Criterion Concert Hall

[Pete]

They may not have their liquor license yet, which means they have to bring everything in before a show then take it completely out again.

[Anonymous.]

I was also at Disclosure. Drink situation was the same as when I was here for Third Eye Blind. Beer carts would do wonders...

Also the set seemed awfully short for them coming on so late. But oh well, this venue is amazing - once they figure out the drinks and the temperature, will be 10/10.

[Pete]

I'm curious about Disclosure....

Since they use a variety of featured artists for vocals on all their tracks, how did they deal with this live?

Did they have one singer that sang all the songs or multiple vocalists?

[Anonymous.]

One of the two guys sings in most of the songs, but they definitely were just playing the track vocals for their popular songs that have featured artists.

[traxx]

I posted this last week but it apparently got lost in the clean up.

Had coworker go to Sturgill Simpson at Criterion. He was really looking forward to a good show but said it was just awful. He said it was just a big box of concrete and metal which was not conducive to good sound at all. He said that on the first floor the sound was so muddy you couldn't pick a guitar out from a piano or any of the other mess of sound. He said it was even worse on the second floor. He couldn't believe that someone would build a music venue from the ground up with so little thought to acoustics nor could he believe that they didn't have a sound designer on staff there. He also mentioned that the doors opened late and there was a large crowd of people trying to get in through a small space. He said he wouldn't go back unless major changes were made. He felt like he wasted his money and time.

[Timshel]

Drink situation was the same as when I was here for Third Eye Blind. Beer carts would do wonders...

There were quite a few (cash only) beer carts scattered throughout the venue for MMJ and Sturgill Simpson and, perhaps unsurprisingly, lines weren't bad for either show. Interesting that the Criterion isn't having carts for every show - I'm sure there's a reason but it seems that it is a no-brainer to have them.

[adaniel]

I'm curious about Disclosure....

Since they use a variety of featured artists for vocals on all their tracks, how did they deal with this live?

Did they have one singer that sang all the songs or multiple vocalists?

I was in town and at the show as well.

They play the audio track of whomever was singing and both brothers have little booth things where they do the mixing and play the instrumentals. I should note that this past album, they did quite a bit of their own vocals.

They had teased all night that there was going to a be a "special guest," we were all hoping it would have been Alunageorge or Sam Smith, but the singer they did bring (Bredan Riley) is pretty legit. I probably would have lost my collective s*** if Sam Smith came.

One comment on the drink situation. Yeah, the lines were stupid long, but at the Bomb Factory, a very similar venue in Dallas, there are 2 bars and I can't really say the lines are any shorter. I agree with the beer cart idea. All in all, it was an amazing show, probably THE best I have ever been to. Maybe a bit shorter than I would have liked. The Criterion is a great facility and something OKC has really needed. I think they'll continue to kill it.

[OSUFan]

I posted this last week but it apparently got lost in the clean up.

Had coworker go to Sturgill Simpson at Criterion. He was really looking forward to a good show but said it was just awful. He said it was just a big box of concrete and metal which was not conducive to good sound at all. He said that on the first floor the sound was so muddy you couldn't pick a guitar out from a piano or any of the other mess of sound. He said it was even worse on the second floor. He couldn't believe that someone would build a music venue from the ground up with so little thought to acoustics nor could he believe that they didn't have a sound designer on staff there. He also mentioned that the doors opened late and there was a large crowd of people trying to get in through a small space. He said he wouldn't go back unless major changes were made. He felt like he wasted his money and time.

I was at Sturgill. There were some small issues (you can tell they are still working on some kinks) but I can't believe anyone could have gone to that show and came away with that opinion. There were some sound issues for the first couple of songs but it sounded great where I was after that. It was honestly one of the best concerts I've been too. Everyone I was with was extremely impressed. No offense but that sounds like someone who wanted to be disappointed by their experience.

[Andrew4OU]

I was in town and at the show as well.

They play the audio track of whomever was singing and both brothers have little booth things where they do the mixing and play the instrumentals. I should note that this past album, they did quite a bit of their own vocals.

They had teased all night that there was going to a be a "special guest," we were all hoping it would have been Alunageorge or Sam Smith, but the singer they did bring (Bredan Riley) is pretty legit. I probably would have lost my collective s*** if Sam Smith came.

One comment on the drink situation. Yeah, the lines were stupid long, but at the Bomb Factory, a very similar venue in Dallas, there are 2 bars and I can't really say the lines are any shorter. I agree with the beer cart idea. All in all, it was an amazing show, probably THE best I have ever been to. Maybe a bit shorter than I would have liked. The Criterion is a great facility and something OKC has really needed. I think they'll continue to kill it.

This was my second show (first was Ben Rector) at The Criterion. I love this venue. There were no sound issues during this show like there were for MMJ or Sturgill. Disclosure was fantastic and Brendan Reilly blew the roof off the place. The energy was INSANE. I can still feel the bass and music in my body. My friends and I were drenched in sweat from all the dancing. I started out down on the floor and made my way up to the balcony, which was closed up until just after Honey Dijon finished. When I came in, an OKCPD officer told me they wouldn't be opening it at all. I'm guessing walk-up sales exceeded their expectations because the floor filled up pretty quickly. The balcony was maybe 50% full.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFX8hHdM...-by=disclosure

[Bullbear]

I went to disclosure as well and the venue is great. Funny someone would say the acoustics are bad because we all were complimenting how well it was done and that with the amount of sound disclosure was pumping out it was very clear without distortion. It was a perfect venue for that size of show and light show. Disclosure had a huge load in with all that lighting and sound.

[traxx]

I was at Sturgill. There were some small issues (you can tell they are still working on some kinks) but I can't believe anyone could have gone to that show and came away with that opinion. There were some sound issues for the first couple of songs but it sounded great where I was after that. It was honestly one of the best concerts I've been too. Everyone I was with was extremely impressed. No offense but that sounds like someone who wanted to be disappointed by their experience.

I'm not sure why he would want to be disappointed after spending the money, getting a babysitter, and spending the time to go to the show. He said he went to several different areas in the building trying to find a place where the sound was good but he couldn't find one. He told me he was approaching it from a fan's viewpoint rather than a tech geek or sound geek.

[rollwithit]

I'm not sure why he would want to be disappointed after spending the money, getting a babysitter, and spending the time to go to the show. He said he went to several different areas in the building trying to find a place where the sound was good but he couldn't find one. He told me he was approaching it from a fan's viewpoint rather than a tech geek or sound geek.

Not sure where my post went but I'm happy to corroborate what your friend said. The sound was the worst setup I've been around in decades of concert going. They have miles to go. I also moved around to various locations to see if there were any decent listening spots, but if there were, it was where the first few hundred were standing (couldn't get up there - not a complaint just stating why I didn't listen from 10 feet away).

If you are going to build a facility that holds 3,500 and charge decent money to enter, set the place up for a decent listening experience for 3,500.

I also went to MMJ and, despite the shortcomings there, it was an A compared to Sturgill's setup. I'm not sure what's going on there bc Sturgill and his band are world class. This was the coor light tent at the county fair quality sound, not decent money at a venue billed at top notch quality. Hell, the 10 minutes I spent upstairs I spent 5 of those wondering if the house speakers were on. It sounded like only the amplifiers and monitors were working with no instruments miked up at all. Big head scratcher. This was the first concert I've ever left thinking I'd rather had stayed home and pressed play - 100% due to sound quality.

The place has potential, but has a lot of ground to make up before it can be considered a high quality mid size venue.

[Urbanized]

I went to Sturgill Simpson and have now been to 3 shows there (Rector, MMJ and SS). I will also be at Gregg Allman tomorrow night. I'll address a couple of things recently mentioned upthread:

• Regarding drinks/beer cart, there WERE satellite beer bars set up for Sturgill Simpson. They are obviously bringing things like that online.
• Regarding sound, it is COMPLETELY dependent upon where you are in the hall. It is possible for people to have different sound experiences based on being in a different place in the room, and I'm sure this is something they continue to work on.

The MMJ show was an outlier, since I know for a fact that all of the sound system for that was the band's. The sound issues for that show fall squarely on MMJ, which pains me to say, because I love that band.

I'm not sure how much most people walk around venues to check out the sound, but I do it all of the time, and especially have been doing it at this new venue to familiarize myself with sonic sweet spots, so that those are the places where I can go to immediately when I see favorite bands. Here is the breakdown of the building's sound based on the shows I have been to:

1. The open floor area is tough to beat. If you are in this area you are guaranteed to have fantastic sound, barring an issue like MMJ's.
2. In the balcony risers ON THE SIDES you will also have great sound (and a great view)
3. On the balcony risers IN THE BACK the sound QUALITY is good, but the volume tends to be low. A little too much crowd conversation can creep in. Nevertheless, this offers the best view of the show short of the first few rows on the floor. It feels surprisingly intimate up there.
4. Under the overhangs the sound is way less forgiving. Unless there is plenty of volume - which I understand 3rd Eye Blind fans enjoyed - there is quite a bit of reverb and WAY too much conversation noise. Like, you'll be really mad at people if you are there for the music more than you are to see and be seen.

All in all, I think the sound issues are minimal and can/will be fixed with a little bit of fine-tuning. I'd love to see some repeaters installed under the overhang to drown out conversation and reinforce the sound from the main audio, and would also like to see some in the rafters directed at the back risers. I think that would solve 99% of the sound challenges. It really has very little to do with the room itself; things just need to be dialed in, as expected.

These guys are doing a great job of figuring things out of the fly if you ask me. SS was the first show I had been to where they opened side doors and scanned tickets through those to alleviate the crush at the main entrance. People need to remember that they originally proposed a different design that reversed the room and put entrances along the side instead of on the corner. The corner entrance was forced upon them by BUDC, and if you ask them today, the Criterion guys themselves will admit that the required design changes made for a better building in many ways. At the same time, it poses some crowd control challenges before the show, and they are working through those and getting better at each show. I trust that they will have all of these things figured out very soon.

[OkieHornet]

one thing i noticed at sturgill but not mmj - after your ticket got scanned, you still had to go through the line to get either get a 21+ wristband or an "x" marked on your hand if you weren't drinking. that seemed to hold up the line. not sure why you couldn't just breeze through that part if you weren't drinking, or at least have another spot inside to do this business.

[sooner88]

Sturgill was my first show at the Criterion and overall had a great experience. I agree with OkieHornet that the holdup with the line was mainly from the wristbands, not getting your ticket scanned. The line moved much faster once they opened up the side door, but that wasn't done until around 8:00 pm. Although we waited in line for 30+ minutes, I don't think many (or anyone) people missed any of the show. The drink line went extremely fast... I never waited more than 5 minutes.

I will echo what Urbanized said about the sound underneath the balcony being the least forgiving. Since we weren't able to get there until right around the start, the open floor was packed. We started off underneath the balcony and the combination of the echo/reverberation and loud conversation was really distracting/frustrating. We eventually moved out from under the balcony to the open floor and the sound was night and day better. Going forward I will make sure to get there early enough to get a spot in the open floor, or try the balcony.

[zefferoni]

The sound at the Sturgill Simpson show was pretty awful for the first five or so songs. After that it was great. I moved around to different areas to check out the sound dynamics. If you're 10-15 feet from under the mezzanine the crowd chatter from under there is pretty loud (distracting even during the loud songs), but the sound elsewhere was good. All the more reason to work your way into the crowd closer to the stage.
The upstairs bars were both open so there was never a long wait for drinks. The line getting into the venue were pretty scattered and blocked a lot of the street, maybe there needs to be signage or someone directing people where to line up.
Any gripes I have are pretty minor, I really enjoyed it and am glad we have a venue like this now in OKC.

[Jersey Boss]

Based on some of the comments about moving around the venue during shows. Is the seating "festival seating" or are there assigned seats per the ticket? I was thinking about going to Allman and would like to know before heading up there. Thanks.

[sooner88]

Based on some of the comments about moving around the venue during shows. Is the seating "festival seating" or are there assigned seats per the ticket? I was thinking about going to Allman and would like to know before heading up there. Thanks.

Gregg Allman is reserved seating. Shows like Sturgill Simpson, Disclosure, etc. have all been general admission with no seating.

[BDP]

I thought Sturgill sounded good, especially the band. His vocals were hot IMO, especially when he really got behind it, but I think that was an engineer's choice. They also kind of punched up the mix as the show went along, but I kinda thought that was a choice as well.

As for the other issues some are having, part of it is just that it's a big room serving 3000+ people. It will not be line free or be acoustically consistent at every spot (even a living room isn't). I agree that there could be some things that would be preferred acoustically, but even if it was acoustically dead, it's not going to sound the same everywhere, especially under an eve or against a wall. Anyway, I have been to three shows so far and they have all been different really. I've enjoyed each one more than the last. Part of that is that I think I kind of have it "figured out" now, as far as when/where to get drinks and where to watch the show.

[Easy180]

Gregg Allman is reserved seating. Shows like Sturgill Simpson, Disclosure, etc. have all been general admission with no seating.

Since I enjoy non-arena bands I just wouldn't feel right at a seated concert.

[Bullbear]

a clip from the Disclosure show. was a great crowd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghdsxLs6tsU

[Pete]

I really regret missing this!

Looks like a ton of fun.

[Bullbear]

It was a lot of fun Pete.. Latch was a low key light show. some of the middle of the set was CRAZY!.. one of the best Light shows I have seen actually.

[adaniel]

It was a lot of fun Pete.. Latch was a low key light show. some of the middle of the set was CRAZY!.. one of the best Light shows I have seen actually.

I agree. It was lit...literally!

I started out down on the floor and made my way up to the balcony, which was closed up until just after Honey Dijon finished. When I came in, an OKCPD officer told me they wouldn't be opening it at all. I'm guessing walk-up sales exceeded their expectations because the floor filled up pretty quickly. The balcony was maybe 50% full.

This reminds me, one thing I thought was odd was this. A friend came into town last minute and tried to buy a ticket online Friday afternoon, and the Live Nation website said it was sold out. But we had no problem buying at the box office just a few hours later. And you are correct that with the balcony open, there was still plenty of space. Just thought it was weird and have not experienced that elsewhere.

[sooner88]

Has anyone figured out the difference between fees they charge online vs. at the box office? Sturgill was ~$12 for a $30 ticket online... would be really nice to avoid that at the box office.