Photo by Nathan Poppe
All my photos from the hip-hop set are here.
Archive for Concert – Page 3
“I was very adamant about trying to curate an environment that would allow me to ‘find the pulse.’ During those five years on the road, I just spent so much time focused on my band and what I was going through that it became next to impossible for me to relate to what most people were going through at the time.”
The Head & The Heart frontman Jonathan Russell had a lot to say about the road to creating the band’s third album.
Photo provided by Steven Ruud
“We’re in that sweet spot where there’s no security. So, it’s really up to people to look out for each other. Don’t let anybody go down headfirst. I would hate to see that at one of our shows. And yet, one of the greatest rewards at our shows is seeing people climb onto the stage and dive off onto each other.”
That’s Sabrina Ellis of A Giant Dog talking about the band’s rowdy live shows. They’re headed to the Opolis tonight to play alongside Titus Andronicus.
Photo by Nathan Poppe
I know what Jason Isbell fans are after.
Songs that entertain just as quickly as they’ll devastate. Well, Isabel delivered an emotional punch during his two hour set at The Criterion this month. Although, he gets hit with a country genre tag, his show rocked more than anything. Isabel is plaintive but with an appealing edge. The Alabama-born sensation also has a sound that’s more than ready to fill arenas. It’s just a matter of time before everyone catches on.
Check out all my photos from that evening along with some shots of the opener Lucero.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
The heat’s sticking around but summer is over for OU students.
More than 20 bands performed inside and outside of the Opolis on Aug. 27, and I visited to document the evening. I love shooting at this venue during magic hour because of that endless Oklahoma sky.
Photo by Nathan Poppe
Okie artist Samantha Crain was one of the first artists to perform on the new permanent stage in the outskirts of Okemah, Okla.
She just wrapped recording a new album at Tiny Telephone in California, too. Be on the lookout for that next year.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
Alice Cooper has been playing rock music longer than two-thirds of the world has been alive.
Simply put, he knows what he’s doing. I was surprised by how much fun and energy was packed into his concert. It’s not the shocking display it used to be but it’s definitely a giddy rock spectacle.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
One half boy band and the rest parts infectious pop rock.
That’s roughly the recipe for this English quartet. Fans stood in 90 degree heat and then screamed every single lyric alongside this energetic crew.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
Oxford, England is a long way from Oklahoma.
That’s a nearly 5,000 mile walk. Glass Animals’ strong debut, impending sophomore release and a lot of word of mouth attracted one of the biggest, youngest crowds I’ve seen at The Criterion. And it was a Monday night. I love seeing that sort of thing happen.
It’s also worth mentioning that Oklahoma City’s own Horse Thief opened the show and played to their biggest local crowd yet.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
It was real. It was sweaty. It was real sweaty.
I made my annual pilgrimage to the Zoo Amphitheatre to catch Twenty One Pilots and Mutemath play a sold out show.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
I felt something slide by my feet.
It was a legless man named CJ who was zipping through The Criterion crowd on a skateboard. That’s not half as strange as the Saosin lead singer deep-throating a mic stand and Taking Back Sunday’s frontman reminding everyone that he was the soundtrack to their high school PDA.
I still had a good time at this celebration of all things emo with The Early November, Saosin, Taking Back Sunday and Dashboard Confessional. Especially when CJ started crowdsurfing.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
Maxwell’s got charm.
A killer backing band, dance moves and velvety smooth pipes sure help in that department but there’s something undeniable about his magnetic personality. Simply put, he may not be young, but he can make concertgoers feel that way. At 43, he can hold the stage with the confidence of a weathered heavyweight boxer but his smile makes it look almost as if he’s out there for the first time.
Concert opener Ro James shared a handful of impressive R&B numbers and his song about consensual boning is quite the crowd pleaser. James also spent some time growing up in Lawton, Okla.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
“I’m really intrigued how Woody and Merle Haggard created such a wide spectrum as native Sooners. You’ve got Merle, who was never from Oklahoma, and Woody, who left Oklahoma as soon as he could. So one represents a walking on ‘The Fightin’ Side Of Me’ mentality and the other one a ‘This Land Was Made For You and Me’ kinda mentality. They’re both coming from this really rich place, and they’re both champions of this rich place. … They’re both managing to speak to the working man with a very different dialect.”
That’s OCMS frontman Ketch Secor talking to me on his tour bus during Muskogee’s G Fest. He was kind enough to invite me backstage to chat about his memories of the late Merle Haggard.a
Photos by Nathan Poppe
I’d never once listened to Widespread Panic before catching them live but fans’ dedication to the band is cult-like. I think that’s because the live experience is just so excellent. Also, check out this amazing database that catalogues every detail you could ever want to know about this Oklahoma City set.
Check out more photos from the set here.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
The brotherly music trio known as Hanson have been putting on beer and music festival in Tulsa for a few years now.
I paid a visit and wrote down my take on the ambitious celebration.
I’ve got lots more photos of beer enthusiasts, Hanson, Edward Sharpe, X Ambassadors and Chase Kerby here.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
Randy Rogers, Read Southall and their respective bands delivered a dump truck’s worth of red dirt country to The Criterion. This marked my first time seeing both acts, and the first time I’d seen a dad hold a kid on his shoulders while chugging a beer.
You bet your sweet six pack of Coors Light that I was there to document the night.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
I think the most accurate description of the music I heard this evening was “songs to be angry to.” If The Hulk were in attendance then things would’ve gotten bad fast. I think this also marks the first mosh pit in the history of The Criterion.
I had never listened to either bands but their energy was pretty infectious. I couldn’t help but dart around the stage trying to bottle up the performers’ enthusiasm. I was won over.
Photos by Nathan Poppe
Some bands aren’t just loud.
Take Disclosure for example.They were an atomic explosion of sound and lights. The brotherly British DJ duo visited Oklahoma for the first time and effectively tried to crumble The Criterion back to its foundation.
In the bleachers on the second level of the venue or backstage in a storage room, it didn’t matter where I was. Everything was shaking. I never danced but I definitely regret not busting a move. It was a great show with an even better energy.
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