Growing up around OKC, most of my youth was spent with live music. Whether it was playing in bands, going to see my friends bands, putting on rinky-dink DIY shows, or just checking out any act with an interesting name at the Green Door or Conservatory, there was a period where I'd be out watching live music several times a week.
Then the dreadful thing happened to all of the other dudes I used to see out, which was that I hit my 30's and just stopped giving a shit about the scene. Shoutout to all the troopers I know who still go out all the time, but it became exhausting and I became boring.
Last weekend, I ventured out to my first show at The Criterion to see a few of my favorite acts, Dinosaur Jr, and Kurt Vile. It was mostly a good experience, especially running into so many old friends, and the bands both shredded. But I couldn't help and feel put-off a bit by the crowd. Maybe it was because I accidentally got wayyy too high on a medicinal joint between sets, but I felt hyper-sensitive to some of the complaints that I'd been hearing about the Oklahoma City music scene.
Let's go down the list: