 10pm and I'm glad we did because he started about 10:15pm. If you're going to error, it's better to tell people to show up, not late.

As for the concert, Kweli is a great artist. He put on a really engaging and thoughtful show. In addition to his own stuff, he did a great Tribe Called Quest cover and a re-mix of The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby. If you're a hip hop fan, make sure you attend these shows so they keep coming. I suspect Jabee is playing a big role in bringing hip hop artists to the city. He was at the show and he's just an incredible ambassador for OKC. He's such a friendly, smart, and determined artist.

This is a great mid-sized venue for OKC that can attract artists that have skipped past the metro in the past.

Talib was dope! I also checked out the eoto music show to see what that scene was all about. It wasn't for me, although fun, and I haven't stayed up that late on a school night in awhile. It was even more full than the kweli show, by a couple hundred at least. I'm eager to get the feel for a sellout. The show let out at 1:20ish and I felt bad for the bars in the area who scrambled to get everyone a round before last call & subsequently kicking them out. Hopefully it wasn't "one for the road."

I'm so happy to have this venue operating like it is near my neighborhood so far though. Very diverse!

http://newsok.com/falling-asleep-at-the-wheel-not-quite/article/5563511

http://newsok.com/falling-asleep-at-the-wheel-not-quite/article/5563511

I think between Robinson and Shartel, 23rd St should be narrowed. Lowering the speed limit was a great start but narrowing it to two lanes with angled parking, like what is currently in the Western Ave corridor, would be optimal. The corridor is becoming increasingly pedestrian-oriented and its time to put pedestrians first.

^^^^^^
What would be better would be removal of the median - to be replaced by a center turn lane - and elimination of one traffic lane in each direction. This configuration would actually allow auto traffic to move through the area more quickly and efficiently as many of the stoppages are related to cars stacking behind left-turning vehicles, and much of the speeding is related to vehicles switching lanes and blowing by these stoppages. Studies have shown this configuration actually reduces auto travel time, even as actual SPEEDS go down.

Once you've eliminated the two traffic lanes you have a wealth of area that could be re-purposed by any combination of parallel/angled parking and/or protected bike lanes and/or wider sidewalks.

^^^^^^
What would be better would be removal of the median - to be replaced by a center turn lane - and elimination of one traffic lane in each direction. This configuration would actually allow auto traffic to move through the area more quickly and efficiently as many of the stoppages are related to cars stacking behind left-turning vehicles, and much of the speeding is related to vehicles switching lanes and blowing by these stoppages. Studies have shown this configuration actually reduces auto travel time, even as actual SPEEDS go down.

Once you've eliminated the two traffic lanes you have a wealth of area that could be re-purposed by any combination of parallel/angled parking and/or protected bike lanes and/or wider sidewalks.

Feeding two birds with one hand, I like it. I do enjoy the center median trees a whole bunch though, but with two lanes removed there would be plenty of room to add an amenities zone with street trees on either side of the street which would suffice!

While I do not disagree with the overall idea of revamping 23rd and like some of the suggestions, I find Steve's use of this accident in particular as an argument for it to be kind of questionable. Dude had his brakes go out and made the interesting decision to go up on the sidewalk. No amount of street reconfiguration is going to catch and prevent a one-off unpredictable situation like that.

^^^^^^^^^^
I don't disagree but if you'd like a better example you can look at the fiery crash into the front door of The Drake maybe a month earlier. Or just go stand on that sidewalk and watch people blow through the pedestrian crossing red lights with regularity.

Those would both be much better examples for selling this compared to no-brakes dude.

Feeding two birds with one hand, I like it. I do enjoy the center median trees a whole bunch though, but with two lanes removed there would be plenty of room to add an amenities zone with street trees on either side of the street which would suffice!

I agree that the median is nice to look at, but I'd rather look at street trees on the sides instead, if it also meant throngs of (safe) pedestrians and tables on the sidewalks.

I agree that the median is nice to look at, but I'd rather look at street trees on the sides instead, if it also meant throngs of (safe) pedestrians and tables on the sidewalks.

for sure. I'd gladly trade the median for the improvements you described.

The traffic on 23rd is monumental.

It's really the only way to get E/W anywhere near the heart of the city.

No matter the changes, that thoroughfare has to handle tons and tons of cars.

The traffic on 23rd is monumental.

It's really the only way to get E/W anywhere near the heart of the city.

No matter the changes, that thoroughfare has to handle tons and tons of cars.

If Urbanized is correct then his proposed improvements would improve traffic flow as well as enhance pedestrian safety, no?

^

Not sure about that.

And given that City Hall is ruled by engineers, I seriously doubt they'd consider removing traffic lanes on such a busy street.

The traffic on 23rd is monumental.

It's really the only way to get E/W anywhere near the heart of the city.

No matter the changes, that thoroughfare has to handle tons and tons of cars.

also, 30th and 36th are pretty easy ways to get across town. 10th is easy once you are out of downtown. Reno is a nice east west street, we're about to have the boulevard. 23rd is no doubt important, but there are other E/W thoroughfares available. Even if changes on 23rd do indeed make traffic slightly worse, I'm not convinced it would really create a traffic problem. But, I'm just a dude and I have no background in traffic management.

If you are coming from the HSC or the state capitol and need to get west, you take 23rd. And vice versa in the AM.

That's why you have such incredible traffic in Uptown.

10th goes through the heart of Midtown, 36th turns residential west of Classen, etc.

If Urbanized is correct then his proposed improvements would improve traffic flow as well as enhance pedestrian safety, no?


^

Not sure about that.

And given that City Hall is ruled by engineers, I seriously doubt they'd consider removing traffic lanes on such a busy street.

https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/road_diets/resources/pdf/roadDiet_MythBuster.pdf

It currently does about 20K daily. According to the Federal Highway Administration, road diets have been successfully implemented with traffic counts as high as 26K.

More:

http://www.ca-ilg.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/sustainability_road_diets.pdf

I'd love to see it happen but don't think it would even be considered due to who is in power at City Hall and also the perception and likely backlash of people who drive that way every day.

I know some of the developers there would like to see something similar happen, and also I believe the bond issue includes monies for this stretch of 23rd. So...who knows. But yes, I agree with you, Public Works wants to prioritize cars over all. Which is why this is so compelling; data shows that level of service actually also IMPROVES FOR CARS with this configuration.

If you are coming from the HSC or the state capitol and need to get west, you take 23rd. And vice versa in the AM.

That's why you have such incredible traffic in Uptown.

10th goes through the heart of Midtown, 36th turns residential west of Classen, etc.

I work around OUHSC and live in Crestwood and take 8th street, that turns into 6th street all the way across downtown until it turns into Lynnwood and merges with 10th street/Penn. Then go west using 10th street. There is a descent amount of traffic until I get west of Hudson, then it thins out. I can get home, easily in 15 minutes, depending on the lights.

Shane Hampton just had a really good series of tweets about what OKC needs to do with streets like 23rd. The better question is if there's any hope of them doing so.

https://twitter.com/shanehamp/status/907354122495643649 (all linked below)

Where can you park for a show here?

Where can you park for a show here?

Across the street from the Tower Theater. There is a relatively new, well-lit surface lot.

Across the street from the Tower Theater. There is a relatively new, well-lit surface lot.

It's kind of small, right? Is there street parking in the surrounding neighborhood?

It's kind of small, right? Is there street parking in the surrounding neighborhood?

I think on every street in the vicinity. However, DON'T park in the lot across Walker from The Pump or the Beauty Supply across the street east of Cheevers.

It's kind of small, right? Is there street parking in the surrounding neighborhood?

The parking lot has at least 75 spaces. There is also parking behind The Rise and along the surrounding neighborhood streets. I would avoid parking in the parallel parking spaces on 23rd. People drive too fast, so parking or leaving the spaces can be tough. I've witnessed a hit and run and a few close calls. Hope you have a good time at the show!

Here is an interesting Instagram post from Rachel Cope. She mentioned in the comments that this new concept will be upstairs in the Tower Theatre. I’m guessing the old Savings and Loan spot? It appears to be called Ponyboy?

14149

Outsiders reference I'd guess. S.E. Hinton is a Tulsa native.

Outsiders reference I'd guess. S.E. Hinton is a Tulsa native.

Well if for some reason it doesn’t work out, they’ve got a great built in headline for the closing announcement... “Nothing Gold Can Stay”

Unlike Savings and Loan... here’s to hoping Ponyboy stays gold.