Beer City Music Hall

[Pete]

They had a huge crowd last night at their sneak peek.

Fair Weather Friend was also wall-to-wall for a trivia night.

[shawnw]

It's cool that you got a shot while Hide and Go Bike was there

[3nglnd]

Really enjoyed going to this last night. Seeing all the bikes roll up and then having to figure out how to lock them to the fence though feels like a real missed opportunity for this development

[Pete]

I was surprised to see FWF completely packed and I don't think it had much to do with the Beer City opening. Everyone was playing trivia; they have clearly have found a following. It's such a great setting both inside and out and I've heard good things about their pizza.

When Flycatcher Club opens in about a month, this little complex should really be cooking.

[shawnw]

Really enjoyed going to this last night. Seeing all the bikes roll up and then having to figure out how to lock them to the fence though feels like a real missed opportunity for this development

I'm the first to criticize for no bike racks but 77 bikes is a lot to be prepared for!

[3nglnd]

I'm the first to criticize for no bike racks but 77 bikes is a lot to be prepared for!

yeah, but they do have 0 racks, right?

[soonerguru]

They had a huge crowd last night at their sneak peek.

Fair Weather Friend was also wall-to-wall for a trivia night.

I don't think it's possible to love this any more. OKC is picking up serious vintage Austin vibes right now. Love it.

$5 Topo Chico, though? Wow!

[Bill Robertson]

yeah, but they do have 0 racks, right?

From the photos there's some perfect spots for bike racks. Never was a fan of them myself but for those who would use them there should be some.

[T. Jamison]

Interesting to see that lineup on the concert poster. Usually, a show like that would be limited to 89th Street (afaik I don't go to hardcore shows like I used to).

[SEMIweather]

Interesting to see that lineup on the concert poster. Usually, a show like that would be limited to 89th Street (afaik I don't go to hardcore shows like I used to).

As far as I can tell they’re trying to book as wide a variety of bands as possible for their first few months. I’m sure 89th Street will continue to bring in a lot of metal/punk/hardcore shows as they seem to do a fantastic job catering to those genres, but excited for a lot of the indie rock shows to likely migrate over to Beer City as I feel the Tower team is much better suited to give those bands the type of promotion that they need in order to get a good draw here. Saw a couple of well-regarded indie acts from Austin (Sun June & Katy Kirby) play at 89th Street a few weeks back to literally 40 people and think those are the kind of shows that will get a much better turnout at Beer City.

[shartel_ave]

Awesome, no way Tulsa can claim the title of best live music city anymore since OKC now has Paycom Center, Zoo Amphitheater, Tower Theater, Diamond ballroom, Ponyboy, Beer City Music Hall, The Criterion, Blue Note (under renovation),
Civic Center,Music Hall, ScissorTail Park Live from the Lawn, Blue Door, 51st Street Speakeasy, ACM Performance Lab, The Jones Assembly, Starlight Amphitheater, Wormy Dog, Lyric Theater, Cowboy Ranch and probably others I'm not thinking of.

[soonerguru]

As far as I can tell they’re trying to book as wide a variety of bands as possible for their first few months. I’m sure 89th Street will continue to bring in a lot of metal/punk/hardcore shows as they seem to do a fantastic job catering to those genres, but excited for a lot of the indie rock shows to likely migrate over to Beer City as I feel the Tower team is much better suited to give those bands the type of promotion that they need in order to get a good draw here. Saw a couple of well-regarded indie acts from Austin (Sun June & Katy Kirby) play at 89th Street a few weeks back to literally 40 people and think those are the kind of shows that will get a much better turnout at Beer City.

I wish 89th Street continued success, but I honestly hate going there. I don't like the location so far from the central city. Also, I would much rather see just about any band at Beer City. It may even be a better place than the Tower for most shows.

I'm super pumped about what this means for this city. If Jones keeps being aggressive and if the Tower guys keep doing their thing, if Beer City steps it up for other genres (I love Americana but there is too much of that at Tower IMO, so I am a proponent of Beer City bringing more indie), and if Criterion continues to serve its purpose as well (they could definitely be more aggressive, IMO), OKC is going to be better off for live music than it has for as long as I can remember.

[Pete]

I don't think it's possible to love this any more. OKC is picking up serious vintage Austin vibes right now. Love it.

Feels very much like Austin, in a good way.

[shawnw]

yeah, but they do have 0 racks, right?

So far as I've seen. I would def prefer greater than zero racks.

[eeyore]

Completely agree, so many venues in OKC don't have bike racks, I'm usually locking to a fence or sign pole.

[jccouger]

$7 for a domestic 16 oz can of beer

Am I poor or is that normal?

(sorry for being THAT guy in the thread)

[Pete]

^

Beer City is a concert venue.

You need to compare their prices to what you pay at the Thunder or OU or OSU.

[soonerguru]

You can always pregame.

[Urbanized]

Got a behind-the-scenes tour last week from one of the operating partners and Beer City is going to change this scene about as much as anything that’s come before it. A city has to have a reliable 500 cap to be fully in the mix for emerging artists. This will in turn bring even better shows to Tower and the other great venues.

Every single thing about the place is first rate, without compromising the charm that comes with an old building. You don’t have to be a ****-hole to be a club of this size. The sound is fantastic too.

Also, artists are going to love the green room, which is every bit as swank, cozy and highly-functional as the one at Tower. This place is a home run.

[Timshel]

Went to the concert last night - it was great. Absolutely packed but the space is fantastic and everything sounded very solid. (as expected). I'd guess they were overstaffed being the first major show and being completely sold out, but was also very impressed with bar lines, etc. Rarely was more than 2 or 3 people deep in any one spot after the initial rush at the beginning of the evening.

[TheTravellers]

Have to say I think this is a swing and a miss. Saw Belle & Sebastian there after they moved it from The Criterion. It was pretty damn full, not sure if it hit the max capacity, but it was horribly hot and cramped. Bathrooms are up front, so you have to fight through the crowds to get there and back if you're not in the first few rows (I purposely did not drink as much as I usually do at concerts because I didn't want to screw with it). Stage is too low, couldn't see the keyboard player for the opener nor the keyboard players or drummer (or cello player) for B&S (we were right next to the soundbooth). The windows are not tinted, so it was very bright inside until a bit into B&S's act. If this was a club/venue in the 1970s-1980s, there *might* be excuses for some of this, but for a brand-new buildout, there are none - AC should be top notch (it's going to be absolutely f-ing miserable next Sunday when we go see the Cannons sold-out show), no concert venue should have a whole wall of untinted windows, restrooms should be more easily accessible, and it's absurd that the stage is that low.

[king183]

I saw Destroyer there in May and was impressed with the venue. The sound was great and the service at the bar was good and quick. That said, it was only 40% full for Destroyer, so it was easy to move around, get to the bathrooms, and it wasn't too hot. The bathrooms are unfortunately located at the front, so they should consider creating a lane along the side walls when the crowd is full. I didn't find the stage height to be an issue at all; I could see everything quite well from side of the sound booth.

[TheTravellers]

I saw Destroyer there in May and was impressed with the venue. The sound was great and the service at the bar was good and quick. That said, it was only 40% full for Destroyer, so it was easy to move around, get to the bathrooms, and it wasn't too hot. The bathrooms are unfortunately located at the front, so they should consider creating a lane along the side walls when the crowd is full. I didn't find the stage height to be an issue at all; I could see everything quite well from side of the sound booth.

Have to agree that the sound and bar service is good. We were on the left side of the sound booth, couldn't see the keyboard players on the left side and back of the stage, and only see the ones standing on stage from about the waist up (I'm 5'9" and wife is 5'2"), but as I said, it was pretty full and it was just a wall of people from the sound booth on up.

[PhiAlpha]

Have to say I think this is a swing and a miss. Saw Belle & Sebastian there after they moved it from The Criterion. It was pretty damn full, not sure if it hit the max capacity, but it was horribly hot and cramped. Bathrooms are up front, so you have to fight through the crowds to get there and back if you're not in the first few rows (I purposely did not drink as much as I usually do at concerts because I didn't want to screw with it). Stage is too low, couldn't see the keyboard player for the opener nor the keyboard players or drummer (or cello player) for B&S (we were right next to the soundbooth). The windows are not tinted, so it was very bright inside until a bit into B&S's act. If this was a club/venue in the 1970s-1980s, there *might* be excuses for some of this, but for a brand-new buildout, there are none - AC should be top notch (it's going to be absolutely f-ing miserable next Sunday when we go see the Cannons sold-out show), no concert venue should have a whole wall of untinted windows, restrooms should be more easily accessible, and it's absurd that the stage is that low.

Happy to swap your Cannons tickets for the two I have in Tulsa on Saturday if you would rather see them in a different venue lol. It sold out in OKC before I found out about it so I bought some in Tulsa.

I saw Band of Heathens there a few months ago and really liked the venue but it wasn’t completely full nor was it all that hot yet.

[Roger S]

I saw Band of Heathens there a few months ago and really liked the venue but it wasn’t completely full nor was it all that hot yet.

I was at that show too and it was comfortable enough inside.... My only complaint was the crowd talking over the band.