Okcfest 2014

[sooner88]

H&8th --> Ambassador --> OKCFest... just one of many "I don't feel like I'm in OKC" moments.

[OkieHornet]

Was anyone else there last night? I thought I heard Merle welcome Robert Earl Keen to the stage for "Okie from Muskogee", although I couldn't tell if it was actually him. Can anyone else verify this/tell me I'm crazy?

it was toby keith. there's a pic on newsok.com.

[warreng88]

I'm afraid the weather today will deter people from attending. Hopefully it clears up for this evening.

[soonerguru]

I'm apparently not in the target audience for this event. Literally two people have said anything positive about it on my Facebook feed, and I think both of them are affiliated and / or volunteers for the organizers.

This seems like a good idea if there were actually diversity of talent.

[Urbanized]

Hang on... ...you're using your FACEBOOK FEED as a barometer of cool? LOL

Seriously, I know patience is not the long suit of posters on this board, but after a conversation I had the other day I now believe even more strongly that the event is going to grow into a strong multi-genre festival in future years.

It was country-heavy this year mostly because there was a short ramp-up and because Fred Hall has developed some strong Nashville connections that allowed them to get some A-list country acts with not a lot of advance notice and without a track record, neither of which will be an issue in the future. They fully-intend to have a more well-rounded lineup going forward. I know that hearing this won't be good enough for a lot of folks here, but it's good enough for me.

[warreng88]

I had a dream last night that Incubus and Metallica were going to headline OKCFest 2015.

[catch22]

Too country oriented for me.

That's fine if that's what they want to play, different strokes for different blokes. Just not my thing, I'd attend if there were some other genres. I know several other people who have said the same thing.

[BrettM2]

I had a dream last night that Incubus and Metallica were going to headline OKCFest 2015.

This would be sweet.

[BoulderSooner]

I'm afraid the weather today will deter people from attending. Hopefully it clears up for this evening.

Yep only 30k or so

[ljbab728]

Downtown, Bricktown, and the river area were packed tonight. I caught Wanda's concert and it was a lot of fun. She still has a very strong voice and was spot on in all of her songs. Her audience was surprisingly young also.




I didn't stay for the fireworks but the river was really hopping with all kinds of activity. Anyone who didn't have fun downtown today had to be trying hard not to.





In addition to the two festivals there was a baseball game tonight at the Brick and a dog show happening at the convention center.

[gopokes88]

It was packed. It was fun. Bright days ahead to hell with the negativity.

[ljbab728]

Music fans fill venues for first OKCFest | News OK

“This is amazing that all this has come together in four months and the first time we’ve ever tried to do it,” OKCFest founder Fred Hall told The Oklahoman on Friday. “I think Oklahoma City will all unite, from every area of Oklahoma City, behind music. Let’s bring Oklahoma City together more and more, and this could be a great way to do it.”



Organizers of the festival plan to do it again next summer, with more acts and genres. Hall said he wants to add more rock music for next time. Chase Kerby said he thought continuing the festival would be a good idea for the city.

[soonerguru]

Hang on... ...you're using your FACEBOOK FEED as a barometer of cool? LOL

Seriously, I know patience is not the long suit of posters on this board, but after a conversation I had the other day I now believe even more strongly that the event is going to grow into a strong multi-genre festival in future years.

It was country-heavy this year mostly because there was a short ramp-up and because Fred Hall has developed some strong Nashville connections that allowed them to get some A-list country acts with not a lot of advance notice and without a track record, neither of which will be an issue in the future. They fully-intend to have a more well-rounded lineup going forward. I know that hearing this won't be good enough for a lot of folks here, but it's good enough for me.

Why is Fred Hall a concert promoter? Do you think Fred Hall is a barometer of "cool?" It is what it is. Not my cup of tea. Hope you had a great time.

[Urbanized]

Where did I say Fred Hall was a barometer of cool? He's just the financial backer who in this case also had a bunch of Nashville connections. I WILL say that I am glad that there (for the first time I am aware of) is a very wealthy guy who is taking an interest in the OKC music scene. Seems like a positive development to me.

Appears in hindsight that the Nashville connections came in handy thanks to the short run up and no event history to sell. Barring that Wanda Jackson might have been the headliner. Or Foghat. Next year they'll have more time AND more industry credibility. And it says right there in black and white that they specifically want more diversity going forward. I don't get the pervasive negativity.

And by the way, I didn't attend. Not my cup of tea.

[TaoMaas]

...just reinforces that country is the #1 thing around here...

Duh! Why would anyone have any other kind of festival here unless they just wanted to throw their money away? lol

[Pete]

"Organizers of the festival plan to do it again next summer, with more acts and genres. Hall said he wants to add more rock music for next time."

Sounds great to me.

Glad they got off to such a good first start. By next summer the convention center should be under construction, so I guess they could move to the Central Park site.

[Jim Kyle]

Too country oriented for me.

They're having a big music fest across the pond, too, this weekend, and I found this article on the BBC web site interesting:
BBC News - Dolly Parton graces the Glastonbury Pyramid stage

Especially interesting are the comments near the end of the piece, from other musicians...

[coov23]

This would be sweet.

Incubus would be okay. Metallica? No. Might as well bring in twisted sister, Korn and the like to headline. Let's be more current for our wish list, please. Mix in a little old school, but make it trendy and diverse. That's my wish.

[coov23]

My wish list for next year? How about this: Florida-Georgia Line, The Black Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Eric Church, Bastille, OutKast, Luke Bryan, Foo Fighters, Phil Collins and Dave Matthews. Smaller bands like Horse Thief, Lee Brice, Wale, etc. That would get people from all over this region. Probably more than 100k a day in attendance.

[dankrutka]

It'll be interesting the direction this takes in the future. I really loved how D-Fest in Tulsa was run. It really focused on alternative and hip hop and had acts spread throughout venues in the Blue Dome District, which suited my personal tastes. Regardless, it's great to get people out in the core.

[soonerguru]

Throw in Churches, Local Natives, Beach Fossils, Neutral Milk Hotel (if touring), et. al.

[warreng88]

My wish list for next year? How about this: Florida-Georgia Line, The Black Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Eric Church, Bastille, OutKast, Luke Bryan, Foo Fighters, Phil Collins and Dave Matthews. Smaller bands like Horse Thief, Lee Brice, Wale, etc. That would get people from all over this region. Probably more than 100k a day in attendance.

Throw in 30 Seconds to Mars, Aerosmith, The Pixies, Imagine Dragons, Kings of Leon and Lenny Kravitz and I would be ok with that. I think we will see one of the people you listed as headliners and then a bunch of other lower acts.

[Urbanized]

It'll be interesting the direction this takes in the future. I really loved how D-Fest in Tulsa was run. It really focused on alternative and hip hop and had acts spread throughout venues in the Blue Dome District, which suited my personal tastes. Regardless, it's great to get people out in the core.

Considering the fact that Scott Booker/ACM is involved, I think D-Fest similarities are a very realistic possibility. D-Fest's co-organizer, Angie Devore Green, was Scott's assistant (pre-ACM) during (I think) its entire run, and Scott has mentioned a personal desire to bring a high-quality festival to OKC.

Throw in Churches, Local Natives, Beach Fossils, Neutral Milk Hotel (if touring), et. al.

Agree completely, and I would suspect that would be the direction of the music they would bring into the fold rather than played-out classic rock, which might be economically successful but would ultimately be a dead end.

[SOONER8693]

Too country oriented for me.

That's fine if that's what they want to play, different strokes for different blokes. Just not my thing, I'd attend if there were some other genres. I know several other people who have said the same thing.

American country music is the most popular music genre in the world.

[dankrutka]

American country music is the most popular music genre in the world.

Link? How is "popular" defined - by sales? Just curious...