Photos by Nathan Poppe

Langhorne Slim took a knee and spoke to the crowd.

It’s something frontman Sean Scolnick did this several times during his show at the Tower Theatre. It’s a gesture that can close the distance from the elevated stage to make it feel like a performer is speaking directly to you. It’s impressive when an artist shrinks a huge venue into something as small as a living room.

Slim kicked the evening off with an apology. He said he was sorry for taking so long to make it to Oklahoma City. A couple songs later, he was swimming through the crowd and turning the venue’s pit into his own jungle gym.

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Snail Mail performing live at Norman Music Festival in 2018. [Photos by Nathan Poppe]

One of my last assignments at The Oklahoman happened to also be one of my absolute favorites. Yep, it was Norman Music Festival and there’s not many instances in Oklahoma where so much great music comes together in such a tiny proximity.

I’ve never missed a day of NMF.

The festival turned 11 this year, and I had a blast covering it. Especially because of all the photo opportunites. The festival is like my personal barometer for shooting concerts. I’ve come a long, long way from shooting on auto with a kit lens. See what I mean below…

BRONCHO performing behind Blackwatch Studios at Norman Music Festival circa 2011. 

Check out the wrap-up coverage I cobbled together for the latest and greatest NMF I’ve ever attended right here.

Click on lotsa concert photos here.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

Most bands with an Oklahoma connection don’t hesitate to play it up.

St. Vincent, on the other hand, claims Texas as her home state even though she was born in Tulsa. That’s fine because what’s the real significance of an origin story when your art is rooted in the unordinary?

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Photo by Nathan Poppe

It was getting late on a Sunday night.

I was exhausted, but I can only imagine how Ty Taylor was feeling. The Vintage Trouble frontman caressed fans in the front row, pole vaulted with his microphone stand and danced in the crowd. That was just during the first song as his LA-based rocker and soul act headlined the grand opening of Tower Theatre.

It ended up being a really special night and a perfect fit for the room. Check out more photos here.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

“If you touch some girl in the crowd and you don’t know her, I’ll punch you in the fucking face.”

When Killer Mike wants to make a point he doesn’t waste time. The rapper joined his paler half El-P for a damn good show at Diamond Ballroom. What I like about seeing Run The Jewels is how I didn’t feel shorted by the delivery. Killer Mike and El-P energetically swap their festival-ready verses like clockwork. They don’t rely on a ton of other rappers in their album cuts and that means they’re doing all the heavy lifting in concert. That’s nice because too many guest spots can render a hip-hop track toothless in a live setting.

Check out more about the show here.

Click on photos here.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

I love when a little band makes a big noise. The xx only features three members but you can sure lose count once the stage’s mirrors started spinning and the dizzying light show lit up The Criterion. I was surprised at how much energy the British trio poured into a set of songs known best for their sensitivity.

Check out more photos of The xx and Perfume Genius from the show here.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

They’re not exactly royalty, but they were welcomed home like Kings.

Check out my review from the OKC concert stop here or browse some more photos here. I was surprised the band allowed photographers in the pit. That’s pretty rare at arena shows these days. Party on.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

I rarely see a crowd so happy to get sad.

Melancholy comes easy for the Mountain Goats but a packed ACM@UCO Performance Lab happily fed the quartet with eager singalongs and undivided attention. There wasn’t a face in the front row that wasn’t thrilled to hear frontman John Darnielle explain the backstory to a song about Mexican wrestlers pulling off opponents’ masks or to throw out a song request when the shoeless singer excused his band and asked for suggestions.

Read more about the show here and click on more photos here.

Photo by Nathan Poppe

Which brings us to The Hop Jam, Hanson’s craft beer and music festival, now in its fourth year. With a comprehensive array of international beer vendors and a music lineup, including John Fullbright and Mayer Hawthorne (and, this year, headlined by Hanson), the festival aims to breathe new life into an already-storied area of Tulsa.

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Photo by Nathan Poppe

This show was undoubtedly the weirdest concert I’ve ever witnessed. A rowdy, sold-out crowd pushed a set of steel barricades into the The Criterion stage well before the headliner had even taken stage. The venue had to be evacuated so security and staff could rebuild the barricade wall. Fans booed, chanted and resisted leaving their cherished spot. After all, many had spent the entire day waiting to get up front. Everything restarted after about an hour of delays and everyone performed. The crowd wasn’t any less rowdy though.

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