I’m a sucker for a good concert. Heck—I’m even a sucker for a just-kind-of-okay concert as long as I can see the performer is giving it their all. As someone who lives with a crippling fear of any kind of performing—I have actual amnesia around every time I’ve ever stood before a microphone and a crowd—I’m enthralled by folks who can mine their truth, write a song, and let it fly before a group of strangers. I think it’s a superpower.

That’s why I’m always looking for my next set of concert tickets. Last month, when my husband and I found ourselves in Philadelphia, where he was attending a conference, we discovered that one of our favorite bands, Toad the Wet Sprocket, was playing nearby while we were there. And wow, what a show.

Toad the Wet Sprocket at the Keswick Theatre. Photo by Nathan Gunter

No matter whether you’re a fading ’90s dude rocker, a boot-scooter looking for some country tunes, or a high-culture classics maven who’d rather Ravel than Rihanna, Oklahoma has some pretty stellar places to see live music. And our scene is growing—just this week, Notes Live, the Colorado Springs-based entertainment company, announced it is building a 12,000-seat amphitheater in west Oklahoma City near the intersection of the Kilpatrick Turnpike and Interstate 40. Modeled after a similar development in Colorado Springs, the new Mustang Creek Crossing will feature 120 fire-pit suites, a landscaped grass berm, and what the developers call “premium hospitality offerings.” Groundbreaking is next year with a completion date scheduled for 2025.

The Sunset Amphitheater at the new Mustang Creek Crossing in west Oklahoma City. Image credit BCA Studios

“I’m extremely excited our county has been chosen for this high-quality development, which will bring in top shelf entertainment and dining venues to Mustang Creek Crossings,” Canadian County Sheriff Chris West said in a statement today. “I’m certain The Sunset will be a tremendous addition to our incredible and rapidly growing community.”

The Sunset Amphitheater at the new Mustang Creek Crossing in west Oklahoma City. Image credit BCA Studios

Man, I can't wait to see a concert there. Luckily, we’re not going to have to wait until 2025 to see great shows in Oklahoma. The state is riddled with amazing live-music venues—some are historic and famous, while some are lesser-known treasures. Here are some of my favorite places to catch a great live show in the Sooner State:

Cain’s Ballroom

Fitz and the Tantrums at Cain's Ballroom, July 2016. Photo by Nathan Gunter

If Oklahoma music has a Mother Church, it’s at 423 North Main Street in Tulsa. Here, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys introduced the world to Texas Swing via the airwaves of KVOO. Its history is the stuff of legend, from a pre-fame show by U2 in the early 1980s to Sid Vicious putting his fist through a wall backstage. Up next at the historic venue is the Blue Whale Comedy Festival, bowing July 27-30 and featuring Saturday Night Live’s Sarah Sherman on Friday, July 28. Other upcoming shows include Steel Panther on August 2, Margo Price on September 12, and Ray Wylie Hubbard on November 3. Lovers of the spoken word will want to get tickets for The Moth Live on November 8.

The Blue Door

John Fullbright at the Blue Door, 2022. Photo by Nathan Gunter

If traveling Oklahoma music is as much a religious experience for you as it is for me, whatever pigrimmage arrives at the Mother Church of Cain’s Ballroom must go through The Blue Door in Oklahoma City. Here, the song is sacred—there are a hundred seats, near-perfect acoustics, and a rotating lineup of the best troubadours around, from local greats like Kevin Welch, Jimmy Webb, Jimmy LaFave, and John Fullbright to big-deal folksters like Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams, and Michael Fracasso, to name only a few. The shows are intimate and quiet—this is not the place to carry on a conversation while someone strums in the background. The song is ruler here, and even if you bring your own libations—beer and wine are allowed, but try to keep quiet while you score a refill—you’ll want to focus your attention stageward. What’s happening up there is holy, and it’s beautiful. Grab a ticket for Slaid Cleaves’ CD release party on July 28; Travis Linville on August 11; Dr. Pants with Andrew Delaney August 18; or Kelly Willis September 23.

Beer City Music Hall

Bartees Strange at Beer City Music Hall. Photo by Nathan Gunter

I was deeply delighted when the beautiful minds behind Oklahoma City’s Tower Theatre decided to open a smaller club near the new West Village development, and though I’m still getting to know Beer City, we’re having a heck of time becoming acquainted. So far here, I’ve seen Mustang’s own Bartees Strange, who played an absolutely unbelievable set last fall, and The War and Treaty, the unbelievable husband-and-wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter. They tore that place down—I’m legitimately amazed the building is still standing after that show. Oh, and Beer City’s proprietary suds, dubbed “Cold Beer?” ::chef’s kiss:: Upcoming shows include King Cabbage Brass Band on August 18; American Slang August 26; and Black Joe Lewis September 12.

JC Cowboys

I’m a Weatherford boy—I was raised in the country, by the country, and on country . . . music, that is. I don’t think there was a day in the 1980s when some radio belonging to a member of my family wasn’t tuned to 95.5 KWEY-FM, Weatherford’s local station, or 94.7 FM, KEBC “Keepin’ Every Body Country” out of Oklahoma City. And for us in Custer County, the country music world lived nearby at JC Cowboys to the west of town. This venerable institution has recently reopened as a steakhouse-turned-music-venue—twenty-one and up only, I'm afraid—with a country-music menu of mostly steaks, salads, and desserts. But the music is central here: Upcoming shows include Silverado on July 28; Scotty Alexander August 19; and Jake Bush on September 8.

Tumbleweed Dance Hall

The place that put the red dirt in Red Dirt Music, where Garth Brooks cut his teeth as a performer and as a bouncer—the story goes he once had to throw his future wife out of the bar for getting in a fight with another girl—and where country music-loving Okies gather every year for the famous Calf Fry Festival. And the list of performers who’ve come here is insane—everyone from George Jones to Lorrie Morgan to Vanilla Ice (seriously) have played here, because the crowds always are top-notch. Tumbleweed is closed for the summer but reopens August 18, and upcoming shows include Chase Matthew on September 23; Trey Lewis October 7, and Braxon Keith October 21.

Soundpony Bar

Soundpony Bar in Tulsa. Photograph by Nathan Gunter

But maybe country’s not your thing. Maybe you’re more of a punk-rock kid, one who prefers riding a bicycle to a show rather than an F-150. If so, have I got the place for you: Soundpony Bar in Tulsa. Just a few doors down from Cain’s, this venue also exists as a bicycle shop—and team—and a bar and grill, complete with hot-dog-eating contests, karaoke, and more. But if you’re in it for the tunes, Soundpony’s got some great ones. Upcoming shows include The Whiffs, Dead Shakes, and Some Hearts on August 10; Dreamland Fest X Steph Simon September 16; and Sky Run Roger October 21.

Armstrong Auditorium

Classical music in Oklahoma deserves a blog post all its own—oh, the glory I’ve witnessed while watching the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, the Brightmusic Chamber Ensemble, or Canterbury Voices—and I promise to add it to my list. In the meantime, if you’re feeling the pull of the great masters, may I suggest a visit to Edmond’s gorgeous Armstrong Auditorium. This refined, beautiful space—seriously, check out those chandeliers in the lobby—wraps visitors in a cocoon of comfort and luxury and then treats their ears to the auditory versions of same. Previous performers have included Broadway stars Kelli O’Hara and Brian Stokes Mitchell; violinist Joshua Bell; the Russian National Ballet; and jazz masters Branford Marsalis and Doc Severinsen. Upcoming shows in the 2023-24 season include cellist Joshua Roman on September 12; Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev playing Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, and Gershwin on November 30 (I’m definitely going to that one); and the Italian Saxophone Quartet on February 7.

Written By

Nathan Gunter

A sixth-generation Oklahoman, Weatherford native, and Westmoore High School graduate, Nathan Gunter is the magazine's editor-in-chief. When he's not editor-in-chiefing, Nate enjoys live music, running, working out, gaming, cooking, and random road trips with no particular destination in mind. He holds degrees from Wake Forest University and the University of Oklahoma. He learned how to perform poetry from Maya Angelou; how to appreciate Italian art from Terisio Pignatti; comedy writing from Doug Marlette; how to make coconut cream pie from his great-grandma; and how not to approach farm dogs from trial and error. A seminary dropout, he lives just off Route 66 in Oklahoma City.