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Tulsa will see large crowds headed to this month's concerts.
Sept. 3 — Elvis Costello and The Sugarcanes
Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St.
There are few contemporaneous artists for whom this writer has as much admiration, not only for his relevant longevity but also for his entire opus. And the fact much of his work has been playing in the background while the writer’s life unveiled itself.
Mr. Costello (aka “Declan MacManus, International Art Thief”) did not invent punk, soul, rock, country, new wave or jazz music. Yet each time he plays in their respective domains, Costello, more often than not, makes something entirely his own — even covered songs — while having the sense and decorum not to overplay his hand. From his earliest effort with “My Aim is True” (1977) to his June release, “Secret, Profane and Sugarcane,” we, the audience, have been privy to Costello’s circuitous progression into one of this generation’s (and a few others, I imagine) most important artists.
Costello’s divergent approach to a myriad of musical forms is not unlike Schopenhauer’s treatise on music: There is an intrinsic ability to express the fundamental truths of human nature and the beauty and misery of this life through his unique, illustrative, allegorical, expressive and metaphorical oeuvre.
After seeing Costello and The Sugarcanes at Cain’s Ballroom Sept. 3, one might have a clearer picture of the showman that words so inadequately describe.
Costello is all-time.
People still talk about his last show at the Cain’s as if it were a religious experience rather than a concert.
Don’t be daft: Fork up the $47 and be a part of the congregation.
And now, in my best John Cleese, for something completely different …
Sept. 15 — Britney Spears
BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave.
OMG! I M freaking out so hard!
Britney’s coming! Britney’s coming! She’s en fuego!
I have 2 C “The Circus Starring Britney Spears” tour or I will throw up a car full of clowns! I can’t wait 2 get tix!
SRO tix go 4 $127 and $152 while the best seats R going 4 $497 and you have 2 buy them in pairs! I can’t wait 2 see the look on Mom’s face when I tell her! She will FLIP like 1 of the acrobats at the show! I M getting really dizzy! WHEEEEE!
Better yet, there is a Ringmaster VIP package that has — I M hyperventilating! — 1 reserved ringside stool, a VIP tour of backstage, a meet-and-greet with Britney’s dancers and band and stuff — OMG! OMG! — and there is a really great pre-party with food and beverages — Red Bull! Red Bull! Red Bull! — and this totally awesome commemorative VIP laminate and lanyard for only $575. OMG! I M THERE!
I gotta figure out what I’m gonna wear! I’M FREAKING OUT! ARRGGHHH!
Disclaimer from the Web site: Please note Britney Spears will not participate in any meet-and-greet or pre/post-show activities. And there may be tranquilizer darts on the premises.
Sept. 17-20 — Rock ’n’ Rib Festival presented by Rib Crib
BOK Center
From 11 a.m. on Thursday until 3 p.m. the following Sunday, the southwest corner of the BOK Center will be wall-to-wall with epicurean delights, from several vendors of barbecue ribs to deep-fried Twinkies (you gained seven pounds and your cholesterol shot up 22 points just reading that). Admission is free before 1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, the entry fee is $3 any other time and kids under 12 are free.
And a slew (not slaw, as I can neither confirm nor deny the presence of any slaw-related items) of local bands will provide live music from the ONEOK trailer, er, stage: to wit, Eric and the Blasters, My Solstice, Sam and the Stylees and the Red Dirt Rangers, to name four of the 13 bands.
Sept. 19 — Billy Joe Winghead
Mercury Lounge, 1747 S. Boston Ave.
If there were a street brawl between Oklahoma City and Tulsa for supremacy and control of the state’s tax dollars (at least it’d be better than the system we have now), I would want Billy Joe Winghead playing the music. Or a hot rod race. Or something that requires full gas.
This music makes me want to trick out my 90 cc scooter and try to jump the Arkansas River.
Sure, I’d get 20 feet from the shore, but at least I would look the part with crazy Manson lamps for eyes and maniacal, hard-charging music the last thing I heard.
This auditory mixture of jet fuel and fried chicken will have you hanging on to the rails like right before the bottom falls out of the roller coaster. The band’s mix of Fender, Gibson, Theremin and wailin’ are the stuff of rockabilly legend.
The best part? If you get hungry, ask Screamin’ Steven for some of his bombastic or chronic jerky ($10 for the large bag and worth every penny).
