I might be wrong, but don't arenas have to bid for concerts/shows? If so, I'm guessing BOK puts in a more lucrative and better deal for the artist/bookers and don't bother to book OKC unless there's a 2nd leg of the tour (see Justin Timberlake and Pink). It still doesn't excuse the lack of shows we get here, though. First world problems, but I'm sick of having to make that drive up to Tulsa and back when we have the venue and market for these types of shows.

For those of you who remember when the Ford Center/Chesapeake Arena first opened in 2002, it killed it with the concert schedule. I can think of Britney Spears (who was on the level of Beyonce/Gaga at the time), Rolling Stones, Cher, The Eagles, Paul McCartney coming to OKC all within a few months of opening. It was one of the Top 10 arenas in ticket sales for concerts that year. However, that all changed once the BOK Center opened, which also happened to be around the same time the Thunder came to OKC.

As far as The Criterion goes, it's an excellent venue. I've been to so many wonderful shows with acts I never thought I'd see in OKC such as the xx, Disclosure, and Glass Animals. I just wish it was booked more consistently like Cain's.