Criterion Concert Hall

[OkieHornet]

Sometimes you're at the mercy of the band on tour - OKC is the last date of the EITS spring tour.

[Jersey Boss]

NMF dates were announced in The Oklahoman on Sept. 23, 2016. Levelland must be totally unaware.

While the line ups were announced in September the dates for the NMF had been established for years. This event has been going on for almost 10 years and the dates for it are on the third weekend of April. Should Easter fall on the third weekend the festival moves to the following week.

[TheTravellers]

Levelland just f-ing sucks... For the EITS show, Still Corners has been the announced opening band pretty much ever since they announced it, but Vonna Pearl (a crappy local band) is now the opener. The only reason I was going is that there were 2 actual good bands playing, which doesn't happen often nowadays (the modus operandi seems to be getting a crappy local band to open, which wasn't always the case here). I almost seriously hope Levelland just completely fails and someone else can step in and start doing decent booking.

[OkieHornet]

Jason Isbell w/Frank Turner - Sept. 24

[Roger S]

Awesome! Caught Isbell with Lucero last year and it was a great show and Isbell really seemed to like the venue.

[BDP]

Levelland just f-ing sucks... For the EITS show, Still Corners has been the announced opening band pretty much ever since they announced it, but Vonna Pearl (a crappy local band) is now the opener. The only reason I was going is that there were 2 actual good bands playing, which doesn't happen often nowadays (the modus operandi seems to be getting a crappy local band to open, which wasn't always the case here). I almost seriously hope Levelland just completely fails and someone else can step in and start doing decent booking.

When / where had you seen Vonna Pearl before this show? I had heard good things.

[TheTravellers]

When / where had you seen Vonna Pearl before this show? I had heard good things.

I listened to a song online, they're nothing special at all, some people may love them, but I heard nothing in that song that made me want to see/hear any more of them (but I've heard so much music over my life that I'm probably a lot more jaded than most). And they replaced a band I really wanted to see, so 2 strikes against them.

[GoThunder]

I listened to a song online, they're nothing special at all, some people may love them, but I heard nothing in that song that made me want to see/hear any more of them (but I've heard so much music over my life that I'm probably a lot more jaded than most). And they replaced a band I really wanted to see, so 2 strikes against them.

How was EITS? What was the turnout and bar situation like?

[BDP]

I listened to a song online, they're nothing special at all, some people may love them, but I heard nothing in that song that made me want to see/hear any more of them (but I've heard so much music over my life that I'm probably a lot more jaded than most). And they replaced a band I really wanted to see, so 2 strikes against them.

Ha. Well, that's not their fault. I get it, though. That kinda seems to be what okc is in terms of live music interest from fans. I just thought the "crappy local band" comments seemed to contradict what I've heard about them and kind of validated the "fickle local music fan" discussion further up thread. It is the local bands that make a "music scene" afterall. I think if we want a good music scene here, support for the locals is where it really starts. For most towns that aren't LA, that's where it starts. That doesn't mean you have to suffer music you don't like all the time, but, you know, the flaming lips were a crappy local band at one time* (a REALLY crappy one, and they'll tell you that). Just seems like so many have to leave before anyone here will give them a chance and so, obviously, that's what they do.

I think that's why I like what the new tower promoters are doing with the local artist series. There's talent on that roster and I think they'll be able to gauge if there is real support for a music scene here or if people only want to pay to see what they've already heard from established acts before.

*and, of course, many may say the same is still true, just drop the "local" part. And they aren't wrong. There's no real right and wrong in music. Just used them to illustrate the point that it's hard to sell a town as the potential music town we all want it to be, when we seem to have trouble supporting the music we have here until they're appreciated somewhere else first.

[Roger S]

I think if we want a good music scene here, support for the locals is where it really starts. For most towns that aren't LA, that's where it starts. That doesn't mean you have to suffer music you don't like all the time, but, you know, the flaming lips were a crappy local band at one time* (a REALLY crappy one, and they'll tell you that). Just seems like so many have to leave before anyone here will give them a chance and so, obviously, that's what they do.

Doesn't sound like things have changed much in the 20 years since I had my band.... We hardly every played in OKC and the hand full of times we did it was for the Festival of the Arts or the State Fair..... I thought maybe it was just due to Red Dirt Music being new at the time but maybe not.... I just know our big goal back then was to get booked in Stillwater.

[StuckInTheCapitol825]

5 years ago the band I was in were doing shows for the Proctors opening up for some bigger bands they had coming through town.

I was told pretty much every show (when networking with bigger acts) to get out of OKC if we ever wanted to be anything.

[TheTravellers]

Ha. Well, that's not their fault. I get it, though. That kinda seems to be what okc is in terms of live music interest from fans. I just thought the "crappy local band" comments seemed to contradict what I've heard about them and kind of validated the "fickle local music fan" discussion further up thread. It is the local bands that make a "music scene" afterall. I think if we want a good music scene here, support for the locals is where it really starts. For most towns that aren't LA, that's where it starts. That doesn't mean you have to suffer music you don't like all the time, but, you know, the flaming lips were a crappy local band at one time* (a REALLY crappy one, and they'll tell you that). Just seems like so many have to leave before anyone here will give them a chance and so, obviously, that's what they do.

I think that's why I like what the new tower promoters are doing with the local artist series. There's talent on that roster and I think they'll be able to gauge if there is real support for a music scene here or if people only want to pay to see what they've already heard from established acts before.

*and, of course, many may say the same is still true, just drop the "local" part. And they aren't wrong. There's no real right and wrong in music. Just used them to illustrate the point that it's hard to sell a town as the potential music town we all want it to be, when we seem to have trouble supporting the music we have here until they're appreciated somewhere else first.

Well, I actually did like the Lips when they were a crappy local band - got into them around the time of "Hear It Is", saw them at what's now The Barrel performing the "Priest-Driven Ambulance" in full, etc.

And yeah, Vonna Pearl aren't really crappy, they are just completely not distinctive or individual, sounding like about a billion other bands, and I just don't have the time or appetite to listen to anybody that's generic. That's the problem I have with so many bands, local and nationwide - they don't add anything to the conversation, they're just the same old stuff that somebody else has done before, with *maybe* a tweak or two. My listening history spans all genres (mostly, except for country-pop and newer country), and pretty much from the beginning of the 20th century until now (with some classical thrown in), so I'm just jaded, I guess.

[TheTravellers]

How was EITS? What was the turnout and bar situation like?

Well, we didn't stick around for the end of EITS due to many factors (work was hell the week before for both of us, exhausted, pissed that Still Corners weren't there, too many a*holes walking around with 6-packs of Bud Light acting like they didn't care who was playing and they were just at a club living it up with their friends, and EITS just not doing it for us).

Turnout was decent (maybe 400?), whole open floor was full, around the sides not so much, balcony closed off except a VIP section. Sound was fine and bar was fine (lines of about 5 at each cash register at most).

[Swake]

Well, I actually did like the Lips when they were a crappy local band - got into them around the time of "Hear It Is", saw them at what's now The Barrel performing the "Priest-Driven Ambulance" in full, etc.

And yeah, Vonna Pearl aren't really crappy, they are just completely not distinctive or individual, sounding like about a billion other bands, and I just don't have the time or appetite to listen to anybody that's generic. That's the problem I have with so many bands, local and nationwide - they don't add anything to the conversation, they're just the same old stuff that somebody else has done before, with *maybe* a tweak or two. My listening history spans all genres (mostly, except for country-pop and newer country), and pretty much from the beginning of the 20th century until now (with some classical thrown in), so I'm just jaded, I guess.

So I listened to their song. Their sound is pretty good, a bit dated and really just a Jacob Dylan rip off, but I like Jacob. Their voices are fine but don't harmonize well, that's kinda of off putting. My big issue is their song composition is garbage. I can't really tell what the chorus is, the guitar solos are just kinda out of nowhere and out of place. The song just pointlessly meanders around. There's some potential there, but they need to find their own voice and need to study music composition.

[TheTravellers]

So I listened to their song. Their sound is pretty good, a bit dated and really just a Jacob Dylan rip off, but I like Jacob. Their voices are fine but don't harmonize well, that's kinda of off putting. My big issue is their song composition is garbage. I can't really tell what the chorus is, the guitar solos are just kinda out of nowhere and out of place. The song just pointlessly meanders around. There's some potential there, but they need to find their own voice and need to study music composition.

Compare that song to this (the band that was supposed to be the opener for EITS) and you'll know why I was *seriously* disappointed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QXAhwsxPKQ

[Bullbear]

Livenation has its 20.00 promo going through 05/09/17.
you can check out many bands for 20 bucks at Criterion. Including Brit Floyd and Young the giant.. just a fyi

[OkieHornet]

Livenation has its 20.00 promo going through 05/09/17.
you can check out many bands for 20 bucks at Criterion. Including Brit Floyd and Young the giant.. just a fyi

Hillsong Young and Free Youth Revival, and Volbeat are the other shows available. $20 incl. fees is a great deal if you like any of those bands.

[TheTravellers]

Wondered this the past couple of times we went to the Criterion, never followed up, but remembered this time - what's the deal with the empty lot west of the Criterion? May've been mentioned somewhere else, but I can't remember reading about it, seems weird that it's closed off and empty during shows (and I think any other time when we've been by it) when it could be open and making money as parking...

[Pete]

Wondered this the past couple of times we went to the Criterion, never followed up, but remembered this time - what's the deal with the empty lot west of the Criterion? May've been mentioned somewhere else, but I can't remember reading about it, seems weird that it's closed off and empty during shows (and I think any other time when we've been by it) when it could be open and making money as parking...

When the old steel buildings were removed and some of that property sold to the Criterion group, another owner bought that property which is basically just the old foundations.

For a while, they were charging people to park there but it is not close to compliant to Bricktown design standards and after first submitting plans to re-do it, they have done a whole lot of nothing since.

[Bellaboo]

When the old steel buildings were removed and some of that property sold to the Criterion group, another owner bought that property which is basically just the old foundations.

For a while, they were charging people to park there but it is not close to compliant to Bricktown design standards and after first submitting plans to re-do it, they have done a whole lot of nothing since.

Wasn't that an attorney named Joey Chaif that bought that lot ?

[Pete]

Just announced The XX (!!!!) for 10/12; tickets go on sale Friday.

NOW we're talking.

[Roger S]

The Old 97's announced a September show at the Diamond Ballroom over the weekend.... Was sure hoping they would come to The Criterion or Jones Assembly.

[OkieHornet]

saw the XX announcement - they're playing Austin City Limits festival and many bands fill in and around the 2 weekends of ACL with dates in the area, so hoping OKC gets a few more shows due to that.

[Andrew4OU]

saw the XX announcement - they're playing Austin City Limits festival and many bands fill in and around the 2 weekends of ACL with dates in the area, so hoping OKC gets a few more shows due to that.

The xx is big get for The Criterion. At least they're trying. I was tempted to make the drive down to Dallas to see them when they were at the South Side Ballroom last week, but I'm happy that I'll be able to walk to see them now.

[shadfar]

Just announced The XX (!!!!) for 10/12; tickets go on sale Friday.

NOW we're talking.

Nice! Can't wait for this!